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 One
of the most memorable moments in 1995’s Toy Story was cowboy doll
Woody’s deployment of a troop of green plastic army men for a
reconnaissance mission. The hard, tiny figures - a staple in any little
boy’s toy box - were never the most mobile of items being made of a
single mold per soldier, but there was always enough imagination in
their owners to create exciting, triumphant battles. It is in this
spirit of fancy that the creatures of the stop-motion masterpiece, A
Town Called Panic are brought magically to life.
Brilliant, fresh and imaginative, A Town Called Panic is feature version
of a Belgian TV show created in part by animators Stéphane Aubier and
Vincent Patar, who write and direct here. It’s no surprise that the
television show was distributed by Aardman Studios, home of the
excellent Wallace and Gromit; A Town Called Panic shares the same
unexpectedly organic charm in its stop-motion world and characters. In
a peaceful, Crayola-coloured hamlet live Cowboy, Indian and Horse. The
two-legged roommates are in a quandary after they forget their
four-legged friend’s birthday and find themselves without a suitable
present. Sweet, but simple minded, Cowboy and Indian take the
initiative to make something special for Horse, which finds all three
roomies out in the cold. Only slightly inconvenienced, the trio set
about rebuilding their house but find that everything they assemble is
absconded with in the middle of the night by a mysterious group of
burglars desirous our heroes’ construction skills, but feeling no need
to pay for them. In pursuit of their happy home, Cowboy, Indian and
Horse chase the thieves literally to the ends of the earth and discover
not only their stolen abode, but a nefarious plot by a team of ornery
scientists to bombard innocent citizens around the world with giant
snowballs.
Wacky?
And how. Charming and original? Exceptionally. From the deceptively
primitive use of the hard plastic figures with their extremely limited
range of motion (- the plastic base adhered to their feet leaves them
toddling from side to side to get anyplace), the appeal of Aubier
and Patar’s characters is derived from their madcap, clever script and
an excellent voice cast bringing the characters to life. The acceptance
and bonhomie of the tiny rural village extends to all its denizens
whether they be horse, policeman, goat, farmer, mailman, or strange
undersea creature. The small town dynamics are perceptively captured
and played adorably; the cranky farmer who only shows grudging kindness
to his close friends, obsessive jealousy to anyone who so much as looks
at his wife, a paternal protectiveness to all his barnyard animals and
an unqualified worship of his beloved tractor. Romance is provided in
the entire town’s approving interest in Horse’s shy attempts to woo the
local music teacher; the titian-maned Madame Longray and serves as one
example of the sweetness so evident throughout A Town Called Panic. I
now believe absolutely you can construct a sturdy brick home using crazy
glue and I finally understand how horses sleep comfortably standing up
and maintain good dental hygiene (- and can play a mean piano, too!).
Off
the wall from the outset, A Town Called Panic is a riot of delightful,
cockeyed whimsy and a truly wonderful piece of animation. It is
audacious and clever enough to enchant grown-up audiences and fun and
fantastic enough to entertain kids (- at least the ones
who don’t mind reading subtitles). Catch this in cinemas while you
can.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
January 29th 2010
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