The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
78%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
20 nominations total
It may not quite scale Aardman’s customary delirious heights, but The Pirates! still represents some of the smartest, most skillfully animated fare that modern cinema has to offer
The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is a swashbuckling adventure that will have you laughing and cheering for these lovable misfits. The animation is top-notch and the humor is clever and silly, making it a movie that both kids and adults can enjoy. It’s a treasure worth discovering, so grab your eye patch and set sail with these hilarious pirates!
Production Company(ies)
The Mirisch Company, Alpha
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Aardman Animation Studios, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for mild action, rude humor and some language
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 28m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 2012 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2012
Genre(s)
Adventure/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, directed by Peter Lord, written by Gideon Defoe, Adventure, Comedy, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sara Michelle Fetters, Bruce Diones, Steven D Greydanus, Nell Minow, Stephen Whitty, Kate Erbland, Richard Propes, Katie Smith-Wong, Micheal Compton, Rachel Wagner, Sarah Gopaul, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Aardman, stop-motion animation, pirate captain, Black Bellamy, Cutlass Liz, Pirate of the Year, Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, Blood Island, Victorian London, SDDS, Datasat, Dolby Digital, Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Julie Lockhart, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Worldwide gross: $123,054,041
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $158,644,275
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 817
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,300,357
US/Canada gross: $31,051,126
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $40,031,870
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,166
US/Canada opening weekend: $11,137,734
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,359,039
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 815
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $55,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $70,907,343
Production budget ranking: 595
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,183,604
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $49,553,328
ROI to date (est.): 45%
ROI ranking: 1,172
Martin Freeman – The Pirate With a Scarf (voice)
Imelda Staunton – Queen Victoria (voice)
David Tennant – Charles Darwin (voice)
Jeremy Piven – Black Bellamy (voice)
Salma Hayek – Cutlass Liz (voice)
Peter Lord – Director/Producer
David Sproxton – Producer
Julie Lockhart – Producer
Gideon Defoe – Writer
Director(s)
Peter Lord
Writer(s)
Gideon Defoe
Producer(s)
Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Julie Lockhart
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
20 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (153) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (132) | Rotten (21)
It’s a fun frolic young and old alike should enjoy equally, filled with sights and sounds so richly rewarding one almost has to see it twice to be able to appreciate them all.
May 15, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
The action is beautifully staged, delightful, and exciting.
May 7, 2012
Bruce Diones
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Gadzooks, is this movie bonkers. I mean, really.
May 3, 2012 | Rating: B+
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
The wonderful folks at Aardman have created another deliriously silly stop-motion animation delight, filled with giddy pleasures and so many witty details flying by that you wish for a pause button.
April 30, 2012 | Rating: B+
Nell Minow
Beliefnet
TOP CRITIC
The filmmakers have said they are already dreaming up a sequel. They needn’t hurry. Whatever treasures these pirates have are well buried.
April 28, 2012 | Rating: 2/4
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
TOP CRITIC
Frequently funny and layered with humor to suit all ages.
April 28, 2012 | Rating: B+
Kate Erbland
Film School Rejects
TOP CRITIC
Purists will no doubt be bothered by Aardman’s decision to incorporate digital imagery and 3-D, but they use it well here.
September 20, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
The result is a hurrah for the return of Aardman’s finest. Easily their most enjoyable film since Wallace & Gromit.
November 27, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Katie Smith-Wong
Musings of Guitargalchina
Gideon DeFoe’s screenplay is smart and very funny with some very well staged laughs. The direction from Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt is just as smart, full of some laugh out loud sight gags.
April 12, 2019 | Rating: B+
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
I think it’s a really fun movie.
February 14, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
The Pirates! Band of Misfits doesn’t quite deliver the memorable sea shanty that keeps audiences coming back for another verse.
September 7, 2018
Sarah Gopaul
Digital Journal
If nothing else, I can say that Aardman’s latest is one of the best-looking movies I’ve seen in 2012…Oh, and the movie also happens to be very funny, a spoof on Pirate pictures without getting all that much weighed down with pop culture.
July 3, 2018
Charles Webb
MTV…
Plot
Always outclassed by fierce opponents such as Cutlass Liz, Peg Leg Hastings, and Black Bellamy, the hopeless, Pirate Captain, decides it’s high time he won the prestigious 1837 “Pirate of the Year Award”. However, this is easier said than done, as the determined captain embarks on a foolhardy quest along with his ragtag crew of misfits which involves Queen Victoria herself, an extremely rare dodo bird, and a brilliant young scientist named Charles Darwin. Will Pirate Captain manage to pull off a surprise victory?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features an all-star voice cast including Hugh Grant, Salma Hayek, and David Tennant.
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