A Town Called Panic (Panique au village) (2009)
82%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 5 nominations
A Town Called Panic is a film that defies description, but I’ll give it a shot. It’s a frenzied, absurdist romp through a world where a horse, a cowboy, and an Indian share a house and get into all sorts of hijinks. The humor is both sophisticated and juvenile, making it a delight for both adults and children. The animation is charmingly lo-fi, and the pace is so breakneck that you’ll barely have time to catch your breath between gags. It’s a film that will leave you feeling like you’ve just been on a wild ride, and you’ll be grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. So saddle up and get ready for a hilarious adventure!
A Town Called Panic is like a fever dream that you don’t want to wake up from. It’s a wild ride that will leave you feeling like you just got off a rollercoaster, but in a good way. The characters are absurd and the scenarios are even more ridiculous, but somehow it all works. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for something completely bonkers, give it a watch. Just don’t blame me if you start talking to your furniture afterwards.
Production Company(ies)
Miramax, A Band Apart Jersey Films,
Distributor
Zeitgeist
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-PG
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 15m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 20, 2010
Genre(s)
Adventure/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Stéphane Aubier, Bruce Ellison, Vincent Patar, Jeanne Balibar, Nicolas Buysse, Véronique Dumont, Christine Grulois, directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, written by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, PG, reviewed by Nicolas Rapold, Hank Sartin, Joshua Rothkopf, Robbie Collin, Tim Robey, Peter Bradshaw, Mattie Lucas, Rachel Wagner, Daniel Green, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Laura Hiros, Christopher Tookey, $165.3K box office, Zeitgeist production, French (Canada) language, Cowboy, Indian, Horse, mad scientists, animated film, brick delivery, barbecue pit, house destruction, wall theft, center of the earth, absurd, quirky, adult sense of humor
Worldwide gross: $505,699
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $698,932
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,671
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 76,219
US/Canada gross: $165,509
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $228,752
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,519
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,850
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,939
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,818
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jeanne Balibar – Madame Longrée (voice)
Nicolas Buysse – Mouton / Jean-Paul (voice)
Véronique Dumont – Janine (voice)
Bruce Ellison – Indien (voice)
Christine Grulois – Vache / Étudiante (voice)
Director(s)
Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar
Writer(s)
Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (14)
The frenetic scenarios should play fairly well as energizing for kids and ridiculous for adults.
September 24, 2014
Nicolas Rapold
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 1/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A very small amount of this would be funny. But here, there’s 77 minutes of it. And that’s about 76 minutes and 30 seconds too much to stomach in one sitting.
October 10, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
Robbie Collin
News of the World
TOP CRITIC
Bounces around with a hyperactive dementia that somehow never flags.
October 8, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Like a very lo-fi Toy Story with the vibe of a live-action Terry Gilliam cartoon and the addled craziness of SpongeBob SquarePants; it’s funny for adults and children alike in a refreshing, barking mad sort of way.
October 7, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Aubier and Patar aren’t trying to make any profound statements about life or create any existential conundrums, they’re just looking to entertain, and in A Town Called Panic, they have found a gloriously wacky avenue to do just that.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
This is film is so hard to describe but it’s just absurdist and ridiculous and…funny.
February 13, 2019 | Rating: 8/10
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
A Town Called Panic’s frenetic pace and bizarre set pieces are truly refreshing and a joy to behold.
November 5, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Daniel Green
CineVue
Bizarre and sophisticated enough for adults and children, A Town Called Panic makes you want to live in an upside-down house occupied by a horse.
May 18, 2018
Shelagh Rowan-Legg
That Shelf
The truth is that you have to be in the mood to enjoy this film without falling asleep, getting bored or confused. [Full review in Spanish]
March 15, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Laura Hiros
Rincón de cine
A little goes a very long way, and even at 75 minutes it ends up feeling silly and self-indulgent.
January 4, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail (UK)…
Plot
Animated plastic toys like Cowboy, Indian and Horse have problems, too. Cowboy and Indian’s plan to surprise Horse with a homemade birthday gift backfires when they destroy his house instead. Surreal adventures take over as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe where pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures live. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier mâché town, will Horse and his girlfriend ever be alone?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no specific goofy or funny comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels summary, but the critics consensus does mention that the film has a “quirky, adult sense of humor.”
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