A Town Called Panic [DVD]

A delightfully bizarre claymation film in which you follow the escalating madness of the adventures of Cowboy, Indien and Cheval. I can't see the information on the page, but the version I saw at the cinema was French with English subtitles. It received a definite thumbs-up from a group of 20+ year old students - young children however might find the loose plot confusing. Try the trailer for an idea of what you can expect: [...]

I have a huge soft spot for stop-motion, I also love surrealist cinema and bonkers characters - so A Town Called Panic has been on my 'to watch' list for a while...

Starting in a rather unconventional house, home to a cowboy, a native Indian and a horse; life is never quite the same after a bodged online shopping order results in the delivery of 50,000,000 bricks - 499,999,950 more than was required to build a barbecue. The three housemates embark on a bizarre adventure which would make Jules Verne proud. From music lessons, to gigantic robotic penguins - A Town Called Panic is even more surreal than it sounds.

The characters are all small plastic toys, don't expect fluid claymation-style animation here, it's jerky and stilted - but that's all part of the charm and it has a superb hand-made quality to it. Just because it looks a bit amateur at times doesn't mean that this looks sub-standard, the backgrounds, towns and vehicles all look incredible and a fantastical level of creativity brings it all to life. This is based on a TV series and that sometimes seems obvious, instead of a single fluid story this does appear a little episodic - with sections merging into each other rather than an overall tale. The film lacks cohesion but because of the constant madness on-screen it never feels flat - just a bit odd!

This DVD looks surprisingly better than I ever expected, the colours are among the most vibrant I've ever seen on screen and as the film progresses through different settings, the contrast between 'sets' mean that this never loses any of its visual energy. Those unfamiliar with stop-motion film (shame on you!) may find this to be a bit crude to start with, but as your eye adjusts to the unique style you start to appreciate the more artistic elements and recognise the incredible level of detail. The film is French and the English subtitles are easy to read, the often frantic pace is easy to follow. My children also love this film, they are too young to take in all of the subtitles but the sheer madness on screen entrances them. I expected a good 'making of' documentary but the extras on the disk are a bit disappointing, however the 'La Fabrique de Panique' is a nearly hour-long documentary about the history of directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, it shows much of their early work as and follows their collaborative careers through to to completion of A Town Called Panic.

In a nutshell: Surrender to whimsy and lose yourself in the imaginations of two creative filmakers. As this is such a fractured film you can watch it stints, not all brains can take this in one go!

This hilarious animated movie is of course in French but does have subtitles on the DVD. The origins are, I think, in a Belgian TV series in similar vein and by the same production house and from which this is a spin off.

The plot is a bit complicated if not confusing, but this matters little in the rapid fire action that takes place. This does mean it may be a bit much for younger children unless their French is better than mine (not difficult). But really this is not a movie for kids although there is nothing in it that is unsuitable. It is however a movie for those who enjoy the current Cravendale milk TV adverts which are made in exactly the style of Writer-directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar.

This is a great film and you should buy it.