Valiant
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: August 19, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
17
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
A smart, marvelously drawn account of the bravery of homing pigeons during World War II. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
Valiant enlists a squad of loveable birdbrains to turn the classic fighter-pilot formula into an upbeat adventure film loaded with laughs. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
While the target audience won't be as familiar with the voice of Gervais as with, say, Eddie Murphy, they'll no doubt love his dirty bird humor. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWinda Benedetti
It's a tale with plenty of spirit and a good heart, and yet, this story doesn't so much soar across the screen as it does waddle. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
It's perhaps the first animated kids' film that can claim to be "based on a true story." Read full review
63
PremiereRyan Devlin
Adults expecting a little bit more, "Chicken Run," this ain't. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
The best sequence comes when the gang meet a saucy French lady mouse who works for the Resistance and at moments of high drama sings "Je Ne Regrette Rien" ("Ah!" your children will say. "At last, an Edith Piaf joke!") Read full review
58
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Competently done and harmless enough to entertain the tots. It's just that the movie's kind of . . . sparse. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAkiva Gottlieb
The main problem with this Disney release--which also wastes the voices of Ricky Gervais and Jim Broadbent--is its refusal to recognize the war as anything but an excuse for tomfoolery. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
The CG is on the rubbery side, and the backdrops are jarringly 2-D. But Valiant isn't so hard to look at -- it's hard to listen to. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
A mite too hard to follow for most of the kiddie crowd who'll want to see it. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
The violence is minimal, and the humor is inoffensive enough for tots, but everything is damned soft--from the fuzzy backgrounds to the enemy's diluted Germanness. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
Valiant is voiced by Robots' Ewan McGregor, an actor apparently no longer in a "Trainspotting" mood. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The visuals might be undistinguished, but the voices are excellent. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Despite a decent cast of mostly British voice actors and better-than-average computer animation, the movie seems rushed at 76 minutes and is only marginally funny. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jason Anderson
Valiant is weak tea next to the best of Pixar and DreamWorks. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It's not as clever as it thinks it is, not as funny or exciting as it should be, and not as engaging as it needs to be to prevent kids from losing interest and parents from falling asleep. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverJean Oppenheimer
The voice acting is adequate, but it fails to convey the diversity or personality of "Chicken Run" or "Shrek." Read full review
50
SlateDavid Edelstein
Given all its World War II references and parodies, the best audience for Valiant would be addled, octogenarian ex-RAF pilots in the old folks' home. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
A plucky little bird that just won't fly. Read full review
40
VarietyLeslie Felperin
Fails to get off the ground due to a by-numbers script and dodo-ugly character design. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
It was made fast and cheap, which shows in every none-too-slick frame. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Unless your child has a close working knowledge of the role of homing pigeons in World War II British espionage, he or she is likely to be bamboozled for the duration. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Valiant is in dire need of some "Shrek"-ian sass, not to mention a drop or two of genuine emotion. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The top-secret message this pigeon is carrying reads ''Wait for the DVD." Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
An unconscionably dreary and amateurish-looking thing, and the rote plot and annoyingly predictable script -- a compendium of bird puns, mostly -- don't work nearly hard enough to make up for the hammy awfulness of the images. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The movie makes use of every avian pun possible, a pattern that becomes quickly monotonous and predictable, if not contagious. Read full review
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