Aardman’s “Pirates!” Heads to DVD
Culver City, CA — Sony Pictures Home Entertainment debuts The Pirates! Band of Misfits on Blu-ray 3D/DVD Combo Pack, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and DVD — all with UltraViolet — on August 28. From the Academy Award-winning Aardman (Chicken Run) and Sony Pictures Animation (The Smurfs), comes the all-new, swashbuckling stop-motion animated film that’s sure to entertain families from beginning to end.
This critically acclaimed action-packed comedy adventure follows the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain, voiced by Hugh Grant (About A Boy), in his first animated role, and his band of misfits (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Al Roker, Anton Yelchin and Ashley Jensen) as they frolic on the high seas in an amusing quest to win the coveted “Pirates of the Year” award. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure! The film also stars Jeremy Piven (TV’s “Entourage”) as Black Bellamy.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Aardman’s most ambitious stop-motion film to date, is directed by Peter Lord, a founding partner of Aardman, director of Chicken Run (with Nick Park), and a two-time Academy Award nominee for his short films made with the company. The film is co-directed by Jeff Newitt. The screenplay is by Gideon Defoe, based upon his books. Production Designer is Norman Garwood. Producers are Peter Lord, David Sproxton, and Julie Lockhart. Executive Producer is Carla Shelley.
The Blu-ray/DVD Combo Packs and DVD boast hours of kid-friendly extras, including Filmmakers’ Commentary, the exclusive “Mr. Bobo’s Flash Card Challenge” game, and the all-new “So You Want To Be A Pirate!” mini-movie. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is the “Pirate Disguise Dress-Up” game, in which fans can help our swashbuckling pals get past Queen Victoria by disguising them in various silly get-ups. The Blu-ray also exclusively includes two behind-the-scenes featurettes: “From Stop to Motion,” taking fans on a journey through the making of the film, and “Creating the Bath Chase Sequence,” a look at the various stages involved with shooting the bath tub scene. Additionally, two short films with optional commentary from Director Peter Lord are exclusive to the Blu-ray. Viewers can experience The Pirates in 3D with the 3-disc 3D Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.
