Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Skyler
Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
SnoopyStyle
Animated plastic toys Cowboy, Indian and Horse live together in the farming town called Panic. They order some bricks but 50 million are delivered. It's the start of a surreal action adventure where the sea of bricks overwhelms the town. They travel a frozen landscape and go under the seas. They return to the town and battle the underwater creatures.The first act is fascinating. The look of it is so unusual. However the movie struggles for a while. The plot goes nowhere in the first half and basically centers on buying too many bricks. It's fun to watch the toys take showers but it's not very dramatic. The French, the subtitles and the lack of facial expressions make the jokes less translatable.The last act of the movie is sheer lunacy. It's crazy fun. It's a childish dream play. I think the movie misses an opportunity by ending with a child actually playing the toys. It's the perfect ending for the film. The running time is only 75 minutes. It could have added a compelling 15 minutes to the ending. The first 15 minutes are fascinating. Then it gets a bit repetitive and boring until the final 15 minutes when the movie goes nuts.
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain
Beautifully pure animation from Belgium. In a sea of CGI Dreamworks, Pixar, Blue Sky, and other such nonsense, here we have some stop-motion animated plastic toys. It also helps that this is some insanely genius comedy. It is exceptionally random, but not to the point where it's annoying. The story is a bizarre, sweet tale of friendship, as building a barbecue for a birthday present turns into a sort of family crime caper. Horse, Cowboy and Indian are a great trio. The best part of the film is seeing this strange world, where the animation and set design becomes the joke. Horse sleeps standing up, people wobble around, animals go to music school, and a giant robot penguin makes snowballs. It's a true delight, madcap comedy that doesn't outstay its welcome.
ElijahCSkuggs
Horse, Cowboy and Indian are on the chase after some aquatic monster people who've stolen their house walls. Churn in a love story with an equine pianist, a spastic farmer, and a slew of other high-energy characters and you have the makings of A Town Called Panic. Oh, and to make it even extra crazy, it's French! First things first, do you really want to see this movie? It's a French animated film done in a similar style to Robot Chicken. Does 70+ minutes of a toys running around screaming at one another sound like fun? Yeah? Bien! You're well on your way to watching a movie you'll most likely enjoy. If you're not a fan of Robot Chicken, French humor, or high doses of jittery joy, then move along. I was pretty amped to check this baby out. But I was not prepared for the frantic pace the movie had. This is a warning here. Expect a movie that moves at a very past pace. Characters are moving and talking non-stop. Keep your eyes and ears open. Honestly, about 15 minutes in I was losing patience with the film, and feeling as if I wasn't going to like it very much. But once the main story arc kicked in and more feverish imagination took hold, I was catching myself enjoying it more and more. And by the end, I was plenty happy with what I just watched.So take a little bit of advice from me. You'll see plenty of people expressing it's for the whole family, and it's a wonder and a joy, and all this great stuff. This flick could be watched by the whole family (though I think there is a couple swear words - that is, if you're little ones can read the subtitles, or your French), but this film isn't really very accessible. It's a unique and electric film that's fun, but I can easily see many a people saying it was just too much.
kurth5959
I do remember a while back reading an article somewhere about this film, and then I ended up seeing it this week. After watching it, I can tell you that this film is a fantastic piece of art. The stop motion is incredible, and displays a professional and unique quality throughout. The character development is surprisingly great. Horse serves as your typical father/leader figure, while Cowboy and Indian are his somewhat cocky sidekicks, which leads to a great plot. Steven is especially my favorite secondary character for his often times violent and hilarious outbursts, which is great comic relief. Sure, there are some plot holes here and there, but this movie isn't very plot based. However, it is a great slapstick comedy in every way. I've never seen anything quite like it before. And to also note, this movie is perfect in French. I had no problem at all reading the subtitles, and made the movie seem that much more sophisticated. Dubbing this film in English would really destroy most of the dialog, which is also great. In a nutshell, this was a pleasant surprise, and I would recommend it to anyone who basks in the strange and ordinary.
