The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt, 2012)

Gawd bless Aardman. A standard-bearer of British cottage-industry-engendered craftsmanship, the name is like a kitemark of quality in animation. From the stop-motion claymation of Creature Comforts right through to productions of this scale with the CGI enhancement bells and whistles, the studio has never lost sight of its key virtue: like The Simpsons, Aardman films captivate children through warmly realised and fantastically imaginative visuals and at the same time incorporate enough knowing asides to adult viewers to make each one a holistic delight. Hence here, with a tale of a pirate captain and his salty sea dogs adventuring in Victorian times, there is a non-stop barrage of immaculately timed hijinks on one hand, and on the other so much lovingly crafted background detail, such as absurdly un-PC posters on the walls of London for the likes of 'urchin repellent', that any parent will be tempted to hog the freeze frame button before the kids do. The notion of Queen Victoria as a murderous gourmand is a hoot, too.

8/10