In Aardman’s The Pirates: Band of Misfits there are pirates and then there is Pirate Captain’s crew which consists of some crusty old deckhands, a woman dressed as a man, and a fish PC has popped a hat on. Their not exactly the most feared crew on the 7 seas but that doesn’t stop Pirate Captain from trying, every year, to obtain the coveted Pirate of the Year trophy. Could this year be different?

Hugh Grant (channeling John Cleese) voices the Pirate Captain. PC hopes to win the coveted trophy this year and, after being heckled by some of the other more productive pirates, vows to pilfer and plunder his way to notoriety. In the end though his claim to fame comes in the shape of his big boned parrot named Polly, which turns out to be a rare Dodo bird, as explained by soon to be captive Charles Darwin. Darwin convinces PC to allow him the opportunity to present the rare bird at a scientific competition in London, held by the pirate hating Queen Victoria, and after he wins treasure beyond belief he’ll give it all to PC so that he can get his coveted Pirate of the Year trophy. Of course not everything goes as planned. Can PC and Darwin win their respective treasures and if so can PC and his crew do so while flying under the Queen’s radar?

PICTURE QUALITY:
Wow. If you’re familiar with Aardman, and by now who isn’t, you’ll be familiar with their trademark animation technique. You have to keep that technique in mind when you watch the film. It is absolutely amazing how detailed and life like everything looks, aside from some very off looking smokestack smoke. Attention to detail is Aardman’s game and nothing brings that more to light then watching their magnificent work in HD glory. Not much more to say about this fine film other then the fact that it is what I would consider a reference quality Blu-ray.

Audio is another fantastic success which comes at you in a 5.1 DTS-HD MA format. This feature helps round out the feature to achieve the highest quality cinematic experience you can imagine for the film. Again, reference.

BONUS FEATURES:
~3D Blu-Ray Version, DVD, and Standard Blu-Ray Version + Ultraviolet Copy
~Mini Movie: So You Want To Be A Pirate!
~Filmmakers' Commentary
~DVD-ROM Link
~Pirate Disguise Dress-Up Game
~From Stop To Motion
~Creating The Bath Chase
~Peter Lord Short Films
~Mr. Bobo's Flash Card Challenge