Battlemouth

There have been many movies throughout the years that feature cowboys, indians, and horses. Other than Blazing Saddles, none has burst on the screen with such unrelenting zaniness as A Town Called Panic . The feature film version of the Belgium animated series, it is part Looney Tunes and part Robot Chicken.

The film is a story of three best pals named Cowboy, Indian, and Horse. This trio shares a house in a small country town called Panic. Everything in Panic is peaceful until Cowboy and Indian realize they have forgotten Horse’s birthday. In a last ditch effort to make a gift the pair decides to order some bricks for a barbeque. Their enthusiasm ends when an army of trucks show up with the fifty million bricks they accidentally ordered. Cowboy and Indian attempt to hide the bricks, and end up destroying their house. With no home and a mountain of bricks, the trio must proceed on a wild series of adventures in an attempt to build a new home.

The use of lame childhood figurines to represent all of the characters may make this film seem low quality. It doesn’t take long for the movie to wash this thought out of your mind. Although the figurines are lame, the animators do a wonderful job of creating a unique movement for this world. Scene after scene is full of wonderful physical humor, fueled by the smooth animation.

Eventually you stop noticing the figurines and become engrossed with the hilarious world they inhabit. Although the movie is about a town called Panic, the adventures of the friends take us on a journey through a vast world. We travel to the center of the Earth, the South Pole, and the bottom of the ocean. At every stop new and uniquely wonderful characters are introduced to add to the hilarity of the film. This cavalcade of funny characters and locations help the film avoid a tedious rehashing of the same joke.

The heart and soul of Panic and its characters must be attributed to an amazing script and equally excellent voice actors. Besides the funny stories, the script is loaded with great jokes. Sharp back and forths between the characters keep the verbal humor on the same frantic pace as the slap stick physical bits. Without this balance in the comedy, the film would lose much of its appeal with broad audiences. The film making team really found an amazing cast of voice talent to give life to these characters. Every actor brings wonderful traits that help differentiate the almost faceless toys into charming individuals.

A Town Called Panic is a hilarious and expertly crafted film. It mixes an unusual visual style with a hilarious script full of wonderful characters. Without ever descending into crude humor it constantly provides laughs that can be appreciated by any and all audiences. Watching this film reminded me of the simple joys that a clever animated film can provide, for adults as well as children. Hopefully people will find this gem of a film and enjoy it for the rest of their lives.

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