It’s a plunderful life|Mar. 12, 2012|United Kingdom | United States | Ireland | France | Canada|88 Min.|PG
Genre: Adventure;Animation;Comedy;Family
Description: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (released as The Pirates! Band of Misfits in North America, Australia, and New Zealand) is a 2012 3D stop-motion animated swashbuckler comedy film produced by Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation. Directed by Peter Lord, the film is based on the 2004 novel *The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists* by Gideon Defoe. It follows a group of amateur pirates as they strive to win the Pirate of the Year competition by plundering the most gold.
The film features a star-studded voice cast, including Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Lenny Henry, and Brian Blessed. Distributed by Columbia Pictures, it premiered in the UK on March 28, 2012, and in the US on April 27, 2012. This marked Aardman’s fifth feature film and their first stop-motion project in 3D since *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit* in 2005.
Set in 1837 London, the story introduces Queen Victoria, who believes England dominates the seas except for the pirates, whom she detests. Amid this backdrop, the Pirate Captain and his quirky crew aim to prove their worth by competing for the coveted title of Pirate of the Year.
The film received generally positive reviews and earned $123 million worldwide against a $55 million budget. It was nominated for the 2013 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature but lost to Pixar’s *Brave*. This was Sony Pictures Animation’s second nomination after *Surf’s Up*.
Cast director: Peter Lord
Cast actor: Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Lenny Henry, Brian Blessed, Russell Tovey, Anton Yelchin
Original name: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!