If “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is stop-motion animation at its most refined and meticulously crafted best, then “A Town Called Panic” is stop-motion at its messiest and nuttiest. Aesthetically, it’s a whole other kettle of fish, but this manic Belgian ‘toon is nonetheless, like “Mr. Fox,” splendid, smile-inducing fun.
Using tiny plastic toy figures — the film’s housemate heroes are Cowboy, Indian and Horse — animators Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar are like crazed kids engaged in an epic make-believe adventure.
The voices are fast and goofy, and the action is breakneck: When Cowboy and Indian try to surprise Horse by ordering bricks to build a barbecue for his birthday, things go insanely awry. Instead of 50 bricks, 5 million are delivered, shaking the foundations of their home and wreaking havoc on the village.
Before long, the film’s intrepid trio has journeyed to the center of Earth (there’s a lot of lava down there), traipsed across a frozen tundra where a giant penguin robot hurls perfect snowballs, and discovered an underwater world populated by mischievous baddies in flippers and pointy hats.
The props and papier-mâche landscapes are primitive but inspired (morning ritual: coffee for Cowboy, Indian and Horse, poured into mugs straight from a tri-spouted pot), and the supporting cast — an equine music teacher for whom Horse has the hots; a farmer; a postman; a policeman — lend a Mister Rogers sense of community to the proceedings.
And just because the characters look like cheapo toys propelled by ancient animation techniques, don’t call “A Town Called Panic” low-tech. Cowboy, Indian and Horse are equipped with all the latest gadgetry.
Never mind that their cellphones and PCs are laughably out of scale. They work. Isn’t that enough?
“A TOWN CALLED PANIC.”
not rated. Animated. In French with English subtitles. 1 hour, 15 minutes. Written and directed by Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar; starring Frederic Jannin, Bouli Lanners, Christine Grulois, Veronique Dumont, Christelle Mahy, Jeanne Balibar and Bruce Ellison. Opens Friday at the Mayan.
