Valiant - Os Bravos do Pombal

Where are the real fairy tales -- the ones without the relentless number of jokes aimed at grown-ups?

The movie's takeoffs on old war-movie and RAF-flyboy cliches will certainly not connect with the knowledge base of America's current youngsters, which will only cause Valiant to seem that much more foreign.

I can't really tell you why, for a family flick revolving around WWII Carrier Pigeons it's an obvious gag, but just the idea of department devoted to crafting propaganda for pigeons gets me to smile and chuckle far more than it probably should.

There are far more aspects of the film that may leave younger viewers confused and may not even be fun after lengthy parental explanations.

Even though its historical references and battle scenes may fly over their heads like so many homing pigeons, kids will enjoy Valiant, too, if only for its nonstop action and lively visual design.

Despite a handful of good aerial 'birdfight' sequences, 'Valiant' fails to get off the ground due to a by-numbers script and dodo-ugly character design that add up to less than one would expect from 'Shrek' producer John H. WilliamsJohn H. William.

Though it's made with wit, style and sweetness, it may be a tricky match for American audiences.

A passable animated feature that will entertain small children, but feels as if it was thrown together quickly.

Apart from the puns and regurgitation jokes, the story of a group of carrier pigeons on a death-defying mission in 1944 Europe will fly over the heads of actual youngsters.

Stick to the genuinely delightful Chicken Run -- this one's for the birds.

It's no Shrek, but what Valiant lacks in looks, it makes up for with its perky winged heroes and high-flying concept.

Even young viewers will recognize Valiant as second-tier Disney.

It's tempting then to call this U.S.-British-produced endeavor an odd duck. Except that Valiant uses nearly every pun in the book.

The thought of this motley crew in the recording studio, laying down vocal tracks and cracking each other up, is far more entertaining than anything in the film.

Harmless but generally uninspired.

Too inoffensive to engender the hostility once reserved for Howard the Duck.

An unconscionably dreary and amateurish-looking thing, and the rote plot and annoyingly predictable script -- a compendium of bird puns, mostly -- don't work nearly hard enough to make up for the hammy awfulness of the images.

Too dependent on a knowledge of RAF-inspired cinematic derring-do like '633 Squadron' (or at least Hogan's Heroes) for the average tyke, yet too tepid for their taller counterparts, Valiant is ultimately one strange bird.

Poorly plotted, suspense-free film.

The animated feature Valiant, a story about the carrier pigeons that ferried messages from France to England during World War II, takes wing but never quite manages to soar.