Review: A TOWN CALLED PANIC

Amidst all the technological advances and trending focus on computer animation, I am pleased to see a continued interest in the traditional art of stop motion animation. Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar continue the trend with their stop motion animated film A TOWN CALLED PANIC.

The feature film, a short but sweet 75 minutes in length, is a follow up to the filmmakers’ 2000 short animation Panique au village. A TOWN CALLED PANIC is filled with frantic and energetic, showcasing comical creativity within its structured chaos. In short, watching A TOWN CALLED PANIC is akin to experiencing GUMBY, having been genetically spliced with TOY STORY, all jacked up on speed and adrenaline.

A TOWN CALLED PANIC follows a small village of folks, created in the style of old school molded plastic toys. Horse, quite literally a plastic toy horse, lives in one house across the road from farmers Stephen and Janine. Living with Horse are the dim-witted stooges Cowboy and Indian, essentially Larry and Curly, whereas Horse replaces Moe with a more Lou Abbott straight man… I mean, horse, of course.

In the town of Panic, a policeman and a mailman also reside, along with many farm animals. It’s a small town, but the town experiences more that its share of antics and accidents at the hands of Cowboy and Indian. The two bumbling idiots mean well, but their good nature causes havoc as they rush to scrape together a last minute gift for Horse’s birthday.

The trouble all begins with Indian making a simple careless mistake while ordering bricks for a homemade BBQ pit, intended as Horse’s birthday gift. This sizable mistake carries a heavy weight, triggering a chain reaction of absurdly bizarre events to unfold. Unsuspecting of his birthday surprises, good and bad, Horse pursues his interest in Mrs. Longray — an attractive female horse that teaches music at a nearby school.

The animation is A TOWN CALLED PANIC is playfully psychotic, with characters running around on their plastic bases, flying through the air as a result of repeated explosions, beat downs from other characters. The colors of the film are rich and the pace of the story and action is fast. I do mean fast! The film is in French, spoken rapidly to match the pace of the action on screen, so the English subtitles move quickly to keep up… so, break out your CLOCKWORK ORNAGE eye clamps and prepare yourself for animated craziness.

A TOWN CALLED PANIC has a familiar feel, similar to the numerous recent “adult” animated programs on late-night cable, but this film has a slightly more refined essence to its madness. In some ways, the encounters and humor that Cowboy and Indian encounter have a hint of Monty Python in their arsenal of influence. One chunk of the story I particularly enjoyed involved three mad scientists and a giant robotic penguin on tank tracks.

Accompanying Cowboy and Indian’s zany little world of make-belief are goggle-wearing fish men, musically-talented farm animals and even an angry woolly mammoth. Much of the action in A TOWN CALLED PANIC is reminiscent of the classic Nick park WALLACE & GROMIT, conveying a sort of Rube Goldberg quality, except in this film its much more chaotic and less choreographed in its purpose, while still moving the story along without any hiccups.

A TOWN CALLED PANIC is pure, enjoyable motion picture viewing. It’s simple, yet complex. It’s not a sloppy or choppy film, but more fluid. Watching this movie is like being transported back to the playground for 75 minutes, but allows the audience to maintain their adult sense of humor in perfect harmony with their awkward inner child.