A Town Called Panic is Zany Fun

I’ve sat on this review for a while because there is not really much to say about this film. You watch the trailer and you get an idea of what you are getting into. But I’m bored so I’m going to try to recall the plot of this insane wild ride.

This is the tale of three housemates: Indian, Horse and Cowboy. It is Horse’s birthday and Cowboy and Indian have forgotten about it again and don’t want to get him another hat. Indian has run over the BBQ pit recently and they want to order some bricks to rebuild it for Horse because he liked it. Well they accidently order a zillion bricks too many. So while Horse is out at piano practice where he has a crush on the teacher all the brick delivery trucks (you can order bricks online) arrive. In the panic of Horse coming home to find all the bricks Cowboy and Indian stack all the brick on top of the house. They have a fun party that night, but right before bed the house is plunged into the earth due to the weight of all the bricks on it. Luckily all the roommates get out alive and try to rebuild the house while sleeping in their neighbor’s house. During the work day Horse has a hard time keeping Cowboy and Indian on task, because they keep stopping to watch TV, but they manage to get one wall up. Except when they wake up they find that all there work has been stolen. This happens a couple of times before the three decide to find out who’s stealing there handy work.

WHO ORDERED ALL THESE BRICKS?

Turns out the little pond their neighbors have for their farm is connected to some giant underwater well were some sea dwelling creatures live. They are taking the brick walls our heroes labored over and using them for their own house. THIS IS WHERE IS STARTS TO GET A LITTLE WACKEY! Somehow our heroes end up in some snow world where there is a giant robot penguin rolling around picking up lumps of snow to fling giant snowballs. The three and one of the sea creatures manage to get scoop up and put into the penguin which is run by old scientists, they run a muck but cowboy (it could have been Indian) manages to set the coordinates of the flinging snowball back to their house. They all get flung back to their house and live happily ever after??? I don’t recall.

As you can read that the plot is just nonsense, but the movie as a whole is a lot of fun. Yes it is in French with subtitles, yes the stop motion animation is reminiscent of Gumby and Pingu but it is so much fun you don’t care. The crude animation, if you can even call it that because it is all very effective and everything fits in this zany world they have created, gives the movie such a playful joy about it. As if you are just watching some kid play in his room with their random toys making up the story as they go along.

The relation between Horse, Cowboy and Indian is like that of the Three Stooges always screwing up and riffing off each other, with insane physical humor as well. In fact this movie is more reminiscent older comedy styles as a whole with hints of Chaplin like coyness and Buster Keaton style physical humor situations.

I’m not sure if this is a movie that you have to be in the right mood to enjoy or if it’s a movie to put you in a better mood, just that I really loved it. Just another example of how great animation was in 2009.