MATTHEW STEFANSON
Arts Writer

A Town Called Panic is all the mania and horror of stop motion animation, with the French flare that we’ve all grown to love through the work of directors like Michel Gondry.

The film is based upon a Belgian television series. Originally the adventures of the three friends (and roommates) Horse, Cowboy and Indian started as five minute mini episodes on Belgian television, but were adapted into a feature length stop-motion film last year.

The product is an adorable 75 minutes of craziness, mayhem and absolute hilarity. The production values are laughable, the animation decidedly amateurish and the script completely ridiculous, but that’s the charm. The movie is what would come out if you stuck 60 toddlers with amazing language skills and passable knowledge of story structure into a room with a word processor and a collection of antique toys.

It’s innocence and joy captured on celluloid.

It is impossible to overstate the camp value of this movie, from the ridiculous affects of every character, to the nonsensical constructs that the animators bring to life. The film is reminiscent of the television shows that we used to watch on CBC mornings, back when they had Pingu to bolster their line-up.

Lovers of eccentricity will enjoy this film as the ridiculous adventure that it is. Serious people may have a hard time separating themselves from their dignity to enjoy the movie fully, but it is to be hoped that everyone can find pleasure in something that was made to spread happiness and joy.

A Town Called Panic is one of those rare films that can capture the minds of children and adults alike. If you have younger siblings, or nephews or nieces — or if you’re just looking to impress that ice queen from the coffee shop — this movie is a perfect idea. We all need to take the world a little less seriously sometimes, and the citizens of A Town Called Panic have never treated anything with gravity.

A Town Called Panic plays from Feb. 11 to 18 at the Broadway Theatre.
For showtimes, visit broadwaytheatre.ca.