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A Town Called Panic

Frédéric Jannin (Actor), Francois de Brigode (Actor) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 455 ratings
IMDb7.4/10.0
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
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DVD
July 20, 2010
Subtitled
1
—
— $69.98
Genre Animation
Format Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Color
Contributor Eric Muller, Bruce Ellison, Véronique Dumont, Vincent Patar, Nicolas Buysse, Christelle Mahy, Beno?t Poelvoorde, Francois Neyken, Jeanne Balibar, Frederic Jannin, Fr d ric Jannin, Vincent Tavier, Frédéric Jannin, Stephane Aubier, Philippe Kauffmann, Stéphane Aubier, Veronique Dumont, Francois de Brigode, Christine Grulois, Bouli Lanners See more
Language French
Runtime 1 hour and 15 minutes
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Product Description

Product Description

Hilarious and delightfully wacky, the stop-motion extravaganza a Town Called Panic has endless charms and raucous laughs for children and adults alike. Based on the Belgian cult TV series (released by Wallace & Gromit's Aardman Studios), Panic stars three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a rural town that never fails to attract the craziest events. Cowboy and Indian's plan to surprise their pal Horse with a homemade barbeque pit goes awry when the 50 million bricks they accidentally ordered online show up on their doorstep. This sets off a raucous chain of events as the trio travels to the center of the earth, treks across frozen tundra (complete with a giant snowball-throwing robot penguin) and discovers a parallel underwater universe of treacherous, pointy-headed creatures. And with panic a permanent feature of life in this papier-mâché burg, will Horse and his equine girlfriend-the flame-tressed music teacher Madame Longray (Jeanne Balibar)-ever find a quiet moment alone? a Town Called Panic is zany, brainy and altogether insane-y!

Amazon.com

Writer-directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar spun this nutty feature off their Belgian TV series A Town Called Panic (Panique au Village, 2000). When Cowboy and Indian decide to build a barbecue as a birthday gift for their friend and roommate Horse, they inadvertently order a zillion bricks, rather than the 50 the project requires. The weight of so much masonry causes the house to collapse, and a string of increasingly absurd complications ensues. The stop-motion animation is much cruder than the work in Coraline or Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Even the main characters have only a few articulations, and the directors avoid close-ups, so they don't have to animate facial expressions or lip-synch dialogue. The result feels like something an aspiring film student might make using old plastic toys. Many viewers (and critics) embraced the anarchic humor of A Town Called Panic; less sanguine audience members dismissed it as the animated equivalent of an old Cheech and Chong movie: something that's funny if you're stoned, but isn't if you're not. The extras include a making-of documentary, interviews with directors Aubier and Patar, and an assortment of deleted scenes and tests--more material than such a marginal film really warrants. (Unrated, suitable for ages 10 and older: cartoon violence, ethnic stereotypes) --Charles Solomon

Product details

  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 5.41 x 7.48 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ ZEIT1127DVD
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Color
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ July 20, 2010
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Frédéric Jannin, Francois de Brigode, Francois Neyken, Eric Muller, Fr d ric Jannin
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Vincent Tavier, Philippe Kauffmann
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Zeitgeist Films
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003H0ZHGM
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 455 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
455 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

katherine
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Oddity
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2020
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I remember watching this movie with my brothers when I was around 9 years old. It was hilarious as a 9 year old. Today, the memory of this movie just strangely popped into my head. The thought was very random, but I am very glad I remembered it. I had forgotten the title, but all I had to do was google "cowboy and indian claymation," and sure enough this came up immediately. I am now 19 years old, and still found this movie hilarious. Honestly, I think I found the movie better now than I did as a kid, because I can read the subtitles a lot faster, and can fully appreciate the strange humor this movie has. It is one of the most creative films out there, and it has such a random plot that truly makes this the most unique experience you will have. I 100% recommend this odd little gem. It makes you feel a certain type of happy that is indescribable, and impossible to create by any other film.
2 people found this helpful
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El Kabong
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly twisted animated feature
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2012
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I was first introduced to A Town called Panic via Youtube, and even then I knew this was something twisted to enjoy. Then a friend showed this to me on NetFlix and I knew right then and there I had to own a copy!

No, not spit and polished like Aardman Studios, Not in the same vein as Robot Chicken and their use of toys to tell a tale. But with plastic farm animals and people. It literally looks like it was done as a student film, but until you realize how brilliantly simple and yet entertaining it is.

The story revolves around a household where Cowboy and Indian wish to give their friend, Horse, a birthday gift, only to have a simple keystroke on a computer lead to complete chaos. All the neighbors are involved in the chaos, even aquatic inner earth creatures who are now involved. Plus where else you going to see a giant tracked penguin that flings huge snowballs globally? And all the meanwhile, Horse is doing his best to get a few precious moments with his girlfriend, Miss Longrey.

The film is Belgian made, and in french, so unless you are great at French, watch the subtitled version. Its adult enough to enjoy and have laugh at, so don't expect this a kids film.

Besides, you'll never look at cowboy and indian or farm toys the same way again!!
2 people found this helpful
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tony
5.0 out of 5 stars Randomly Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2010
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I'm not taking the time to write a review as well versed as some, but Amazon asked me to write what I thought, so here goes!

A Town Called Panic, wow. I first heard about it when it was playing at the Brew n' View at the Vic theatre here in Chicago. Everyone kept walking out of the theatre, so it must be an acquired taste, if you don't like wacky things, subtitles or out there humor, this is not the movie for you.

Plot: In a small town in France, a cowboy (Cowboy), an indian (Indien) and a horse (Cheval) are having an ordinary day when the indian and the cowboy discover that they have forgotten the horse's birthday. Since the horse has too many hats already, the next obvious thing to buy him is a grill. The cowboy and the indian go online to purchase some bricks to build the grill only to accidentally order 10,000,000 bricks instead of 1,000! Hilarity ensues...I just don't want to ruin the rest.

All I can say is that I've been watching and waiting for this movie to come out and once it did, it was totally worth the 20 bucks!
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Toby
5.0 out of 5 stars The Pièce de résistance
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2012
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A Town Called Panic is an amazing work of art. I understand it is based off of a tv series but I haven't had the pleasure of viewing that yet. I had no idea what to expect when I first saw this movie and read the description. And I still had no idea what to expect 10 mins into watching it lol After 15 mins or so you slowly sink into the story and you become involved into the "gangs" adventure. I'm a huge fan of claymation and movies that really take art and directing to a new level. However I am not always a fan of subtitles. The whole movie is in French and I was a bit worried about keeping up since the language is so fast. Do not worry fellow humans. If you can read a book you can keep up with the subtitles. The vocabulary is grade school which gives you time to really focus on thee amount of detail the people put into this movie. It's almost a where's waldo in terms of thee attention to detail they incorporated into this movie. Perfect for any movie enthusiast, family or couple. Excellent movie!
3 people found this helpful
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John Lallemand
4.0 out of 5 stars Wacky, goofy fun!
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2011
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My 12 & 14 year old kids laughed out loud when first watching this movie. This is unlike anything else they have every seen. It reminds me of old time Gumby animated shows. But the story, characters, voices are so much better. There are so many things out of left field with this little flick, you never know what's going to happen next. Good for both boys and girls. Ages 8-14 I think. There's a lot going on throughout this movie, so multiple viewings is a must. The only thing kids might not be used to is the subtitles. But mine have watched all the fun Japanese animes and are used to them. And maybe they pick up a little French here and there... C'est la vie!
2 people found this helpful
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J. Nagel
5.0 out of 5 stars Abrasive and entertaining.
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2022
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I originally watched this stuff in French with English subtitles. I'm too lazy to do it that way now that it's available with English dub but I sorta miss being forced to read the whole thing. Definitely not American humor. Check out some clips on YouTube and then buy the Blu-ray.
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Thranduil
2.0 out of 5 stars Creative but unsatisfying
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2022
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The entirety of this movie is meant to mimic those hours some of us spent playing with cheap plastic figurines on the bedroom floor as children. We came up with some really wacky, outrageous, nonsensical plots, didn't we? Well, that's what this entire movie is. Nonsense. It's all in good fun of course, and it is very creative, but I feel this concept works better as shorts rather than a feature length film. It simply does not have the depth to carry it past a few minutes. The absurdity does wear thin very quickly. Might entertain children, but I'm not seeing a lot here to keep an adult invested for very long.
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Fatima Imsirovic
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Canada on November 9, 2020
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Great and in french which was what i was looking for
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Sebastian Schlicht
5.0 out of 5 stars Surrealer Stop-Motion-Slapstick erster Klasse!
Reviewed in Germany on April 10, 2020
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Basierend auf der TV-Serie „Panik in der Pampa“ von 1991, erschien 2009 (das Jahr der Stop-Motion-Hits!) der Film dazu. Das skurrile, verrückte Werk aus Frankreich und Belgien von Stéphane Aubier und Vincent Patar heißt im Englischen „A Town called Panic“ und wurde hierzulande leider nur als Serie synchronisiert. Der Film ist soweit ich weiß nur in französischer Sprache mit englischen Untertiteln erhältlich, was natürlich etwas schade ist, da das hektische Geschehen manchmal nicht so gut wahrgenommen werden kann, wenn man sich immer auf die Untertitel konzentrieren muss, aber das ist auch das einzige Manko mit diesem absurden Animationsspaß!

Ein Pferd lebt mit einem Cowboy und einem Indianer zusammen in einem Haus. Als Cowboy und Indianer für das Pferd ein Geburtstagsgeschenk suchen, kommen sie auf die Idee ihm ein Barbecue zu basteln. Leider passiert ihnen dabei ein ganz normales Unglück…

„A Town called Panic“ lässt sich nicht durch seine Story beschreiben, das wäre fast schon kriminell dem Film gegenüber. Stattdessen muss man eigentlich nur wissen, dass es sich hierbei um Stop-Motion-Comedy der verrücktesten Art handelt. Statt aufwendiger du wunderschöner Animationen, liegt der Fokus hier auf einer gewollt billigeren Variante, bei der gerade die unnatürlichen Bewegungen der Spielzeugmännchen für viel Slapstick-Comedy sorgen. Auch die oftmals inkorrekten Proportionen oder die völlig sinnfreien Aktionen machen das Ganze so charmant und witzig, dass ich mich kaum halten konnte vor Lachen. Ähnlich wie etwa die frühen Folgen von „Spongebob Schwammkopf“ geht es hier um sinnfreien, surrealen Humor, der vielleicht nicht jedem gefallen wird, aber genau mein Ding ist. Dabei lässt man sich vor allem von ein und dem nächsten völlig verrückten Ereignis überraschen und genießt die durchgeknallte Reise!

Trotz des absichtlich, „billigen“ Animationsstiles, kann „A Town called Panic“ mit vielen aufregenden Bildern punkten. Die Figuren treffen dabei auf skurrile Figuren und verschiedene Orte, wie etwa eine Wasserwelt, in der man mit einer Taucherbrille und einem Schnorchel problemlos atmen kann. Ich liebe beispielsweise auch die Tatsache, dass die Menschenfiguren alle auf einem kleinen grünen Fleck stehen und sich mit diesem bewegen (wie es halt damals typisch war für Spielzeugmännchen) oder dass die Bauernhoftiere alle auf eine Musikschule gehen. Storyelemente wie diese klingen aus dem Kontext gerissen vielleicht unsinnig, aber das macht den Film eben so aus.

Musikalisch gibt es tatsächlich nur gefühlt zwei oder drei Stücke, die wie aus dem Nichts kommen und ein paar Actionszenen gekonnt untermalen. Ansonsten ist der Film nicht mit Hintergrundmusik unterlegt, was irgendwie zum absurden Charme der Welt passt!

Fazit: Auch wenn ich mir eine deutsche oder englische Synchronisation gewünscht hätte, so ist „A Town called Panic“ doch ein weiteres Stop-Motion-Highlight aus dem Jahre 2009! Ein Film, den sicherlich nicht viele kennen, der aber in meinen Augen mehr Aufmerksamkeit verdient. Wer Spaß an Nonsens-Humor auf höchstem Niveau hat, sollte nicht zögern und schnell zugreifen, denn „A Town called Panic“ ist purer Spaß!
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Xan
4.0 out of 5 stars Solo audio francés y subtítulos en inglés
Reviewed in Spain on September 22, 2014
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Divertida y alocada película, llamada en España "Pánico en la granja". Se trata de una buena edición en blu-ray (canadiense, que es la única que existe) que, por desgracia no incluye español, ni audio ni subtítulos (aquí solo fue editada en DVD). El audio es en francés (no en inglés, como dice la ficha de Amazon) y los subtítulos en inglés
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James Dickson
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully absurd, non-stop-motion animation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2011
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This film really is just brilliant. Pure, eccentric, relentlessly fun madness throughout. The characters are obviously somewhat bizarre, the protagonists being Cowboy, Indian and Horse (not 'a horse' but 'Horse') and remain thoroughly enjoyable, ridiculous and charming. To recite the story and plot developments in mere words rather than the beauteous fast-paced, stop motion in which this feature is presented simply wouldn't do it justice. This is a wonderful film that flies by and certainly encourages repeat viewing, simply because it is so much fun.

I have a bias to declare as I'm a massive fan of stop motion anyway, but it's use in this film is perfect and personifies so effectively the characters and the narrative, from start to finish it drives the pace of the film in a way that I really can't see a CGI animation doing the same. For children (and all those that once were), this style will evoke the same feelings and imaginings that are gained when playing with their toys as they explore a world of their own creation; except that in this film they are being invited to journey into the film makers creation and play with them. It's impossible not to be charmed along by the thread of peculiar, and quite frankly ridiculous, events and wonderfully portrayed characters, when they are presented so fittingly via this sadly under used style of animation.

Much of the humour, like much of the film is abrupt, immediate and hilarious - like Tim Vine pacing through his comedy routine hitting you with one-liners and as you work out the first joke he's finishing the second - even if you miss a joke or a comment, or blink and miss some slapstick or subtitles in the faster moments, you'll be swept along regardless.

I went into the cinema with no expectations, knowing only that the characters and style were derived from the Cravendale milk adverts. I couldn't quite believe how good it was once I'd seen it and I will treasure this forever in my film collection and I implore you to do likewise.
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Mac 6000
5.0 out of 5 stars Value was good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 12, 2023
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Very funny film
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