Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Postman Pat: The Movie (Movie Review)

By Freda Cooper 17.05.2014 4

Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Postman Pat: The Movie (Movie Review)

Postman Pat: The Movie (UK Rating: U)

"I've always wanted to be a postman" is a line that crops up regularly in Postman Pat: The Movie. He seems to have the lot - lovely wife and nice son, a job he enjoys, a cute country cottage and, most of all, he's a really nice guy. None of that has changed in his first venture onto the big screen - but there's plenty more that has. With Postman Pat: The Movie due out in UK cinemas on Friday, 23rd May, Freda Cooper treats readers to another edition of Lights, Camera, Action! in this review of the latest family favourite to transition to the big screen.
Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Postman Pat: The Movie (Movie Review)

Pat's promised his wife, Sarah, a holiday in Italy and is banking on his bonus from work to pay for it. However, a new whiz kid manager scraps all the bonuses leaving Pat with no choice but to enter a TV talent competition called You're the One in the hope of winning the holiday instead. His singing voice makes him an overnight sensation and he finds himself facing all the temptations of fame and fortune. Will a nice cup of tea ever be the same again?

The Postman Pat of the 1980s was aimed at pre-school children and filmed in stop motion animation, yet this is a digitally animated Pat for the 21st Century, aimed at families with children of around eight and, of course, their parents. It knows its market well, opening at the start of the Bank Holiday and half term week so that it will pack the masses into cinemas nationwide, throwing in some jokes that will keep the parents happy - Pat's choice of bedtime reading for his son is easily the best of the bunch, for instance.

It loses something in translation, though. Granted, stop motion would have its limitations in a 90 minute movie, but its naivety fit the simplicity of the original TV series. Now it's replaced by pristine, smooth digital animation that is nicely done yet feels ever so slightly clinical - although the film's audience wouldn't expect anything less than digital.


 
Pat also has a new voice - well, two voices, to be exact. His beautiful singing voice comes courtesy of Ronan Keating, which gives him an unexpected Irish lilt, and his speaking voice is provided by Stephen Mangan, in his first piece of voice acting in a movie. There are two even more familiar voices among the cast: Jim Broadbent as Mr. Brown, the bumbling but loveable boss of SDS (Pat's employers), and David Tennant as Wilf, the tricky manager of Josh, Pat's main rival to win the talent contest. Just in case the audience doesn't realise whose Scottish accent they are listening to, Wilf's eyebrows have been giving enough attention to give them more than just a passing resemblance to Tennant's own.

Then, of course, there's Simon Cowell, or, in this case, Simon Cowbell (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes). He has limitless put-downs and, given some of the acts he has to sit through, he needs them. Talent shows in the mould of Britain's Got Talent get a gentle ribbing, as do many of the acts, meaning that for today's audience it's quite topical. How it will fare when such programmes have had their day is another matter.

Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Postman Pat: The Movie (Movie Review)

For all its slick animation, celebrity voices and topical gags, Postman Pat: The Movie has one thing in common with the original - at heart, it's thoroughly decent and nice. When Pat has his Susan Boyle moment and is tempted by all the adulation and luxury that goes with it, he eventually finds it's no match for the things that really matter in life - family and friends. The glowingly happy ending is inevitable.

6/10
Rated 6 out of 10

Good

Postman Pat has come a long way since the 1980s and while his first big screen outing - Postman Pat: The Movie - will no doubt be a hit with families thanks to its inoffensive style, the introduction of pristine digital animation means it's lost some of its original charm, and sadly the addition of voice talents like Stephen Mangan, David Tennant and Jim Broadbent cannot prevent this. While its topical gags and talent show based storyline will no doubt raise more than a smile with today's audiences, once the likes of Britain's Got Talent falls out of favour, the film is likely to have a short shelf-life.

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Comments

I watched a couple of trailers for this and it looks bloody awful. Seriously, what the eff does it really have to do with the old Postaman Pat?

I think I'd rather watch the Harry Hill Movie...

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses
Darkflame (guest) 18.05.2014#2

pft...Shaun the Sheeps going to be stop motion and it will blow this out the water!

There's a Shaun the Sheep movie being planned? About time!! Smilie

Aardman has proven that Stop Motion still works very well indeed for films, but I don't think that's what was really holding Postman Pat back - it was more the wishy-washy storyline.

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses
Darkflame (guest) 19.05.2014#4

Adam Riley said:
There's a Shaun the Sheep movie being planned? About time!! Smilie

Aardman has proven that Stop Motion still works very well indeed for films, but I don't think that's what was really holding Postman Pat back - it was more the wishy-washy storyline.

Yup, and true.
Theres nothing bad about CG in itself - especially as CG can emulate stop motion pretty well anyway (Lego Movie), but its nice theres some proper stop motion still being made too.

Theres a Teaser for Shaun here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnUKQww9IPM

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