'Valiant' doesn't fly with originality

Moviegoers would do well to ignore ads proclaiming that "Valiant" is "from the producer of 'Shrek.'" While it is true that one of the 11 producers credited on this film was also one of the nine listed for "Shrek," the obvious insinuation — that this new tale has the imagination and verve of its predecessor — is something only an advertiser could believe.

Walt Disney Pictures 'Valiant' 2 out of 5 stars Director: Gary Chapman Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett Run time: 109 minutes Release date: August 19, 2005 Rating: G. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Valiant"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Where the big green ogre's story was unlike any cartoon before it, "Valiant" is a retreat to the days when animated features were happy to ape their live-action brothers, subbing cute animals for a human cast and cobbling a routine plot out of scenes we've watched many times before.

Here, the tale is one that peace-loving parents might think thrice before putting in front of their children, as it centers on the idea that going to war is just about the best, most glamorous thing a kid could aspire to: Valiant (voice of Ewan McGregor) is a scrawny pigeon who, as England fights the Nazis in World War II, enlists as part of Her Majesty's team of messenger birds. He and his misfit squadron suffer all the usual basic-training tortures, then are forced by circumstance to go on a mission they're hardly prepared to carry out.

Once the action cranks up midway through, it's easier to ignore the fact that this is a film in which having a bird say "our goose is going to be cooked" passes for high wit. More successful comedy comes from Ricky Gervais (star of BBC's "The Office"); the animators can't quite match his performance, but Gervais scores points as a grifter who doesn't like being trapped in the service any more than he likes bathing.

Parents who don't object to its message are unlikely to find "Valiant" painfully dull. But they probably won't rush out to preorder the DVD; despite a fine cast of voice-actors and a good-natured spirit, it's as average as "Shrek" was outstanding.