The five best family films in the cinema this Easter

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The Pirates! In an adventure with scientists (U)

Aye, thar’ be pirates aplenty in this animated feature from Aardman, but its full title tells you they are “In An Adventure With Scientists!” Cue a bespectacled Charles Darwin (voiced by David Tennant) who, along with his sidekick, Bobo the Man-panzee, is eager to make a name for himself with an impressive scientific discovery. Also keen to boost his own trophy cabinet is the amiable but ineffectual Pirate Captain (voiced by a barely recognisable Hugh Grant) who rather fancies himself as a contender in the forthcoming Pirate Of The Year Awards. When Darwin makes the chance discovery that Pirate Captain’s beloved parrot is actually the last of the dodos, their two worlds collide as he convinces the Captain that his dodo will make them all legends. Needless to say, all does not run smoothly and it’s not only the pirates who are up to skullduggery. Set to a thumping soundtrack with songs from The Clash and Adam Ant, and featuring a treasure chest of gnarly characters, The Pirates! delivers plenty of seafaring jollity and slapstick antics.

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