The Pirates! Band of Misfits 2012

The company's distinctive British and absurdist humour abounds with a pirate-hating Queen Victoria, the Elephant Man and Charles Darwin (who believes the main purpose of airships is for looking down ladies' tops) all coming in for a satiric skewering, while the action never lets up, with inventive fights (often involving fish and crustaceans as weapons) seguing into pyrotechnic backed bouts of piracy (the explosive properties of baking soda and vinegar are a recurring theme).

Amongst a terrific cast of voice actors, Grant's vain Pirate Captain (the current holder of the award for best anecdote about a squid) stands out, although he is almost upstaged by a monkey with cue cards.

Aardman's seamless visuals are matched by one of the most spot-on soundtracks of the year, with everyone from The Clash to The Flight of the Conchords and Strauss to Supergrass featuring. Although billed by the Pirates themselves as their "most educational adventure ever", most entertaining would be more accurate - this is a film likely to be most appreciated by those who think that the discovery of a dodo "makes electricity look like a load of crap". Hide