Postman Pat: The Movie
Director: Mike Disa
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Robin Atkin Downes, Susan Duerden
88 mins; Class U; KRS
A staple of British television since the 1980s, Postman Pat gets a shiny big screen outing in Postman Pat: the Movie. Pat (voiced by Stephen Mangan) is a beloved postman who lives with his wife Sarah (Susan Duerden), son Julian and beloved cat Jess in the quaint British countryside town of Greendale, and works for the super-efficient Special Delivery Services (SDS).
Pat wakes up one morning full of excitement at the prospect of finally booking his long-awaited honeymoon to Italy. However, as he arrives at work planning to collect the bonus cheque that will pay for the trip, he discovers the presence of the evil Edwin Carbunkle (Peter Woodward), an efficiency expert who plans to place Pat and his fellow postal colleagues out of work and replace them with robots.
Had that been the nub of the plot, Postman Pat: the Movie would have been a solid-enough animated story to entertain the very young, but things get a tad convoluted with a sub-plot involving a singing talent show called You’re the One (hosted by ‘Simon Cowbell’, one of the few jokes thrown in for the adults), which Pat decides to audition for in order to win the prize: a recording contract and, what do you know, a trip to Italy.
The story ends upjuggling too many issues and can’t decide whatit really is
Thus, the story, written by Nicole Dubuc with a screenplay by Annika Bluhm and Kim Fuller, ends up juggling too many issues, and can’t decide whether it’s a modernising of a popular children’s character, a fish-out-of-water story about a man used to the simple life thrown into the spotlight, a satire of the talent shows that dominate TV today or a cautionary tale of the dangers of corporate technology. Questions, of course, that should not concern those aged five and under at whom this is squarely aimed, and it is unfortunate that what was a simple, colourful story based on a good man who goes above and beyond the call of duty to help his neighbours tries to be something else without really succeeding.
However, as stated above, this is aimed at younger audiences who should be distracted enough by the vivid characters and bright colours to enjoy Pat’s various adventures.
Parents should ensure to accompany the very young , however; the postal robots, made in Pat’s image, are decidedly creepy and may cause a few scares for the more sensitive members of the audience.