This frequently hilarious caper from Aardman animation is a sure-fire, fun-for-all-the-family gem. At times the gags come so thick and fast that it is literally impossible to absorb them all in one (and for all I know several) viewings. The Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists! may not quite scale the dizzy heights of Wallace and Gromit, but it is nevertheless a cracking piece of entertainment.

Based on the books by Gideon Defoe, the wonderfully absurd plot concerns the Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) who is determined to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award. He and his motley crew end up kidnapping Charles Darwin and impersonating scientists in London; earning the ire of the entire scientific community and Queen Victoria for reasons too delightfully ridiculous to spoil.

This has as many jokes for adults as for children (some of them slightly risqué, though they will no doubt go over the heads of the wee ones). One particular nod to The Elephant Man had me in stitches, and there are some perfectly judged slapstick set pieces that really tickle the funny bone. There are also some great map related jokes that even rival the recent "travelling by map" gag in The Muppets. It's also amusing to note from the end credits that "No dodos were made extinct during the making of this film".

The vocal talent is considerable, particularly Hugh Grant's Pirate Captain, David Tennant's Charles Darwin and Imelda Staunton's pirate-hating, sword-wielding, nigh-on psychotic Queen Victoria, who also has a penchant for eating endangered animals. Martin Freeman (Pirate with Scarf), Brenda Gleeson (Pirate with Gout), Ashley Jensen (Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate - a girl pirate disguised as a man), and even the wonderful Brian Blessed (Pirate King - dressed as Elvis) provide great support, and there are also small roles for Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven and Lenny Henry.

Directors Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt blend stop-motion with computer generated backgrounds to terrific effect, and the palette is colourful and opulent. It's not perfect - the pacing is a little uneven for instance - but the flaws are relatively small.

From a moral perspective, this is about being true to yourself, the importance of friendship over success and other appropriate themes. For the Christians out there, please don't let the presence of Charles Darwin put you off. Yes there are some (highly amusing) references to his theories, but this isn't some form of insidious evolutionary propaganda (as some will misguidedly claim). It's just a very, very funny bit of nonsense for all ages.