A Town Called Panic: Double Fun

A Town Called Panic: Double Fun is a wildly imaginative, riotous stop motion animated comedy that is a sequel to the 2009 film, A Town Called Panic. This 2016 French-Belgian film, directed by Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, invites the audience to experience two distinct stories, melding absurd comedy with delightful and unpredictable adventure. Double Fun, a combination of two short films, ensures you get sustained bursts of the lovable mayhem that characterized the first movie.

In this colorful and surreal world, everything is alive and talkative, including the farm animals, house bricks, and even random bathtub accessories. Everyday objects are anthropomorphized that creates an environment ripe with limitless comedic and narrative potential. Aubier and Patar brilliantly employ this in their film, creating a space where oddity is the norm and the whimsically bizarre is everyday reality.

As for the characters, they might just be the most endearing part of the eccentric universe that Aubier and Patar have created. The movie's three main characters - Cowboy, Indian and Horse, live together in an idyllic rural town. Despite their wildly differing personalities, they share an endearing camaraderie that underpins every twist and turn in the story.

The first story, "Christmas Panic," swims neck-deep into the whimsicalities of stop-motion animation. In this story, Horse finds his tranquil Christmas preparation disrupted by unforeseen events caused by his two roommates, Cowboy and Indian. When Santa Claus shows up, the mayhem reaches its peak, creating an avalanche of laughter. With Christmas chaos unfolding in their little abode, they encounter a series of misadventures that are both thrilling and hilarious. Despite the Christmas specific title, the madcap humor transcends all season and leaves no stone unturned to amuse its audience.

The second part of the movie, "Back to School Panic," sees Cowboy and Indian accidentally destroy their house while attempting to build a homemade brick barbeque for Horse's birthday. The catastrophe propels them on a quest to rebuild their home before their roommate Horse discovers the damage. The situation escalates when, in an attempt to rectify their error, they somehow end up at the center of a parallel universe's plot to steal their school's stock of building bricks.

Despite the frenzy of the plot developments, there is a certain gentle humor stitched into the fabric of A Town Called Panic: Double Fun. It possesses a light-heartedness that somehow harmonizes perfectly with its manic pace, reminding us not to take anything too seriously. The artistry of the stop-motion animation gives visual expression to the charm of the story. The characters possess a wobbly physicality that seems at odds with their rather prosaic surroundings, yet surprisingly, it only serves to heighten the comedic effect.

The film strikes a perfect balance of randomness and organization, never losing sight of its storyline amid the antics. The characters and the narrative interweave seamlessly, reflecting in the excellent pacing and the harmonious balance that exists between the absurd and the quintessential.

A Town Called Panic: Double Fun, is as much fun as the name suggests. It extracts comedy from the mundane, transforming everyday situations into a haven of hilarity. Far from being chaotic, the film is a well-constructed, carefully crafted piece of art that encourages the audience to appreciate the beauty of the absurd.

All in all, A Town Called Panic: Double Fun is an eccentric, zany and utterly delightful romp. The movie brims with a sense of inventiveness that's genuinely refreshing, providing a unique and zingy cinematic experience. Whether for fans of animation, admirers of comedy, or anyone looking for a joyride into a colorful world of madness, this movie is a treasure to cherish.