“From
four-time Academy Award-
winning director Nick Park and Aardman
(Wallace & Gromit;Shaun The Sheep)
comes prehistoric shenanigans in
their renowned distinctive style with
a new comedy adventure about a
courageous Stone Age caveman who
takes on the might of a Bronze Age lord
by challenging his right to tribal lands
with the ‘beautiful game’ in the hilarious Early Man...”
AS A METEORITE STRIKE HITS THE EARTH, bringing about the destruction of the
dinosaurs, very early man uses the giant crater made by the largest meteor as
a stadium and the by-now neat-sized rock (looking extremely familiar!) is used
as a football to create the first ever "beautiful game" on Earth.
Chronicling the new game in cave drawings, they are to be discovered some time
in the future by a Stone Age tribe ruled by Chief Bobnar (voiced by the marvellous
Timothy Spall) and courageous caveman Dug (voiced by Academy Award-winner Eddie
Redmayne); but they have no idea what the drawings are depicting in the hilarious
Early Man. They are about to find out.
“Early
Man...
brilliantly well-observed,
creatively clever and
thoroughly entertaining
comedy...”
Attacked
and driven off their tribal lands by Bronze Age Lord Nooth (voiced by Tom Hiddleston)
with his mighty army, Bobnar and his people — Dug, Treebor (voiced by Richard
Ayoade), Magma (Selina Griffiths), Asbo (Johnny Vegas), Barry (Mark Williams),
Gravelle (Gina Yashere), Eemak (Simon Greenall) and Grubup (Richard Webber)
— retreat to the Badlands, but Dug has been accidentally captured; an event
that turns out to be to the tribe's advantage.
During
his time in the reinforced stockade that houses the Bronze Age village, Dug
dons a disguise that brings him into the arena to take part in the "beautiful
game" of football. During his chaotic escape, he hits on a plan to win back
his tribe's lands in the valley with a challenge to Lord Nooth, who is anxious
to win to please Queen Oofeefa (voiced by the unforgettable Miriam Margolyes),
to take part in a match against them.
There is just one snag. Chief Bobnar's people have never played football and
have no understanding of the game. More chaos reigns as Dug tries to explain,
believing that as their ancestors once played football it should follow that
the cavemen must be able to. But the ball is pierced in the confusion and Dug
has to rethink his strategy.
Dug and his best friend Hognob (voiced by Nick Park) — a cross between
a dog and a hog with some surprising intelligence! — have to infiltrate
the Bronze Age stockade to steal another ball; while doing so they come face-to-face
with pretty football fanatic Goona (voiced by Maisie Williams), a brave and
determined rebel.
Will she give them away or become an unexpected ally? As Dug unites his tribe
of lovable misfits to take on Lord Nooth's experienced team, they will need
all the help they can get in this brilliantly well-observed, creatively clever
and thoroughly entertaining comedy Early Man. Bringing a football team
back to the Valley is reminiscent of Charlton Athletic FC, who came back home
to The Valley Stadium in 1992 after a seven-year exile.
An ingenious Bronze Age communication device is the Message Bird (voice of Rob
Brydon), an early version of the mobile phone that memorises and repeats every
word that is said. The characters are voiced by an incredible, all-star British
cast. And if you doubt the gigantic duck, you may be interested to note that
the "missing link" between dinosaurs and birds was, in fact, a sort of seagull
with teeth known as the Ichthyornis dispar.
Early Man also features the voices of Kayvan Novak as Lord Nooth's Assistant
Dino and also Jurgend; Luke Walton as Hügelgraber; and Gina Yashere as Gravelle.
Music is by Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe; Director of Photography is
Dave Alex Riddett; Cinematography also by Charles Copping, Paul Smith and Peter
Sorg; Screenplay by Mark Burton and James Higginson; Story by Mark Burton and
Nick Park; Produced by Richard Beek, Peter Lord, Nick Park, Carla Shelley and
David Sproxton; Directed by Nick Park.
In an extraordinary journey into an exciting new world, Early Man is
released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD in the UK by Aardman and StudioCanal on
28 May 2018. The film is also available on Digital Download on 21 May 2018.
Product Details — Certificate: PG | Running Time: 85 Minutes Approximately.
Extras: Audio Commentary with Director Nick Park and Editor Sim Evans-Jones
| Birth of Early Man | Evolution of Early Man | Match of the Clay | Nick Park:
Massaging the Funny | The Valley Meets the Bronze | Hanging at Aardman Studios:
A Workshop Experience | Before the Beginning of Time: Crafting Early Man.
“From
four-time Academy Award-