Visitors to Thinktank, Birmingham’s science museum, will experience a swashbuckling adventure this summer when they get the chance to immerse themselves in the world created in Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Animations’ Academy Award-nominated blockbuster, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! David Tennant voices the character of Darwin in the film.
The touring exhibition brings together for the first time in public the exquisitely crafted sets and puppets from the film and encourages visitors to become part of The Pirate Captain’s crew. From dressing up in pirate finery to steering a galleon and playing a part in the movie using clever blue-screen technology, there is a wealth of activities to enchant all audiences.In a reference to the film’s ‘Polly’ – the dodo that thinks it’s a parrot - visitors will also have the chance to see the renowned ‘Oxford Dodo’. Oxford University Museum of Natural Historywill be lending its reconstruction of the the famously extinct bird to Thinktank for the duration of the exhibition, which links the animation and creativity of the film with the world of Natural History.
Janine Eason, Director of Learning and Exhibitions at Thinktank said: “It’s been very exciting to see this exhibition develop and we look forward to welcoming visitors into the Pirates’ world. Working with Aardman Animations on the project is fantastic; the painstaking detail and craftsmanship in the sets alone is breathtaking. When you couple that with the imagination-capturing and interactive elements Thintank’s exhibition will offer, it’s a summer show not to be missed”.
Peter Lord, Co-founder and Creative Director of Aardman Animations said:“I'm so happy that our Pirates exhibition is coming to Birmingham. It shows off all the things that I'm most proud of – the care, the artistry and the genius that goes into making of one of our films. People will have a chance to get up close to some of the fantastic models and sets that we made. We've got Charles Darwin's cabin, part of Blood Island, a huge pile of pirate treasure - and of course the magnificent Pirate Ship in all it's glory. Have a look at it. Some rather dodgy Pirates must have done a 'cut and shut' job on her because the bow end and the stern end don't match at all. And the figure-head clearly lost her head a long time ago. There's so much detail and comedy in all these sets.
“And then of course we will take the visitors behind the scenes to catch a glimpse of all the crafts involved in filmmaking – everything from design to model making to animation. So as well as being a visual delight, I also hope the exhibition will inspire young animators to have a go themselves.”
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists The Exhibition opens to the public at Thinktank on May 23rd and will run until September. Entry to the exhibition will be included in the Thinktank ticket price and a programme of accompanying events and activities will be made available nearer the date of the exhibition. For further information visit http://www.thinktank.acThanks to Think Tank
