II. Voice cast Ewan McGregor as Valiant, a plucky and optimistic wood pigeon. Although he is the smallest of the war pigeon squad, he is the bravest. Ricky Gervais as Bugsy, a slovenly but friendly pigeon who becomes Valiant's close friend Pip Torrens as Lofty Thaddeus Worthington, a red scholarly pigeon Dan Roberts as Tailfeather Brian Lonsdale as Toughwood John Cleese as Mercury Olivia Williams as Victoria, a beautiful and kind nursing dove and Valiant's love interest. John Hurt as Felix, an old seagull with a peg leg and Valient's friend. Annette Badland as Elsa, Valiant's doting mother who at first doesn't want her "little egg" to go to war, but lets Valiant go to be the hero he needs to be. Jim Broadbent as Sergeant Monty, the gruff drill sergeant who puts the recruits through strainious training to prepare for fighting against Von Talon. Hugh Laurie as Wing Commander Gutsy, Tim Curry as General Von Talon, a cruel German peregrine falcon. He stands out with a big eyepatch over his left eye. Rik Mayall as Cufflingk, Sharon Horgan as Charles de Girl Jonathan Ross as Big Thug Joe Ranft as Additional Voice Themes Valiant takes the Second World War as its backdrop, and thus the film has various factual references to World War II. McGregor himself called it "a good old-fashioned war movie." The film's use of World War II imagery is apparent throughout; for instance, the villainous characters in the film hold obvious links to the Nazis, although Nazism is never specifically mentioned, nor are Nazi symbols ever overtly visually depicted – edited symbols are, however, discreetly inserted. For example, General Von Talon wears a large Reichsadler badge that depicts the German eagle, taken from the coat of arms of Germany. Yet this version, unlike the Hoheitszeichen (Nazi Germany's national insignia), has the eagle grasping two bones, whereas the Hoheitszeichen depicts the eagle clutching a swastika. Furthermore, the film's primary antagonist, Von Talon, holds specific links to Adolf Hitler. For example, Von Talon states whilst holding Mercury as a prisoner of war that he would not eat Mercury, as he is a vegetarian, a direct reference to Adolf Hitler's vegetarianism. Production Development 179 modelers, animators, shaders, texturers began work on Valiant at Ealing Studios, west London. While Valiant was technically the second computer-animated film to be made in the United Kingdom, after The Magic Roundabout, it was the