Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2012
Sir Billi
Buy Sir Billi now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Sir Billi' (also known as 'Guardian of the Highlands') is a 2012 British computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by Sascha Hartmann and written by his wife Tessa Hartmann, based on an original story they developed together. The film stars the voices of Sean Connery, Alan Cumming, Patrick Doyle and Kieron Elliott. Set in the Scottish Highlands, 'Sir Billi' follows the title character, an elderly veterinarian, as he attempts to help a runaway beaver escape a corrupt officer.
It was Connery's first film role since 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' (2003), and the last before his death in 2020. Connery had retired in 2006, but joined the film's cast as a favour to the Hartmanns. The film is Scotland's first CGI animated feature film.
Plot
Sir William Billi Sedgewick works as veterinarian and resides with Gordon, a goat who behaves as a dog, outside the small town of Catterness, located within the Scottish Highlands.
On orders of the Scottish government, beavers have become illegal in Scotland and are to be sent to Norway. During one such removal, a lorry carrying a large group of beavers is involved in an accident, letting loose some of the beavers. The officers in charge of the operation, McKenzie and McTavish, manage to recapture most of the beavers, but one escapes. The escapee, Bessie Boo, is subsequently adopted by a family of rabbits. McKenzie, posing as a police officer, mounts an obsessive search for Bessie.
Five years pass as McKenzie continues his search for Bessie. Meanwhile, Bessie and the rabbits partake in a tobogganing race. Bessie's adoptive brother, Wee Dave; and their mother fall into a river due to the former's carelessness, leading Bessie to attempt to rescue them. Billi, Gordon, and Billi's grandson, Jake, are driving towards Catterness when another rabbit alerts them of the problem. Billi organises a deuptation in the town square before noticing McKenzie acting strangely and questioning his identity.
During the group's search, Billi finds and resuscitates Bessie's mother, and soon locates Bessie and Dave approaching Baron McToff's dam. McToff, despite his protests, accepts Billi's demands to turn off the turbines. The group manages to rescue Dave, only to miss Bessie. Gordon bungee-jumps down to catch Bessie, but himself falls into the river. The group retrieves Gordon, but they are distracted by a submarine. Billi gathers a group to save Gordon with a trampoline, but Gordon is knocked out. Victoria, a pilot duck assisting with the group's rescue, throws Billi a bottle of water, which he uses to revive Gordon.
Lady Serena, Billi's daughter, hands Bessie to the submarine's pilot, but McKenzie absconds with Bessie. McKenzie then hijacks Billis Land Rover, causing Billi to give chase in his Aston Martin and eventually on his skateboard across the Highlands. Ending up outside of a military base, McKenzie tries to have Billi arrested, before they are both confronted by the police. McKenzie is himself arrested for his crimes, while Billi promises to reunite Bessie with her family.
The heroes celebrate their victory at the Catterness Inn, while Bessie is returned to her mother. Billi and his consort, Toni Turner, leave the celebration to drive off into the moonlight.
Voice cast
* Sean Connery as Sir Billi
* Alan Cumming as Gordon the Goat
* Patrick Doyle as The Admiral
* Kieron Elliott as Arresting Officer
* Greg Hemphill as Mr. McTavish
* Ford Kiernan as Banjo Barry
* Miriam Margolyes as Baroness Chantal McToff
* Alex Norton as Baron McToff
* Barbara Rafferty as Barbara the Jag
* Amy Sacco as Toni Turner
* Larry Sullivan as Lady Serena
* Ruby Wax as Patti Turner
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of , based on reviews, with an average rating of . On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 17 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".
The negative reaction to the film was widely reported in the British press. Peter Debruge of 'Variety' called it "woefully anaemic", criticising its "simplistic story and non-sequitur style". They also pointed out a few in-jokes referencing Connery's past role as James Bond, such as title sequence featuring a Shirley Bassey song that pastiches Bond themes. Siobhan Synnot of 'The Scotsman' called it "mirthless" and "rudimentary". Russ Fischer of 'SlashFilm' criticized it as an "ignominious" end to Connery's career, even compared to his previous film, the critically reviled 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. Fred Patten of 'Flayrah' called the CG "the ugliest that I have ever seen". Journalist Lisa Summers was also harshly critical of both the CGI and the story. 'F Bomb Movie Review' felt it badly failed to connect with today's children.
Despite the film's largely negative reception, 'AM FM Magazine' said Sir Billi was well received on its premiere at the Sonoma International Film Festival.
References
Buy Sir Billi now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2012