A British CGI animation about homing pigeons and their heroic efforts during the second world war, Valiant featured a promising voice cast (Ewan McGregor, Tim Cutty, Ricky Gervais, John Cleese, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, Rik Mayall) but reviews were lukewarm and box office disappointing.  Director Gary Chapman enlisted British composer George Fenton to score his first animation and the results are truly delightful.  Having previously written such wonderful, oft-copied music for Memphis Belle, Fenton was the perfect choice for the film, with him getting the chance to combine those dramatics with some tongue in cheek, stiff upper lip humour.

Really, the easiest thing to say about the score is that it's exactly what you'd expect it to be.  Unmistakably British in sound, including two pieces played by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, it inspires you to grow a handlebar moustache and shout "chocks away!" at whomever you may see.  An early highlight is the delightful "March of the RHPS".  "Arrival at Camp" is a combination of two wonderfully old-fashioned pieces of jazz played by the Syd Lawrence Orchestra.  The rest of the score is performed with gusto by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Meeting Bugsy" provides the first glimpse of the glories to come, with some rollicking action music.  Darker stylings come with "Von Talon and the Bastion", showing the score's other side; and there's a hint of romance in "Victoria and the Final Training".  "Mouse Division" is a comic piece (with Fenton playing it deliberately straight in an over the top fashion) featuring synth choir and some wonderfully intricate writing for brass.  While the first half of the album has included some delightful music, things really get going in the action-packed second half.  This begins with "Decoys", another delightful bit of action music, but the true highlight is the 13-minute "The Rescue and Escape", one of the most thrilling and satisfying pieces Fenton's ever written.  It begins with a few earnest presentations of the main theme, before Fenton lets rip with some glorious, heroic action music.  It's simply breathtaking stuff.  After this comes the rousing finale, "Winged Heroes", and then an extended reprise of "March of the RHPS".

Fenton can write this sort of big orchestral music as well as just about anyone, but in recent years he doesn't seem to have had the opportunity to do so; except for the sublime Blue Planet (and its spinoff, Deep Blue) he has generally been writing much more low key music for much more low key projects, so it's a delight to hear him make this sort of return to form.  Valiant is easily the most entertaining score of 2005 so far.  It's only been released on Fenton's own label, Debonair Records, in the UK and distribution does seem to be a problem, though copies are available (at the time of writing) from the Amazon link below.  It's well worth it; fans of Fenton's music, as well as classic music from the world war two adventure films of decades ago, will be absolutely delighted.