Move over, Jack Sparrow – there's a new pirate captain in town, and his name is, um, Pirate Captain.

By the name, it would seem the animated action hero of "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" (voiced by a refreshingly un-annoying Hugh Grant) is destined for a life of high-seas adventure and booty plundering, if only it weren't for the lack of spoils to show for it.

To remedy this – and secure his place as a contender for the Pirate of the Year Awards – Pirate Captain and his band of merry men (and one Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate) set out to pillage a record haul in time to overtake rival pirates Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz.

Their comedic efforts prove fruitless until they stumble upon the expedition vessel of a novice scientist by the name of Charles Darwin (voiced by David Tennant of "Doctor Who" fame). Darwin discovers that Pirate Captain's prized parrot, Polly, is actually a dodo, and convinces the pirates to travel to the anti-pirate realm of Queen Victoria to claim the esteemed prize of Scientist of the Year.

The Wallacey-Gromitey flair of directors Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt certainly rules "The Pirates!" in both script and visuals. It embraces all the stop-motion goodness of their previous work, but more importantly does the same for the movie's quick humor and kid-friendly gags.

There's plenty to laugh at for all ages, from the sharp sarcasm and risque one-liners for the grown-ups in the audience to kooky British humor and slapstick absurdities for the little ones (Ham nite, anyone?). Parents should use some discretion, though: while most of the funny bits aimed at them will likely go over kids' heads, there are a few edgy-for-PG lines to watch out for.

Overall, "The Pirates!" is a worthwhile movie splurge with or without kids in tow. The 3-D, however, not so much, so steer clear of that if you can. Otherwise, see it soon. To borrow a line from the movie itself, it "makes electricity look like a pile of crap."