"The Pirates! Band of Misfits": What critics are saying

(CBS News) Move over, Jack Sparrow - there's a new pirate arriving in movie theaters.

That would be the Pirate Captain, voiced by Hugh Grant, in the stop-motion animated film "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," opening Friday.

Critics have been generally pleased with the film, which comes from Aardman Animations, the makers of "Wallace & Gromit." Here's what some of them had to say:

New York Times critic Manohla Dargis writes, "Exquisitely detailed -- from its ocean breakers to the wavelike curlicues on a pirate's luxurious beard -- the movie is a curiosity cabinet of visual pleasures but so breezy and lightly funny that you may not realize at first how good it is. (You're too busy grinning.)."

"The twists and turns of the 'Pirates' plot are many, but hanging on for the duration is a pleasure," said Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.

Claudia Puig of USA Today complemented Grant's performance. "The actors who lend their voices to the characters could not be more spot-on. Hugh Grant is hilarious as Pirate Captain, a buffoon hell-bent on winning the coveted pirate-of-the-year prize."

John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter called the movie "a delightful romp whose varied pleasures should please kids all along the age spectrum," adding that it is "sequel-ready, thanks to a series of books by Gideon Defoe.

Entertainment Weekly's Adam Markovitz wrote, "Even when the whimsy in 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits''s history-be-damned story (which also ropes in Charles Darwin) feels a bit forced, the magic of the medium never does."

Michael O'Sullivan of the Washington Post called the film "charmingly goofy," adding, "There are far more fleeting visual jokes than one can possibly digest in a single viewing. It makes for an experience that, while geared toward younger, more fidgety audiences, has enough humor to keep Mom and Dad from falling asleep."

Tell us: Will you see "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"?