A Town Called Panic
Zeitgeist Films | Release Date: December 16, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Hollywood ReporterPeter Brunette
There's really very little to say about this film beyond that it's absolutely brilliant. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Delirious. Hilarious. Absolutely one-of-a-kind. Read full review
90
VarietyLeslie Felperin
A sparkly little gem. Read full review
90
The New York TimesMike Hale
ATown Called Panic is an adventure story as fast-paced and exciting as any currently in theaters. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
I enjoyed this film so much I'm sorry to report it was finally too much of a muchness. You can only eat so much cake. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Splendid, smile-inducing fun. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
A proudly Calvinist work - I mean the comic strip character, not the philosopher - that understands the delights of deep play. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
It's more clever than funny, but it's very clever. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
This little gem is best saved for those -- both young and old -- who prefer to find surprises under the tree. Read full review
80
EmpireSimon Crook
One of the year's originals - frantic, unpredictable and very, very funny. Remove brain. See loud. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
An animated feature that revels in its low-tech wackiness. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
It's a sophisticated fantasia that adults should enjoy equally. (In other words, it's the perfect family entertainment.) Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
Aimed directly at your inner 8-year-old, and it strikes home. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Surreal and hilarious. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchStaff (Not credited)
If you've ever seen anything like A Town Called Panic, you either made it yourself or you dreamed it. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
To really understand the zany and surreal comic madness of A Town Called Panic, you're going to have to see it for yourself. Read full review
50
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
A Town Called Panic, which has more strident colors and less synopsizable action than a year's worth of comic-book adventures, embodies a sensibility that might be termed "extreme quirk." Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
The animation itself is superb, and the filmmakers long ago mastered the dreamy, stream-of-consciousness narrative tropes that work so well with stop-motion, but even with all that going for it, A Town Called Panic feels more like some exotic animated curiosity than a film to return to again and again. Read full review
40
Time OutJoshua Rothkopf
Once you get over the droll joke of seeing an equine Web surfer wearing a bathrobe and sipping his morning coffee, the movie settles into a shrill groove from which it never escapes. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderCliff Doerksen
Maybe the self-consciously stoopid humor works better in microbursts, but at 75 minutes it's a total drag. Read full review
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