Pirates–i.e., evildoers–are sanitized and trivialized in the clay-animation feature, The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012), and there is a conspicuously silly plot, but a lot of good jokes crop up as well.  Even something weird will occur now and then, as witness the presence of Jane Austen and the Elephant Man (the year is 1837).  Also, surprise, there is no love interest.

A product of Britain’s Aardman Animations, Pirates! is a rowdy family film proffering the voices of Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, and Salma Hayek.  Miss Staunton “plays” a mean Queen Victoria, who looks like a fat Helena Bonham Carter. 

Film poster for The Pirates! - Courtesy of Col...

Film poster for The Pirates! - Courtesy of Columbia Pictures (Photo credit: Wikipedia)