''Jackboots on Whitehall'' (a.k.a. ''Nazi Invasion: Team Europe'') is a 2010 British

adult animated An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

action comedy Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of acti ...

film set in an

alternative history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alte ...

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in which

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

has seized

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

must band together at

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

if they are to thwart the German invasion. Conceived by Edward and Rory McHenry, it is the first of its kind to feature

animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

puppets and the voices of well-known British actors including

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

Rosamund Pike Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike (born 1979) is a British actress. She began her acting career by appearing in stage productions such as ''Romeo and Juliet'' and ''Gas Light''. After her screen debut in the television film ''A Rather English Marriage'' ...

, Richard E. Grant,

Timothy Spall Timothy Leonard Spall (born 27 February 1957) is an English actor and presenter. He became a household name in the UK after appearing as Barry Spencer Taylor in the 1983 ITV comedy-drama series ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet''. Spall performed in '' S ...

Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...

and

Richard Griffiths Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play ''The History Boys'', Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Aw ...

. The film was executive produced by

Frank Mannion Frank Mannion is an Irish film producer, based in London. Since 2002, he has run the film production company, Swipe Films. He has produced or executive produced: *'' Mad Cows'' starring Joanna Lumley, Anna Friel, Mohamed Al Fayed, Jodie Kidd & ...

. The film premiered at the

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

on 20 June 2010 and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2010 by

Vertigo Films Vertigo Films is a British television and film production company based in London, England. Vertigo Films has been responsible for the production and distribution of ''Bronson (film), Bronson'', ''StreetDance 3D'', and ''Monsters (2010 film), ...

. It received mixed reviews from critics, praising the cast, set design and voice acting but negativity toward the puppetry, action scenes, humor and story, calling it "lifeless, stiff, boring and unfunny" and compared to unfavourable version such as ''

Team America World Police ''Team America: World Police'' is a 2004 adult puppet comedy film directed by Trey Parker from a screenplay co-written with Matt Stone and Pam Brady. Parker and Stone also star, alongside Kristen Miller, Masasa Moyo, Daran Norris, Phil Hendr ...

.''

Plot

In 1940,

invades

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

by drilling under the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

and up through the cobblestones on

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

. From his bunker under Downing Street, away,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

issues a call to arms for all of Britain to band together to resist the invaders. In a small village, Chris, a young

everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...

, rallies the residents to fight back. Joining forces with Churchill's small group of soldiers, the resistance movement retreats to

, where the unlikely saviours of the country come from the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

Cast

As appearing in ''Jackboots on Whitehall'', (main speaking roles and screen credits identified):"Credits:Jackboots on Whitehall."
''The New York Times.'' Retrieved: 23 June 2012. *

as Chris *

as Daisy * Richard E. Grant as The Vicar *

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (born 5 February 1948)Born January–March 1948, according to the ''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is an English actor of film, television, and stage. He has rece ...

as Albert and

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

Dominic West Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), t ...

Billy Fiske William Meade Lindsley Fiske III (4 June 1911 – 17 August 1940) was an American combat fighter pilot and Olympic bobsledder. At the 1928 and 1932 Winter Olympics, Fiske won gold as driver for the US bobsledding team, also acting as the Am ...

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence ag ...

Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom ''The Kumars at No. 42''. H ...

as Major Rupee *

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

Stephen Merchant Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English comedian, actor, director, presenter and writer. Alongside Ricky Gervais, Merchant was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series ''The Office'' (2001–2003), and ...

as Tom *

Pam Ferris Pamela Ferris (born 11 May 1948) is a Welsh actress. She has starred in numerous British television series, including ''Connie'' (1985), '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–1993), '' Where the Heart Is'' (1997–2000), ''Rosemary & Thyme'' ...

as Matron Rutty * Hugh Fraser as Gaston and the Newsreader *

Tobias Menzies Tobias Simpson Menzies (born 7 March 1974) is an English stage, television and film actor. He is known for playing Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix's series ''The Crown'', for which he won the Primetime ...

as Captain English and

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

* Martyn Ellis as Zeppelin Captain *

Alexander Armstrong Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong (born 2 March 1970) is an English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter and singer. He is the host of the BBC One game show ''Pointless'', as well as the morning show on Classic FM. He is ...

as Red Leader * Rory McHenry * Caroline Duff * Charlotte Moore * James Hicks * Brian Conley * Jimmy Boyle * Edward McHenry * Benedick Blythe * Stephen Lord * Jonathan Barlow * Jana Agnew * Karl Richards * Mark Taylor *

Neil Newbon Neil Newbon (born August 14, 1978) is an English actor known for playing Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed in '' Detroit: Become Human'' and Karl Heisenberg in ''Resident Evil Village''. Biography Newbon was born in Solihull, West Midlands, the son ...

In using real-life characters to embody a more accurate portrayal, some characters are easily recognizable. While

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

hero and American pilot Billy Fiske appears, he embodies the characteristics of screen legend

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

. Spall had previously portrayed Churchill in ''

The King's Speech ''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language ...

'' (2010).

Production

Writer-directors Edward and Rory McHenry created several

supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", "marionette" and " animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...

puppets that featured accurately rendered period uniforms, architecture and military equipment.

Theatrical release and premiere

''Jackboots on Whitehall'' was released in cinemas on 8 October 2010 in the United Kingdom by

and premiered on 20 June 2010 at the EIFF.

Critical reception

Robbie Collin Robbie Collin is a British film critic. Collin studied aesthetics and the philosophy of film at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He edited the university's student newspaper, '' The Saint''. Collin has been the chief film critic at ''The D ...

, of the ''News Of The World'', gave the film 4 stars summarising it as "Stupid, throwaway nonsense - and that's the whole idea".''Total Film Magazine'' also gave the film 4 stars stating "Jackboots wittily merges war flick iconography, ''Inglorious'' revisionism and ''Team America'' silliness to create a hilarious, endearing one-off". While ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' praised the "impressive all-star vocal cast" in ''Jackboots on Whitehall'', and called it a "labour of love" by its writer-directors, concluded it was "amiably intentioned but desperately weak in terms of script" comparing it unfavourably with ''

Wallace and Gromit ''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists of four short films and one feature-length film, and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series c ...

'' and '' Team America: World Police''.Bradshaw, Peter
"Review: Jackboots on Whitehall."
''The Guardian,'' 7 October 2010. Retrieved: 23 June 2012. Other reviews were of a similar nature; the review in ''The Telegraph'' characterized the film as "an enterprising comedy but ultimately a boorish overkill."Robey, Tim

''The Telegraph,'' 7 October 2010. Retrieved: 23 June 2012. it currently has a 44% rating on ''

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

''.

Box office

The film grossed $20,776 worldwide.

Home media

''Jackboots on Whitehall'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 26 July 2011 by

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...

Awards

Soundtrack

All music was composed by

Guy Michelmore Guy Michelmore is an English film and television composer and former television news presenter. Early life Michelmore is the son of BBC presenters Cliff Michelmore and Jean Metcalfe. His mother Jean was the presenter of ''Family Favourites'' an ...

. *Battle Of Britain *Harvest And Village *Nazi Airship Attack *Punjabi's Last Stand *Light The Beacons *Last Of The Few *Retreat To Scotland *Battle Of Downing Street *Chris To The Rescue *Freedom *Nazis In London *Travelling North *Punjabi's Escape From London *Hadrian's Wall *Aurora Borealis *Where Is Herr Churchill? *The Morning After *A Highland Morning *Chris' Mission *Facing The Enemy *Jerusalem - Performed by Rosamund Pike, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Merchant, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Pam Ferris and Cast *Defending The Wall *The Battle *Facing Defeat *Scottish Attack *You're A Scotsman *The Fallen *Rule Britannia *Scots Revenge *Whitehall March *Scotland The Brave *Jackboots Demo

References

External links

* * *
Behind the scenes
on Netribution
''Jackboots on Whitehall'' reviews
at Best For Film {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackboots On Whitehall 2010 films 2010 action comedy films British action comedy films British satirical films English-language Scottish films English-language Spanish films English-language Belgian films Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler British alternative history films British aviation films Battle of Britain films Cultural depictions of Winston Churchill Films set in 1940 Films set in London Films set in Scotland Films about World War II alternate histories Vertigo Films films 2010 comedy films Belgian animated films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films