I suspect we’ll get an answer in the early rounds of summer’s World Cup but, for now, we have a team we can really get behind.
This is a classic underdog sports movie, with Eddie Redmayne’s cavemen forced to take a crash course in the beautiful game after their homeland is threatened by the army of the slimy Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston in full ’Allo ’Allo! mode).
As is always the case with Aardman, the devil is in the details.
As well as the pun-heavy dialogue (“You’re off your primordial soup,” says one worried caveman to another), Park fills the back of his elaborate sets with sly visual puns.
Some of the jokes need carbon dating but the voice cast (which includes Johnny Vegas, Timothy Spall and Richard Ayoade) is excellent, the animation is gorgeous and Park’s very British sense of humour is infectious.
Early Man (PG, 89 mins)
Director: Nick Park
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Richard Ayoade, Timothy Spal