Belgian import A Town Called Panic is a wonderfully loopy stop-motion film that captures the many exploits of three plastic housemates: Horse, Cowboy, and Indian.

The panic starts immediately with Horse’s birthday. Instead of tried-and-true presents like chocolate hay bales and Mozart hats, Cowboy and Indian go online to order 50 bricks for a DIY barbecue. Unfortunately, the web-unsavvy duo order a million times the amount — a keystroke error that takes the three friends from their pastoral hometown to the Earth’s core and beyond.

Spinning off their cult TV series, directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar have created a jaunty, offbeat romp through a papier-mâché landscape. Logic is forgone in this whimsical alt-universe, where everything from morning niceties to romantic courtship occurs at hilariously warped speed.

Explore A Town Called Panic’s website, watch the loony series with English translations by Aardman Animations,  and read our recommendations for this and other stop-motion films from abroad.