Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

14 years after they last graced our screens, the cheese-loving inventor and his cheesed-off dog return in a follow-up (of sorts) to The Wrong Trousers, featuring the villainous Feathers McGraw. This time, Wallace's latest invention is Norbot, a garden gnome variety smart robot, whose modern conveniences threaten to outwit Gromit's usefulness. The stopmotion animation looks sheen and smoother than ever, as it tells a story warning about the dangers of AI gone bad. I do think this would have worked better as a half-hour short, but it's a very quick-paced 75 minutes, and it's kind of a miracle to see this series revived again after all this time. It's charming pip pip wholesome fun for all.

Ben Whitehead takes over as Wallace after the passing of Peter Sallis in 2017.

3½ recharges out of 5

Note: The company that supplied the modelling clay for all of Aardman's productions shut down in 2023, so Aardman purchased up all their supply in order to cover this film. Looks like they've have to find a new source for their further adventures, but Nick Park promises W&G will be back in some form.

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

In the last (and best) of the W+G shorts man and pooch are running a bakery business from their home. A safer profession than window cleaning, one might think, but there's a serial killer doing the rounds – one that kills bakers.
Being a murder-mystery means there are sinister tones throughout, but the story doesn't skimp on laughs and inventiveness because of it, although some of the jokes will require a certain level of movie knowledge. On the opposite side tonally, romance is in the air once again for Wallace, who's madly in love with an ideal - while Gromit has to endure the sickening pet-names. It's a good thing the dog's dedication and loyalty are unwavering.
Animation is masterful, and sets are beautiful and wonderfully detailed. All in all, it's a fitting farewell to the short film format for the beloved characters.

5 butterings out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)

In the dead of night a sinister truck stops outside the duo's house. W+G are tucked in their respective beds (the latter doing some studious knitting), unprepared for what's happening outside. Naturally, it spells trouble for the dedicated pooch, but there's more than just Wallace's safety to worry over.
Yet again the set-ups are pitch perfect, and there's more inventive daredevil manoeuvres that prove Aardman's mastery of the stop-motion format. There's a few subtle in-jokes for those that watched the previous shorts, and even a romance sub-plot for the Wensleydale cheese-eating inventor.
Notably, A Close Shave has the first appearance of another Nick Park created character, a sheep who got a spin-off TV show and movie all of his own.

4 rustling yarns out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)

It's Gromit's birthday, but that doesn't mean he gets time off from chores. Worse still, the household bills are piling up, so Wallace suggests a paying lodger - the duo's equilibrium in under threat. When a beady-eyed shifty penguin answers the advert, Gromit's life gets even more stressful.
The trousers of the title are techno-trousers, a time-saving crazy Wallace invention. They play a role in the drama, a scenario that channels a few different genres (including heist and classic British horror) to good effect.
The claymation animation was great in the previous outing, but TWT is a sizeable step up from that. I loved the UFO catcher scene, but the film's crowning achievement is a scene involving a toy train. It would've been a labour of love to animate, but the result is unequivocally worth it.

4 shocking calamities out of 5

WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT [2005]

"Bunnies!  So many bunnies!" I thought to myself as I gleefully watched Wallace & Gromit's first feature length film, The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.
Directed by creator Nick Park & animator Steve Box, the story follows our old pals as they hunt down a giant mutant rabbit that is ravaging the town's vegetable gardens.  While the previous cartoon shorts touched on the old sci-fi/horror b-movies only in their titles cards, this film finally goes all out and gets pretty hilariously weird without ever losing it's charm.  You can't help but love Peter Sallis' voicework as the oblivious but ever-caring Wallace while Gromit's facial expressions are just as good as they ever were.  It's not quite as good as the shorts are but still remains pretty damned funny and heart-warming.

3½ carrot gold bullets out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989)

Cheese and crackers are a perfect combination, but running out of cheese throws a spanner in the works. Wallace takes that spanner and builds something mysterious in his basement. The hunt for cheese is on.
The Wallace and Gromit adventures that came after were more refined, but it's still worth revisiting this very first one from time to time; it's as charming as ever, helped along that route by Peter Sallis' Yorkshire accent.
Gromit (the dog with the worried look in the picture above) can't speak, but being in claymation means his facial expressions can be moulded into many different forms. Wallace's wild ideas mean Gromit's thick brows spend much of their time at the suspicion and despair setting.

3 specialist magazines out of 5