Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

In a world that's become increasingly scary and divided throughout the year, Nick Park and the team at Aardman deliver unto us two shining beacons of hope when they're needed most, to remind us of the joyous charm and wonders in life. Those beacons take the familiar plasticine form of a dimwitted but kind-hearted inventor, and his silently judgemental but ever-loyal dog.

The Wrong Trousers and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, both Academy Award-winners, set the bar staggeringly high for stop-motion storytelling, and were always going to be tough acts to follow. Thankfully, Vengeance Most Fowl combines the best parts of both to deliver yet again, while also seemingly drawing great inspiration from Paddington and Mission: Impossible. The pair remain as aloof and comedic as ever, the animation is the best its ever been, and the jokes-per-minute ratio is impressively unrivalled.

Since the pair's last outing in A Matter of Loaf and Death the world has lost the great Peter Sallis. I thought we'd never see Wallace's return, but I'm happy to report that two minutes in I breathed a sigh of relief. Ben Whitehead does an excellent job in the titular role, capturing the same whimsy as Sallis while being just as entertaining and charming. Equally charming is the wonderful score, with Lorne Balfe taking the reins from Julian Nott and once again proving that, to me, few things in life are as instantly mood-lifting as the W&G theme.

Knowing how long it takes to fully realise a stop-motion project (Were-Rabbit took five years to create), it's also remarkable how timely the story is for today. In a year that's seen a concerning rise in the use of AI in film projects, it's delightful to see a strong stance against it come from a film crafted in almost exactly the opposite manner; not only does the film itself portray machine minds as the death of imagination and creativity, but Aardman's immaculately hand-crafted stop-motion and stylised adventures stand as a testament to the power of human artistry, and will forever remain timelessly appealing as they have for 35 years and counting.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a film moulded with love. Thank you Nick Park, for the years of endless joy you've given the world with Wallace & Gromit. Everyone should do themselves a favour and have a grand day out with these two old friends.

A great movie, after a very long wait. These characters have the same charm and comedy brilliance as the all time greats. Gromit, although animation, has the same dead-pan timing as Stan Laurel and to achieve that in animation is brilliance.

The key to W&G is that they never stray far from their roots and this was their best long form outing so far, the plot has so many nods to movies and a level of brilliant comedic detail in the design and smaller props. Always read the book covers and look around to see these wonderful details.

I might be alone but I noticed quite a few nods to Tim Burton's 'Batman Returns' especially in a moment with a submarine and a rubber duck!

This was a great return to form after the split with DREAMWORKS and it seems that the producing team did a cracking job on keeping it real.

A note to say although Peter Sallis will always be much missed the vocal performance by Ben Whitehead is pitch perfect and a flawless interpretation.

I'd love to see the studio revisit Pirates and of course give us a few more W & G adventures in the years to come.

I recommend the movie. The villains were well done, but the human characters aside from Wallace weren't given much to do or say and the climax seemed a little too fast and forced. I do like the story, surprises (aside from a few forced scenes in the last 10 or so minutes) and the comedy. If the climax was better written and the pacing was better with the brief human supporting characters (who should've had more to do), I would've like it more. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit had a better pace and climax and better written side characters, but both had enjoyable stories, main characters and laughs.

After a long gap between adventures, it's so nice to have Wallace & Gromit back and Vengeance Most Fowl is a worthwhile return that contains all the charm and wit expected of Aardman when they're on peak form. With its timely look at A. I. replacing the human element whilst being left unchecked and the epic finale involving a canal boat chase, it would be a surprisingly strong double bill with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning.

Ben Whitehead is a fantastic choice to continue Peter Sallis' legacy as Wallace. His vocal performance is nearly identical with only the slightest noticeable difference. Gromit is the MVP as usual, carrying Wallace through everything and Wallace's realisation of how much he needs him provides all the heart. The always funny Peter Kay gets a lot more screen time than before and Reece Shearsmith is equal parts adorable and hilarious as all the robotic gnomes.

Directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham wisely choose not to compete with the jaw droppingly good high speed chase at the end of The Wrong Trousers by going in the completely opposite direction thanks to a very low speed boat chase here. The stop-motion animation has a glossy sheen without losing the distinct Aardman look and the gags come thick and fast. Lorne Balfe's presence in the score only enhances the Mission Impossible comparisons.

Wallace seems to have nailed it, having created, the Nifty odd jobbing robot, Norbot, the problems begin when Feathers McGraw breaks out of prison, and the happy go lucky robot turns rogue.

Glorious, magical viewing from start to finish, with this and Gavin and Stacey, it seems like The BBC will own Christmas day viewing.

Bags of fun, massively entertaining, full of gags and jokes, truly a show for the whole family to watch and love. With any luck we'll be treated to more in the future.

You have to give huge credit to Ben Whitehead, I honestly had to check that AI wasn't used to recreate the voice of Peter Sallis, it was seamless, what an incredible vocal performance.

Credit to Peter Kay and Reece Shearsmith, both, along with the whole cast, did a spectacular job.

I loved it so much, I've ordered myself a Feathers McGraw t-shirt.

10/10.