Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

What-ho! This one is jolly good. I say jolly good, ol' chap. Or should I say "ol' bean"? My mastery of British terminology is a little dusty. Anyway, my biker boots and I walked into this screening with no prior viewing experience of Wallace and Gromit. I'm happy to say that my boots and I walked out pleased to have made their acquaintance.

While not as adult-accessible as Toy Story, W & G still manages to be clever enough to provide the grown ups with a little humor that will most definitely soar over the heads of the young 'uns who are too busy guffawing at the Were-rabbit's belches to have any clue that something is amiss. I highly suggest that you pay close attention any time you see books or words on the screen because there are quick glimpses of puns that you'll miss if you aren't paying attention. My favorite is a book of monsters that refers to the Loch Ness Monster as "tourist trappus." If you've ever been known to say, "I can really relate to Kevin Federline," or if you're just illiterate then not only will you miss out on these jokes, but you probably should be spending your time learning to read instead of going to movies. Consider this a public service announcement.

The most impressive aspect about W & G is its clay animation. Thanks to the tedious process, it took FIVE YEARS to finish the film! According to the press notes, there were some days when the optimum goal was to merely accomplish 10 seconds of completed film. Folks, I sometimes have trouble finding the motivation to finish responding to a handful of emails or adding captions to pictures for my reviews (a point that is proved by a lack of pictures in this review); so I can't even imagine having the required patience for that.

I really like the rough, hands-on quality of the claymation figures. The fact that you can see fingerprints in the clay is a nice, personal touch. How can you not be impressed with clay characters that show more expression and emotion than Paul Walker and Keanu Reeves combined? The Curse of the Were-rabbit is, as director Nick Park calls it, the world's first vegetarian horror movie that should entertain both kids and adults alike. Relying on (and as a male who prides himself in his shaggy-haired, cool-bearded masculinity I hesitate to use this word) cute and (oh man, I probably shouldn't use this word either) lovable characters rather than outdated M.C. Hammer references, W & G is proof that DreamWorks can create entertaining animation when it chooses cleverness over the cheap joke.

I went in to watch the new Wallace & Gromit movie with a little bit of bias. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers happens to be one of my favorite short animation pieces and although just because it's a Wallace & Gromit film, doesn't mean that I'll love it, I went in expecting to be charmed.

And I was.

The film was true Wallace & Gromit in form and fashion, this time featuring Wallace & Gromit as humane pest control operatives "Anti-Pesto." Again, featuring many cute Rube-Goldberg-type inventions, cheese, and menacing, but somewhat silly, villains, the film is full of things to adore.

There were a couple moments that threw me off, namely a couple of jokes that belong in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, but I suppose it will fly over the heads of the target youth audience. Actually, I haven't seen a General Audiences rated movie this enjoyable in a while, and minus those moments, this film is good clean fun.

Wallace & Gromit's sense of humor is less the laugh-out-loud humor but more the grin-inducing chuckle-laden charming type, with some punny moments, and it works to great effect. In particular, Gromit is perhaps the best silent character in recent film history. Without saying nary a word or making a single sound, he manages to convey a great deal of emotion and comic excellence, which is quite impressive considering that Gromit is made entirely of clay.

The plot is simple and not particularly original, but I was surprised by the inventiveness by which Nick Park and company took a few old stories and refreshed them. I really can find no solid wrong with the film minus those unexpected moments of adult humor.

Highly recommended. 8/10.

A very enjoyable film. You can see there's much more subtlety in the characters with regard to facial expressions. The voice actors did a great job, and there are some great gags, some of which are not for children, but are not overt in their adult-ness. Much more empathy for the characters in this film than in Chicken Run. Fortunately, the film is still wonderfully British, so has not suffered from Dreamworks' influence on the production. It is also good to see something hand-crafted on the big screen instead of the raft of CG animated films that usually lack a strength of script; that you could see fingerprints in the plasticine in no way detracted from the quality of the production.

I saw it at a German press screening. Without giving too much away: Most critics really seemed to like it very much. There was even applause afterwards, which is quite unusual for that species. From my point of view and until now, it was the funniest movie of the year. It keeps the charm and wit of the three W+G shorts and it is enlarged with many references to these and other movies. Of course, there are obvious allusions to monster- and werewolf-movies, especially to "An American Werewolf in London", "Jaws", "King Kong" and even to Peter Jackson's "Braindead"/"Dead Alive", but also to other genres.

Characterization was better done in "Chicken Run", but that movie had a complete new "cast" where introduction was necessary. Here, you are already able to know the two main characters. So, the new "Wallace and Gromit"-movie is enjoyed best if you watched (and liked) the shorts already, yet it also works on its own. "Chicken Run" had the more convenient, but also more "storytelling" plot. Instead, this new Aardman masterpiece keeps that crazier and somehow more "isolated" feeling of the W+G shorts. Children should also enjoy it very much, especially because of the sweet rabbits (if you love cute bunnies, this is a must-see for you!!!) and because Gromit has a lot do to and really steals the show (children also love dogs... :-) ). But many jokes are thought for a more adult audience (there are even soft sexual allusions in it). The movie manages, like "Shrek 1+2" and "The Incredibles", to fulfil high level entertainment for the whole family, with adding a British and at least a little bit darker edge to the humour of American animated movies.

The animation is – as expected – superb, and they kept true to the Aardman style because they didn't put in too many digital effects - I realized just a few when it came to Wallace's inventions.

Finally, the score works fine in the movie, although one of the main themes definitely is "borrowed" by Randy Edelman's "Dragonheart" score.

The bad thing is: It will probably take another six years from now until we can see a new animated gem from Nick Park & Co.

Zany, delightful, appealing horror spoof chronicling the feature length adventures of Wallace (voice of Peter Sallis), our beloved cheese obsessed gadget creator, and his faithful dog Gromit. Here, Wallace & Gromit operate a company called Anti-Pesto, which disposes of pests such as rabbits in humane ways. Seeking to curb the destructive nature of rabbits, Wallace tries out his new mind control invention. You guessed it: he creates a monster, but not in the way that you might think.

The uniquely British humour of this upbeat, energetic animated feature is in full bloom. These characters are completely endearing and played to the hilt by a peerless cast. Sallis is wonderful as the voices of both Wallace and Hutch. Helena Bonham Carter voices a potential love interest for Wallace, the regal Lady Tottington who wants to rid her land of critters without harming them. Ralph Fiennes is hilarious as Victor Quartermaine, the obnoxious jerk who thinks *he's* going to marry Lady Tottington. And of course there's the lovable Gromit, who's at his most priceless reacting to other characters, particularly Wallace, as he rolls his eyes, does a facepalm, and shakes his head.

Top notch clay animation and deliciously goofy character designs combine in this superior bit of entertainment that can appeal to both older and younger viewers.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I fancy a bit of cheese...

Eight out of 10.