Thursday, June 08, 2006
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
After searching for cheese on the moon, being troubled by a penguin thief and blamed for rustling sheep, Wallace makes his debut on the big screen. This time, the British duo run Anti-Pesto, guardians of vegetable patches from the terrible creatures of the night who would disturb gardens. Coming off the heels of their successful Chicken Run, Aardman Studios returned to what originally made director Nick Park a star in the UK: Wallace is an inventor who loves cheese and whose mind is on the moon, while his silent partner is a dog named Gromit, gifted with common sense. Done entirely in claymation, the series has been awarded several nods for fluidity of motion and excellent comedy. Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit continues Aardman Studios’ track record of excellence, in the Oscar-winner for Best Animated Film of 2005. It is well deserving.The antics are familiar territory for Wallace & Gromit, with Wallace’s wondrous yet inane inventions that cause all sorts of trouble, while Gromit is stuck with solving all the pieces of the puzzle. When a mysterious giant creature begins rampaging the gardens Anti-Pesto is sworn to protect, Wallace finds himself along for the ride, with Gromit playing detective. The silent interplay between Gromit and other creatures in the film are the highlights, while Wallace provides most of the action sequences, including one spectacularly choreographed chase scene. The animation work is without a rival in this field, and it’s a shame to have learned that the props studio burned down shortly after completion of the film. Stars Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Big Fish) and Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener) lend their voices as Wallace’s very-English (see: beautiful teeth) love interest and the shotgun-totting man competing for her hand. All in all, the voice acting has a British charm vital for the comedy of the film, though it is perhaps Gromit’s lack of voice that offers the most laughs.
Pixar Animations is noted for creating family films that offer laughs for viewers both young and old; despite years of attempting to renew their success with Shrek, DreamWorks Animation has yet to produce a film on the same level as their competition, but having procured the rights for this film accomplishes such a goal – even though all the credit must be given to Aardman Studios. Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit succeeds in being a worthy fourth edition in the series, though those who have not seen the three short films will have no trouble jumping on the bandwagon with this film. Unfortunately a poor marketing campaign and the lack of computer-generated animation likely means many gave this film a pass; this is unfortunate being that it is the
most fun family film of 2005, filled with quirky humour, action and cute rabbits. One of Wallace’s famous lines best sums up my feelings to the film’s creators: “Oh ho ho, cracking job!” # posted by Andres Canella : 11:45 PM
