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Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of
the Were-Rabbit (2005)
DreamWorks Distribution LLC, 1 hr. 24 mins.
Starring (the voices of):
Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Peter Kay, Liz Smith,
Nicholas Smith, John Thomson
Directed by:
Nick Park, Steve Box |
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It is no big secret whatsoever that
the British claymation shorts featuring the terrific tandem of Wallace and
Gromit are convincingly entertaining. Creator Nick Park (best known in
America for 2000’s Chicken Run) deservedly received two Academy Awards for
his engaging account pertaining to the playful exploits of a brilliant but
loopy inventor and his sensible mute pooch.
Now, the celebrated dippy dog owner and his trusty tail-wagging buddy get
the royal treatment by starring in their first feature length film
entitled Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Park (who also
wrote the screenplay) and co-director/writer Steve Box deliver what is a
grandly infectious animated showcase that radiates with genuine wit and
warmth. Clearly, Curse is one of the best family-oriented fares to come
down the pike in quite some time. Imaginative, riotous and inherently
clever, audiences will fall for this pesky pair more so now that their
heralded high jinks are extended on the big screen.
Surprisingly, there’s a healthy segment of the movie population that
weren’t fortunate enough to be familiarized with Wallace and Gromit in
their fabulously well-received shorts A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers
and A Close Shave. These brief-running entities introduced fans to a
couple of lovable characters that effortlessly found universal appeal
among kids and adults alike. The cheese-loving Wallace (voiced by Peter
Sallis) is the scatterbrained mind that has a gift for tinkering with an
assortment of gadgets. However, it’s the silent Gromit who’s the capable
canine with the common sense that bails out his nutty master/partner once
one of his inventions goes awry.
The premise has Wallace and Gromit operating a humane pest control agency
called Anti-Pesto. With the Giant Vegetable Festival right around the
corner, our dandy duo are preparing diligently for the event. Their focus
at hand: to keep away the menacing rabbits from ruining the veggie crops.
Asking for Wallace’s assistance regarding the upcoming competition is Lady
Campanula Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter). However, Lady Tottington’s
stiff upper-lipped suitor Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes) is not too
thrilled with his elegant companion doing business with the clueless
Wallace. However, when a frightfully giant rabbit gets hold of a majority
of the prized vegetables, a reactionary Victor wants to eliminate the
raging creature with harsh force. But Wallace and Gromit have other ideas
to thwart the harried hare without the brutality that Victor has in store
for the vegetation-seeking varmint.
Thankfully, Wallace & Gromit enthusiasts won’t be disappointed by the
giddy results of their high-flying antics. Curse is outlandishly fun and
moviegoers will embrace the satirical material that includes a variety of
sharp-minded puns, jokes, sight gags and innocuous ridiculing. The vocal
cast absolutely shines as they flesh out these colorful characterizations
with inspired vigor. Sallis instills Wallace with that refreshing naïvete
and curiosity that makes him click as a sympathetic hero in an
unconventional sense. And Gromit is the expressive floppy-eared mastermind
that truly meets the criteria of being man’s best friend. Both Bonham
Carter and Fiennes lend their superb input as a couple of high-class
sacrificial lambs thrown in to stir up the wacky notion of different
social classes interacting to serve a common cause.
Mostly, audiences will thoroughly appreciate the good-natured poke at
horror flicks. Also, the action-packed goofiness that abounds will
resonate automatically with Wallace and Gromit fanatics. Ruthlessly
silly-minded but well-crafted, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the
Were-Rabbit is a seasonal treat to digest for the Halloween
high-spiritedness. In fact, this animated gem is an immensely festive film
that should be considered a treasured find for the whole entire calendar
year. |
