Amongst icons in the general animation field and British culture, Wallace and Gromit have provided laughs for millions worldwide. Creations from Aardman Animations, the duo have starred in short films and feature-length productions since 1989. With Wallace’s crazy inventions and Gromit’s silent, but funny reactions, the hilarity constantly ensues!
It’s been a while since we’ve seen these guys in any capacity. But back in 2022, Aardman said that a new feature-length film would be made at Netflix. There was a brief period when many fans were worried they couldn’t complete the film because the studio ran out of clay! However, a new supplier was found, and the production went off without a hitch.
Broadcast on BBC One on December 25th, 2024 and released on Netflix on January 3rd, 2025, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl sees Wallace inventing new robotic gardening gnomes called Norbots. They pay the bills, but Gromit feels ignored. Meanwhile, Feathers McGraw, the iconic villain of the short film The Wrong Trousers (1993), comes to learn about Wallace’s scheme, and aims to take revenge. So, just how cracking is this latest film?
Robots, slapstick, and vengeance!
Personally, I’m a relative newcomer to the adventures of Wallace and Gromit, but I did resolve to rectify that. And, like most, I find the charm of these characters irresistible! Wallace’s obliviousness is just side-splittingly delivered here by new voice actor, Ben Whitehead. Equally so are Gromit’s reactions. We never see a mouth move with Gromit like we do with his owner. But, the animators make every expression readable, and you are totally in sync with his mindset!
With Vengeance Most Fowl, directors Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park (who created these characters) take a short runtime for a film (79 minutes), and make it feel like one of the original short films. Some films can have too brisk a pace, but with this one, you are laughing so much, it doesn’t matter.
Speaking of laughter, the film is very funny. If you have any familiarity with Wallace and Gromit’s stories, the jokes are often visual gags and slapstick. With Wallace’s occupation as an inventor, it makes perfect sense. The Norbot gnomes are a great vessel for this humor, but there are other laughs, like Wallace trying to live life without inventions, and a final chase sequence across cars and boats.
The big draw for this new film was the return of another character: Feathers McGraw. A silent penguin criminal mastermind, Feathers’ design is as brilliant as that of our heroes. Unlike them, it’s very simple, and less expressive in terms of emotion. While that might sound like an odd choice, it lends itself brilliantly not only to the comedy, but also to villainy! You never can tell what Feathers is thinking. That’s what makes him evil, but also hilarious as he pets a seal like Blofeld in a Bond movie!
Is this the best Wallace & Gromit film yet?
Wallace and Gromit have four short films, and now two feature films to their name. Having marathoned through these films, I can say that I find Vengeance Most Fowl to be one of the better entries!
Perhaps more die-hard fans might disagree with me, but it’s not as if I don’t enjoy the other films. For example, the short this film is a sequel to, The Wrong Trousers, is deservedly iconic, with a train sequence that is utterly brilliant in how tense, funny, and engaging it is! I also found a lot of fun stuff in A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) with it’s bakery antics.
However, I just have my preferences. For example, A Grand Day Out (1989) is the first short to feature Wallace and Gromit, and while it’s not bad, it’s very rudimentary compared to its’ successors. A Close Shave (1995) is nice, but the villain, a cyber-dog, felt a little bland. And their first feature-length film, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), is an interesting combo of comedy and horror (well, horror for a G-rated movie). However, I did find certain scenes regarding the Were-Rabbit to be too repetitive.
And personally, I really loved the message and theme behind Vengeance Most Fowl. It’s basically about A.I., and how modern society relies too much on gadgets and technology. Wallace’s complacency can help give us a wake-up call about our own habits. Sometimes, it’s nice to do things the old-fashioned way. And, if we let tech go unchecked, things might not go the way we expect.
And, what better way to relay this message than with the medium of stop-motion animation? It’s a method that takes many passionate people to achieve, and it creates a truly magical experience!
What is Wallace & Gromit‘s future at Netflix?
Netflix is no stranger to stop-motion animation. They’ve been a part of several productions, whether original films, or sequels to other Aardman projects like Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023). Nick Park has also repeatedly expressed interest in more Wallace and Gromit stories.
Curse of the Were-Rabbit was co-produced with DreamWorks Animation, and Park said on numerous occasions that notes from them caused stress. There were no such anecdotes about Netflix during the production of Vengeance Most Fowl. Perhaps it can be a fruitful partnership?
Overall, if the final films (long or short) can be of the quality of something like Vengeance Most Fowl, I’ll be a happy man! Not only does it contain a relevant and important message, but it’s also enjoyable aside from those merits. It’s charming, funny, and impeccably animated. Wallace and his beloved pooch have a little something for everybody in their adventures, so I don’t know if there’s a better movie to kick off 2025!
