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Review

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Director

Steve Box

Nick Park

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Thursday, February 09, 2006

When I first heard the title of the first Wallace & Gromit feature film, I couldn’t help but wonder how they would possibly be associated to a “were-rabbit.” It sounded hilarious enough, whatever the explanation was, and as it’s been proved before, just anything is a good excuse to show the antics of Nick Park’s lovable characters. I was in for the ride, excited to see Wallace eat crackers and cheese and get into trouble, and Gromit save the day one more time.

The story has inventor Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his loyal dog Gromit finding their business booming: as Anti-Pesto they capture rabbits all around town right before a renowned vegetable competition. Wallace seems more in control than ever of his inventions, and Gromit doesn’t have to worry too much; that is, until a rumored were-rabbit starts unleashing mayhem all around by doing what any rabbit does—only in a much grander scale.

Townspeople panic, but Lady Tottington, a.k.a. Totti (Helena Bonham Carter), trusts Anti-Pesto to capture the monster without harming it. Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes) has a different approach: he wants to kill the beast, and prove that Anti-Pesto is helpless. When the origins of the were-rabbit are discovered, things get much more interesting.

I must say that the final result isn’t as rewarding as I had expected. I just walked out feeling that the feature film format isn’t for these characters, or rather, it wasn’t handled quite the best possible way. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fine film, but some of the Wallace & Gromit essence is a series of simple puns that, when expanded, don’t work as well. Not sure what it is exactly, but for instance, I didn’t feel Wallace’s mixture of genius and clumsiness could sustain such a large storyline. The writers went for a safe story complete with a typical villain, a damsel in distress, and heroes that overcome their shortcomings to succeed in the end. Not that I would expect anything different, but even the surprises weren’t all that surprising, it felt just… formulaic. It’s like I had seen the movie before, and only the outstanding animation was refreshing.

Because, oh yes, this is a work of art. Every Wallace & Gromit installment keeps getting better and better in this department. Stop-motion animation is almost unheard of nowadays, and Nick Park just keeps going for it. That’s a lovely effort every time, and we the audience just can’t get enough.

Packed with funny gags —both visual and verbal—, interesting gizmos, hilarious rabbits (including an unforgettable one that resembles Wallace), appropriate music and a sense of good, clean fun, Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit is an OK feature film debut for this funny pair.

“Oh, lovely food! For rabbits that is!”

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