Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Title: Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Animation, Comedy (Family)
Starring: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter
Directors: Steve Box, Nick Park

How many times have I seen the words ‘Family’ on a film and wondered if they actually meant it? I mean, I could watch chick flicks but I simply wouldn't want to as it isn't designed with my wants in mind, and despite my dislike, they still keep coming out and people still keep buying into them. The bad situational comedies have been flourishing for years – is it “Youth in Revolt” which has just been released, which is just nerd becomes generic bad boy to win heart of generic bad boy loving teenage slut, but I’m getting off topic – show no sign of stopping and Hollywood still churns out action films like a well oiled machine, but how many people would want to actually watch all three? Who could just as easily see themselves watching a teen comedy as they could - whatever the modern equivalent of ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ is?

Following the lovable duo throughout their escapades, it is the cheese-loving, overweight and balding crackpot scientist known as Wallace (Sallis) with the mute dog Gromit at his side that star; running their own private hire pest control company called ‘Anti-Pesto,’ selling high security systems and a 24 hour service to protect the villages prize winning home-grown giant vegetables from the menace of the bunny rabbit. Things soon get out of control when an accident with Wallace’s new invention doesn’t go as intended, unleashing the insatiable appetite of the were-rabbit on the unsuspecting village, and with the vegetable festival fast approaching, its up to Gromit to save Wallace once again and earn the hand of the lovely Lady Tottington (Bonham Carter) before the dastardly Lord Victor Quartermaine (Fiennes) kills the beast.

Family films are built on the premise that they are enjoyable for the entire family; easy and simple enough for the children whilst with humour that appeals to both, and it’s not an entirely impossible task but simply a difficult one. It is here that ‘Wallace and Gromit’ has always excelled, adding sexual innuendo for the mature audience whilst remaining ‘cute’ enough for the younger viewers; first there was the vicious penguin, then the sheep and now we are treated to a number of bouncing bunnies hopping around the screen, including as you might expect one particular vicious creature. Parodical with sequences alluding to the likes of King Kong and Frankenstein, there is an incredibly attention to detail here; the books on the shelf with titles such as “The Hunt for Red Leicester” (instead of the ‘The Hunt for Red October’) and “East of Edam” (instead of the Steinbeck novel ‘East of Eden’); the glimpse of a closed barbers shop called ‘A close shave,’ Holst’s “The Plants Suite,” the line “Run Rabbit Run” from the popular film of the same name, and Lady Tottington’s “Stairway to Heaven,” and I’m sure I missed plenty first time around.

The soundtrack is kept basic with “Venus: Bringer of Peas” (couldn’t resist) and “Elgar: 1st Symphony” taking the forefront, and the newly hired characters voiced by Fiennes and Bonham Carter are performed in such a ludicrously over the top manner that it adds to every pun put forth, and they don’t come in short supply. The story remains simple and largely there to pack in as much innuendo and film references as possible. Tie in the fact that this is entirely constructed using the old and outdated technique of ‘claymation’ (a now seldom used technique of animating clay figurines) and it was one that would be difficult to get right, the film taking five years to create, it would result in a very hit-or-miss affair.

Luckily, this film strikes its mark with probably the best return to form since the original ‘Wrong Trousers’ from back in ’93; making its way head and shoulders above the horrific ‘Chicken Run’ or the majority of supposed ‘family films’ that only bring people together in unanimous hatred, its actually funny. The animation lends a sense of imperfection but it feels more personal this way, as each shot has been laboured over in such in immense amount of detail that it feels precise and carefully thought out, each viewing capable of showing little snippets missed before – the radio with the buttons ‘m u t t’ or the ‘Dogwarts’ graduation picture on the wall – that is almost unheard of in other films. I purposefully refused to watch this when it was on at the cinema as I felt I was being ripped off paying full price for an 80 minute film with the expectations of disappointment, but part of me wishes now I hadn’t left it so long.