Publications
Partners
Wallace and his mute canine partner Gromit run a successful pest-control operation called Anti-Pesto (obviously). In the lead up to the town's annual giant vegetable competition, a seemingly unstoppable giant rabbit-like monster terrorises the veggie patches. Can Wallace and Gromit (and their rabbit Hutch) save the competition and the town? Well, it gets complicated.
Review
Once in a while a film comes along that sets a benchmark for celluloid entertainment, and often far outdoes its bigger-budget, live-action contemporaries. Wallace and Gromit have been responsible for four of those films now; in short, these films reminds us what storytelling should be: imaginative, clever, and above all entertaining.
By 1995 Nick Park and co had etched themselves into cult iconhood with three Wallace and Gromit shorts. What made these films so incredibly rewarding was their cute, fuzzy charm, coupled with a sophisticated wit and astonishingly deep characterisation. Simply put, they had perfected their formula to the point that it was impossible to not love them.
Curse of the Were-Rabbit easily retains all the charm, and extends the formula to fill three times the length of the short films without sacrificing the quick-paced feel of the slapstick action. Despite Dreamworks nearly cocking up the stew (they "suggested" a better known "Hollywood" actor play Wallace), writers/directors Nick Park and Steve Box have delivered the goods yet again.
Angry townspeople, a gun-happy suitor and some weird science gone wrong is a recipe often used in classic horror, but it's seldom been used to such comedic effect as in Curse of the Werewolf - er... rabbit. There are film references aplenty, both obvious and obscure, and they work well when juxtaposed with the small English town setting of the story.
But the cleverness doesn't stop there. Look around the edges of the frame and keen observers will see all kinds of in-jokes hidden in things like newspaper headlines, book titles, vehicle licence plates and box labels. (For example, if you're quick you'll notice that the town barbershop is called "A Close Shave", the title of an earlier adventure.)
In the end, though, when it comes to films of this nature, over-analysing plot and point is an unnecessary exercise. This form of storytelling is outlandish and over the top, and it is truly a labour of love (the production unit averaged three seconds of footage per day). Take everyone you know to see it. It will be money well spent. Then go out and find all the other movies to buy as well. Just do it - you won't regret it.
- Anton Marshall
