As most are probably aware – I mean, how can you not? – Wallace and Gromit are something of a British cultural icon, with their debut short A Grand Day Out immediately grabbing audiences' attention in 1989 following a long seven year production schedule, before making a further two shorts and winning two Best Animated Short Academy Awards. And after the financial and critical success of 2000's Chicken Run, it was no surprise that creator Nick Park would want to bring his classic creations onto the silver screen to reap in international glory. And one Best Animated Feature Oscar, middling global box office receiving and an unfortunate fire later, he got just that. Now, ten years on and with the future of the franchise somewhat waning due to the unfortunate health decay of voice actor Peter Sallis but striving via surprise spin-off Shaun the Sheep, it's a good time to recall back to the glory days of the franchise. Plus, it's good to look back for its tenth anniversary.
With the annual Giant Vegetable Competition fast-approaching, Wallace (Sallis) and Gromit have opened up a humane anti-pest control service for all their friends and neighbours under the rather apt title 'Anti-Pesto'; offering their services and various inventions to keep their prize entries safe from being eaten. And after getting a prestigious hiring from the competition runner Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter), a minor comment leads to the idea of rehabilitating rabbits' mind to dislike vegetables – and of course, it all goes pear-shaped, with the problem expanding to a monstrous giant rabbit plaguing allotments across the town with seemingly no way of stopping it. With that in mind, the dynamic duo must work their hardest to capture the beast before the vegetable show – and before Wallace's love rival and all-around snotty hunter Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes) goes off and shoots the thing first.
Yep, with a film as creative as this and so archetypally British in all its ways, it's hard to criticise it as being badly-developed. It paces the story well, with a quick introduction to the characters for newer audiences and within the first ten minutes presenting the first steps into the story, while the rest leaves ample room for the main plot – complete with extravagant chase sequences and monster transformations. And it's all the more appealing when you consider that all this is in stop-motion. Certainly, we've grown accustomed to it since thanks to the work by Laika on Coraline and Paranorman, but at the time this was ambitious because of the advancements in using fur, and tackling that alongside the extraordinary scenes present leads to a five year production process that was worthwhile – and with a killer story to boot which, while not entirely unpredictable, is hugely entertaining.
As child-friendly horror movies go, this is one of the most notable ones out there as being one of the first major horror-based animated films to hit the silver screen; and especially in the stop-motion sector, where the only notable one prior was The Nightmare Before Christmas (and even then that's a little more festive than what we have here). So as a near-perfect hybrid of the horror genre and the atypical family comedy, you have a blend which works. While not high on scares, it is at least high in comedic pay-off, what with the multiple in-jokes to horror and rabbit-related material alongside the blend of basic child/adult humour. Sure, some jokes do fall flat a little and international audiences will likely not understand a lot of the quintessentially British remarks, but that nonetheless leads to an entertaining picture which has the right amount of scares for a film about a giant rabbit.
As mentioned prior, the lengthy animation cycle does lead to some great work by the professional studio from Bristol. Perhaps because you can see the love and admiration being put into each frame with every fingerprint you see on the character and how well it brings to life a story about a vegetable competition under threat because of a giant rabbit who comes out during a full moon (yep, such a bizarre story that somehow works). Add the various new character designs and the superb set work, and you have a well-crafted production.
For their first foray into feature films, it's surprising how little I've discussed the titular protagonists themselves, but I suppose there isn't much need to. Wallace (Sallis) is still the loveable blind inventor we all know and love, and his mute canine companion is anything but dull despite the lack of any sound whatsoever. Wallace's latest squeeze Bonham Carter is a little one-dimensional as the desirable for Wallace and Quartermaine's hearts (well, wallet in the latter case) but the actress has a lot of fun in the role as an over-abundantly posh-sounding gardener; Fiennes as Victor is in the same boat what with his approach, but at least as a villain he has his fun moments – with even mandatory rival pet Philip having a good moment or two. The rest of the townsfolk are just there for show, bar a somewhat meaty role for Vicar Nicholas Smith and a nifty supporting job for PC Peter Kay. And minor characters voiced by the likes of Liz Smith and Edward Kelsey also have fun moments to them, even if ultimately they don't play that big a part in the whole array.
While the film certainly has its flaws thanks to some repetition of unfunny gags and a mildly disinteresting set up, not to mention a somewhat disappointing conclusion, you do have Aardman Animation's (and to a lesser extent Dreamworks Animation SKG's) strongest film to date. Consistent in its comedy and with a strong story premise, it's a children's film that appeals to older audiences and boasts a great viewing for a short time span. Oh, and the score by Julian Nott is mighty fine too. 9/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment