Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes; Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box
One of the most important events of the year is drawing near, - the Annual Vegetable Competition. Lady Tottington is honored to have her estate used for the grounds upon which the competition will be held. But she has a huge problem. Her property is infested with hundreds and hundreds of rabbits. Her only hope is Anti-Pesto, a humane extermination company run by Wallace and his faithful dog, Gromit. Their ingenious invention, the Bun-Vac (a giant bunny-sucking vacuum), removes all of the cute and cuddly pests. Soon after, Wallace thinks up a way to prevent any more bunny-ravaged produce. He’ll simply brainwash the rabbits using a mind-altering invention he has never tested before. This, of course, goes horribly wrong, and soon the whole town has a much larger problem on their hands, - the Were-Rabbit, a monstrous being that hungrily roams their gardens in the middle of the night. Wallace and Gromit must work together to defeat the beast, even though the whole town is losing faith in them and Lady Tottington’s jealous suitor, Victor Quartermaine, has it out for the duo.
This is classic Wallace and Gromit. Anyone who has ever fallen in love with the charm of Nick Park’s animated short films featuring these two will surely not be disappointed. This, their first feature length film, stays true to the original spirit of the legacy that Wallace and Gromit has built. The humor is fresh and funny, and it never tries to talk down to kids. The ‘claymation’ was interesting and refreshing to see in an era where computer animated films are monopolizing the kids’ market. Some of the things that would happen onscreen made me marvel at all of the hard work and long hours it must have taken to do certain shots and scenes. It was also fun to get to see a whole village of Wallace-like humans with bulging eyes and zany hairdos. The voices of the characters were very well cast. Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Ralph Fiennes rounded out the talent, adding a lot of personality and wit to the film.
There was a little bit of innuendo put into the script, stuff that would certainly fly over kid’s heads, but noteworthy because it is something new to the Wallace and Gromit franchise, but certainly not new to modern-day kid’s films (Shrek, etc.). Though the spirit of the film was pretty light fare, the message of the film was not. The true identity of the Were-Rabbit comes as a little bit of a shock when it is revealed, and we the audience come to see the moral of the story: People cannot change their true natures unless they make a full and willing effort. This is not a lesson one would necessarily teach to young children. Our two examples are Wallace and Victor. Wallace is encouraged (by Gromit) to go on a diet when the canine friend becomes concerned about his health. Although Wallace would rather eat cheese all day, he eventually takes his friends’ advice in order to live a healthier and better life. He makes the change for himself and for others. Victor Quartermaine loves to kill innocent animals for little or no reason, and try as Lady Tottington might, he cannot be broken of this disturbing habit because he doesn’t truly want to change; (“I am what I am.”) It’s a deep and important issue to be confronted with, and I love to see it play out in something targeted towards kids.
There’s no light and fluffy “everyone’s a princess!” message. We need more movies like this.
I found this to be one of the most entertaining films of the year. I wouldn’t want anyone to be thrown off by the fact that it was marketed as kids’ film. There is plenty for children of all ages to enjoy here. The film is a nice throwback to simpler places, times, and people. There’s no animals-escaping-from-the-zoo plot or bunches of characters randomly singing and dancing to bad 70’s pop. Here, there is heart, there is realness, and clever irony (like a local reverend caught reading an issue of ‘Nun Wrestling’). I am proud to have this film in my collection. This is high quality stuff, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an eighty-five minute alternative to car crashes or bloody sword fights or plots to take over the world.
Story = A-
Originality = A-
DVD Extras = A
Acting = A
Enjoyability = A
Visuals = A
Overall Grade = A
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