On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 1/85 |
Kim Hollis |
The funniest movie of the year. Chock-full of clever allusions and flat-out adorable. |
| 2/166 |
David Mumpower |
Pure joy in every way imaginable. |
| 10/60 |
Les Winan |
Engaging and hilarious. Perfect for everyone. Terrific writing, visual gags and energy. |
"It's the wrong trousers, Gromit, and they've just gone wrong!"
For the uninitiated (and if you're among that group, shame on you!), Wallace and Gromit are two stop-motion clay animation characters created by Aardman Animation, who previously found huge success in North America with their delightful film Chicken Run. Wallace and Gromit preceded the chickens by several years, though, appearing in three different animated shorts. All three of those films were nominated for Academy Awards, with two of them, "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave" taking home Oscars.
Since that time, Wallace (a somewhat funny looking man) and Gromit (his loyal and super-smart dog) have continued to grow in popularity, particularly in their home country of Great Britain but also in North America. Multiple DVD editions containing the three shorts have been released, and Wallace and Gromit merchandise is available if you know where to look.
So after the amazing and somewhat unexpected success of Chicken Run, it was only natural that the animation studio would turn to these trendy characters to headline its next film. Wallace and Gromit have so far traveled to the moon, battled a robotic dog, and been framed for a crime by an evil penguin named Feathers McGraw. This time around, we're looking at what director/screenwriter Nick Park calls a "vegetarian horror movie." Wallace and Gromit are enlisted to investigate a strange case involving the village gardens. Some sort of monster is attacking the vegetable plots, and the worst trouble is that a giant vegetable contest is fast approaching. Will our heroes be able to solve the mystery in time?
With the built-in fanbase ready to back a full-length Wallace and Gromit feature, DreamWorks will have a fairly easy time of it with regards to marketing. All they'll need to do is advertise to the portion of the market that is unaware of the characters' existence. If they can do as good a job of that as they did with Chicken Run, The Wallace and Gromit Movie is a license to print money. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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