WALLACE
& GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Rated G. 85 min. Ok for all ages. Claymation
animation. Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. Released in theaters Oct. 7, 2005;
on DVD Feb. 7, 2006. 4 out of 4 Reels.
Creative
G-rated movies are few and far between these days, but here’s a great
one for the whole family. It tells the story of cheese-loving inventor
Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, who until now have been most famous
for their appearance in three short films -- “A Grand Day Out,” “The
Wrong Trousers,” and “A Close Shave”. Their creator, Nick Park, was just
13 when he dreamed up the pair.
In this
movie, their first full-length feature, Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis)
and Gromit are cashing in with their humane pest-control business,
“Anti-Pesto” (complete with a “SWAT” team van). With only days to go
before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, they’re very busy
rounding up all the bunnies ravaging the village gardens -- and taking
care of them in their home. Suddenly, a mysterious veggie-ravaging
“beast” begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots at night. Oh
my.
Enter Lady
Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter), who commissions Anti-Pesto to catch
the beast and save the day. But her snobby suitor, Lord Victor
Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes), would rather shoot the beast, become a
hero, and secure the Lady’s hand in marriage. She allows Victor to hunt
down the veggie-chomping marauder, but little does she know that
Victor's real intent could have dire consequences for her...AND Wallace
& Gromit.
PRESCHOOLER
(ages 2-5): Even though pre-schoolers won’t understand all the
jokes, they’ll love the adorable claymation characters and colorful
scenes. They might get a little antsy, but at just 85 minutes, they’ll
enjoy the wacky hijinks and wild chase scenes in this movie.
GRADE-SCHOOLER (ages 6 - 10): My kids, 8 and 11, loved this movie,
although the 8-year-old was a little bored at the very beginning. But
once the action kicked into high gear, the plot rolled along quickly and
the quirky Rube-Goldberg-ish gadgets were thoroughly entertaining.
TWEEN /
TEEN (ages 11+): Overall, the animation is top-notch, the writing
clever, and the storyline fun. We could all use a good laugh these days,
and this movie definitely delivers, although you might need to see it
twice to catch everything. This is a wonderful departure from most
formulaic films coming out of Hollywood these days. Older kids and
adults will love the cheeky tributes to vintage movies like “King Kong”
and “East of Edam” (a book on Wallace’s bookshelf). And the stop-motion
claymation alone is worth seeing. The movie took five years to make and
consisted of setting up each figure and then shooting pictures of it (60
shots per second, I’ve heard; at the movie’s 85-minute length, figure
THAT out on your calculator!). The 250-person crew used 44 lbs. of glue
every month to stick the sets down.
SCORE:
FOUR out of FOUR REELS.
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
- Audio
commentary with directors/writers Steve Box and Nick Park.
-
Deleted Scenes with
optional commentary.
- How Wallace & Gromit Went To
Hollywood - Learn how the pair grew from the imagination of Nick Park
and became Academy Award-winning stars.
- Behind the Scenes of "The
Curse of the Were-Rabbit" - Enjoy a rare look into how these lovable
characters were brought to life.
- A Day in the Life at Aardman
- Experience a day of production at the famed Aardman Studios as seen
through the eyes of a crewperson.
- How to Build a Bunny - A
unique look at how the clay bunny models were assembled using time-lapse
photos.
- Stage Fright - View this
award-winning short film with an insightful commentary by its creator,
Steve Box.
- The Family Album - Colorful
production stills of the elaborate sets and meticulous character
development.
- Dreamworks Kids - A variety
of fun-filled, engaging interactive games and creative activities.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel – Pathetic.
Even The Force can’t save it.
Two Reels –
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels –
Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels – Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
Read my other reviews
here.
