It’s been 16 years since we last properly caught up with the adventures of Britian’s iconic claymation duo, Wallace & Gromit. Excluding a few commercials, the Grand Adventures Telltale game, and the 2010 World of Invention miniseries, audiences have been apart from these staple Aardman characters for far too long. There were valid reasons behind this, though, with the 2010 retirement and subsequent passing of original Wallace voice actor Peter Sallis in 2017. Aardman Animations also put focus on branching out its feature film catalog with The Pirates! Band of Misfits and Early Man, as well as growing some of its franchises with multiple movies for Shaun the Sheep and the long-awaited sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the second feature-length movie in the franchise following 2005’s The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which was co-produced by DreamWorks. Now, partnering with Netflix, original Wallace & Gromit creator and writer-director Nick Park has crafted a sort-of stealth sequel to The Wrong Trousers short film from 1995. Vengeance Most Fowl catches up with Wallace & Gromit years after encountering criminal penguin Feathers McGraw. Wallace (voiced by Ben Whitehead) has become more reliant and hyper-focused on building new inventions than ever, much to the dismay of Gromit.
When Wallace creates Norbot (voiced by Reece Shearsmith), a smart-gnome capable of taking over gardening chores from humans, Gromit’s role as a loyal pooch is threatened. With Feathers McGraw having spent years potting his revenge, Wallace’s robotic garden gnomes could be the final key to an escape from his zoo prison. With such a long gap since Aardman last produced a Wallace & Gromit film, 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death, expectations for Vengeance Most Fowl couldn’t be higher. Additionally, after the studio denied a 2023 report that it was running out of clay to make its character puppets, it seems like now couldn’t be a better time for Aardman to reaffirm its pivotal place in the animation industry.
So, does Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl live up to the 16-year-long wait? In short, absolutely! From the get-go, audiences are thrown back into Wallace & Gromit’s claymation world in a way that feels both exciting and like a warm embrace. It’s a proper return home, accompanied by Julian Nott‘s catchy Wallace & Gromit theme and their usual morning routine antics in pristine stop-motion animation. Vengeance Most Fowl hits all the right notes that any fan would desire, from moments of pure joy and bliss to adrenaline-filled chase sequences that will make viewers awe at the fine details that go into stop-motion storytelling.
While Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl delivers plenty of nostalgia, the narrative itself is also fascinating and provides a perfect moral lesson for today. Wallace’s over-reliance on technology is at the core of the story, and the movie presents the argument that, yes, advanced technology (like AI, for example) can produce quick results, but it will never complete those with love and care. Wallace’s inventions make his life with Gromit easier, not better, which is an important distinction.
In tackling this subject, directors Nick Park and Merlin Croossingham never veer too right into making the moral lesson of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl simply, “technology bad.” Rather, it shows the positives of Wallace’s inventions in small doses, posing that advanced technology can be beneficial. However, an over-reliance on tech will only create an inauthentic future. With the rise in artificial intelligence over the past few years, it feels right that a stop-motion animated film would deliver such a message about authenticity. In an animated movie where everything is hand-made by a group of humans with admiration and love for their craft, this theme couldn’t come across as more genuine.
Outside of the script’s core message, what surrounds it will make for a brilliant time for adults and children alike. It’s easy to say the humor as a whole is as great as ever for Wallace & Gromit, but the return of Feathers McGraw brings some true slap-stick laughter. Directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham implement hilarious stop-motion techniques and fun callbacks to make every moment that Feathers McGraw is on screen a riot. Bringing back Feathers McGraw as the villain is somewhat of a risk not to ruin the magic of what made the character special in The Wrong Trousers. Instead of replicating that, the filmmakers take the silent vengeful figure in a thrilling direction.
What could be criticized about Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is its short 70-minute runtime. After an excellent third-act sequence, audiences will barely realize how fast the last hour flew by. Brisk pacing is an essential element of stop-motion filmmaking, as no time can be wasted with the hand-crafted resources on screen. The runtime for Vengeance Most Fowl may appear short to some, but this is almost the same length as other stop-motion classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. These shorter runtimes are a byproduct of the high risks and high rewards of stop-motion animation, and it’s far more appealing that they get the story right in a shorter time as opposed to overextending their stay.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will certainly leave all viewers smiling by the end. Getting to reunite with this iconic duo is emotional in and of itself, but the journey that they take audiences on is filled with such unbridled joy and excitement that it will make you want to rewatch all of their previous adventures. With a moral lesson that’s finely tuned to today’s pop culture climate, directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham make Wallace & Gromit’s long-awaited return feel like a warm hug from old friends. After 16 years, that’s all fans could really ask for.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl hits Netflix on January 5, 2025!
Directed by Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham.
Screenplay by Mark Burton.
Story by Nick Park & Mark Burton.
Based on Wallace & Gromit by Nick Park.
Produced by Richard Beek.
Main Voice Cast: Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Reece Shearsmith, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, & Lenny Henry.
Composers: Lorne Balfe (score) & Julian Nott (themes).
Production Company: Aardman Animations.
Distributors: Netflix (worldwide) & BBC (UK).
Runtime: 70 minutes.
