Wallace & Gromit’s most unforgettable nemesis returns in the aptly-titled Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. For the uninitiated, Aardman Animation’s gold standard continues in this delightfully nostalgic, immaculately constructed stop-motion delight. Since the 90s, the human-and-dog duo have brought a unique brand of British humor to their hijinks. I will never forget watching their short films for the first time on Cartoon Network. By the time 2005’s Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit rolled around, it became a perfect destination for my 15th birthday. To say I already had a built-in connection to the brand at large would be putting it mildly. As the years rolled by, I began to doubt we would ever experience a proper series return, particularly as Aardman forged ahead with original filmmaking. Thankfully, in the nearly two decades that transpired between big-screen outings, Wallace and Gromit have maintained the same unforgettable qualities that audiences loved since the very beginning. Targeting the invasion of technology to create modern shortcuts, Vengeance Most Fowl delivers an exciting, socially conscious new chapter in the beloved franchise.
All the way back in 1993, director Nick Park brought us The Wrong Trousers, a short wherein Wallace and Gromit must outsmart wanted criminal penguin (who could easily be mistaken for a chicken when sporting a glove on his head) Feathers McGraw. The opening of Vengeance Most Fowl recalls this event as happening “many years ago,” giving those watching a bit of context. Thwarting Feathers and his scheme to steal the legendary blue diamond was just the beginning. Now, with Feathers behind bars and the high-tech trousers long gone, Gromit whiles away the hours by tending to his garden, and ensuring that his owner, Wallace, has the convenience of living day to day surrounded by inventions. The duo are extremely behind on bills, will Wallace remarking that “inventing doesn’t come cheap.”
As with their other outings, despite being silent, Gromit’s bold personality shines through during his physical comedy and emotive expressions. Wallace introduces his newest invention, at first to help ease Gromit’s gardening hardships. This “smart gnome” all but destroys Gromit’s lush garden in the name of neatness. Neighbors take notice of the boxy hedges, and almost overnight, a new business has been born. Wallace goes from pest control business “Anti-Pesto” in Curse of the Were-Rabbit to “Gnome Improvements,” vowing to embrace this new technology to make life better. Gromit already sees the red flags well before any evil switches have been flipped. In a not-so-surprising plot development, the “high security institution” of the local zoo cannot house Feathers forever. He finds a way to hack into Wallace’s technology to create an army of the gnomes at his every beck and call. What will the poor citizens do about their gardens now?
Building towards an epic finale teeing up Gromit versus Feathers, duel directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham both have spent plenty of time in this zany world. Visually, the group has never looked smoother. They practically have the wonderment and excitement in their back pockets, taking the time to let the story breathe as we get reacquainted with Wallace and Gromit. Bringing back Feathers was a massive undertaking—this is the first time the villain has been seen since his underrated tenure in multi-platform video game, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo. Screenwriter Mark Burton (Madagascar, Shaun the Sheep Movie) naturally weaves Feathers into the story without forcing him to be present among the tech. Though the series has never been about learning life lessons, there are more than a couple notable ones to be found within. Can we coexist with technology despite it having some obviously troubling connotations?
As with Aarman’s recent Chicken Run 2, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will work best for those already immersed in this world for some time, likely now with children of their own to enjoy the story alongside. Creative new inventions, charming and richly-defined characters, and a particularly clever storyline should keep this late-in-the-game animated flick in the Awards conversation for quite some time. A satisfying blend of nostalgia and colorful visuals, Vengeance Most Fowl feels like a charcuterie board of the series’ tastiest elements. Let us hope that our next cup of tea with Wallace and Gromit takes less than twenty years to brew!
An ancient nemesis returns to the fray in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, debuting exclusively to Netflix on Friday, January 3rd.
