Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Aardman Animation's flagship characters Wallace & Gromit get their first feature-length film, and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is every bit as entertaining as the three previous 30-minute short films starring the goofy inventor and his faithful canine companion. Frankly, nothing will ever top the mischievous fun and pure delight of The Wrong Trousers, but creator Nick Park and co-director Steve Box successfully stretch out the proceedings to 85 minutes without missing a comic beat. This go-round guest stars the voices of Helena Bonham Carter (quite funny as Wallace's love interest—the benevolent, if somewhat ditzy, Lady Tottington) and Ralph Fiennes, chewing up the scenery nicely as the film's "sportsman" villain. As usual with Aardman, the puns are plentiful, and the many hilarious sight gags are all the more impressive because of the painstaking claymation process, not to mention the requisite Wallace & Gromit chase scene finale.
- February 27, 2006
DVD Extras
As usual, it's fascinating to watch the painstainking process that goes into making these stop-action animation classics—shooting three seconds of film a day, or whatever it is. This DVD also includes Aardman's award-winning short film Stagefright, some deleted scenes with funny commentary, and a whole slew of interactive goodies for the kiddos.