Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) Film Review: Superb stop motion animation for all ages

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A unique blend of parody and pastiche of classic monster movies, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit sees good-natured, eccentric inventor Wallace and his intelligent, but mute dog, Gromit, star in their first feature-length film in their latest career venture as pest control agents.

Their quaint little English village is plagued by a rabbit problem, which threatens the annual Great Vegetable competition; however, this is only the beginning of their problems when an ambitious invention goes haywire, unleashing a humongous rabbit creature on the village's treasured crops.

Produced by Aardman Animations and Dreamworks Animation, this delightful fourth outing for the iconic man and his dog duo marks the second feature-length film for the companies following the huge critical and commercial success of Chicken Run (2000).

Directed by Wallace and Gromit creators Nick Park and Steve Box, the movie features a stellar cast of British talent, with Peter Sallis returning to bring his warm, distinctly accented voice to Wallace, Voldemort himself Ralph Fiennes lending his vocals to the film's cartoonishly evil villain, Victor Quartermaine and Helena Bonham Carter as new love interest for Wallace, Lady Campanula Tottingham (Totty to her friends!). Even comedy legend Peter Kay is involved in a minor role as the local village policeman, PC Mackintosh.

Founders of 'Anti-Pesto', a humane pet control business, inventor Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, are called in by the local aristocrat, Lady Tottingham, to help her deal with a large rabbit infestation

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was a massive success upon its release, sweeping many esteemed accolades during 2006's award season, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. A remarkable feat, considering the fact that this is a stop-motion animated feature predominantly aimed at families and ultimately exposing younger audiences to the largely blacklisted horror genre!

It is certainly no exaggeration to state that this incredible film still holds up twenty years later and is an astonishing achievement in visual storytelling. A thoroughly entertaining romp for anyone of any age, the movie stands proudly as not only one of the best British comedies in the past century, but also one of the greatest animated films ever made, with its inspiring production demonstrating the fierce passion and dedication of those working in this creative art form and presenting a slick, fun adventure starring beloved characters.

From the opening credit sequence and the first few moments, the crew emphasise the larger, cinematic scale to the Wallace and Gromit universe, inviting both the familiar and new audiences into the cosy home of the titular duo. The camera smoothly tracks over framed photographs of the pair, effectively introducing our leads in a single shot and already beginning to insert visual gags to ease viewers into this dynamic world.

With many shorts and a feature debut now under their belt, it is therefore no surprise that Aardman's stop motion animation is absolutely outstanding here. This is a gorgeous-looking movie from beginning to end, showcasing amazing attention to detail, with practically every single frame including something interesting or funny to pick out for both adults and children.

Eccentric inventor Wallace bites off a lot more than he can chew this time when his latest experiment takes a disastrous turn, unleashing a monstrous 'Were-Rabbit' to wreak havoc on their villagers' crops

The entire movie is bristling with creative flair and infectious imagination, with the painstaking animation process allowing the crew plenty of leeway and time to perfectly craft and execute well-staged and entertaining sequences. The film is the quintessential family-friendly horror to help ease younger viewers into the scary side of stories without ever overstepping or crossing the line for what children should be exposed to.

The movie can be intense, suspenseful and suitably atmospheric when it needs to be; however, it never takes itself too seriously and thrives on its loving, yet farcical take on old school monster movies of the 1930s and 40s.

The inciting incident, where the well-meaning, yet accident-prone Wallace attempts to brainwash the bunnies into turning away from vegetables, is a solid example of where the filmmakers masterfully blur the line between a genuinely spooky set piece with unsettling imagery and a fun, tongue-in-cheek comedic throughline, which is always present throughout the picture.

There are excellent, inspired homages to the classic Universal and Hammer Horror pictures, like a dark, foggy graveyard at night, clouds shifting to reveal eerie moonlight, POV shots from the monster's perspective, and an intriguing mystery aspect regarding the true identity behind the titular Were-Rabbit.

The creature itself is handled very well so as not to frighten younger audience members too much, with the full body of the monster largely being kept offscreen to fuel an effective misdirect early on and build to an emotional, exhilarating climax. The pivotal transformation sequence showcases the movie's splendid balance of tasteful comedy and creepy, recognisable horror imagery.

Curse of the Were Rabbit softly introduces kids to the concept of horror by utilising an over-the-top, goofy visual/audio style to appease audiences of all ages

The film excels in its absurdist comedy and hilarious slapstick, providing plenty of laughs for the young and old with its visual gags and infectious goofiness of the narrative premise and broad cast of eccentric, charming characters. The movie is consistently funny throughout its short one hour and twenty-five minute run time, admirably remaining true to its roots despite Dreamworks' overbearing influence, delivering on great British humour which proudly wears its identity on its sleeve, especially regarding the distinct accents of the cast.

Ralph Fiennes is clearly having a blast in every one of his scene-stealing moments as the pompous, yet threatening villain of the film. Admittedly, his character is a tad generic and underdeveloped for general cinema standards; however, he benefits greatly from a charismatic voice actor and solid comedy beats featuring playful running gags, such as his lack of real hair. Helena Bonham Carter is also a lovely addition as Lady Tottington, and Peter Sallis is on top form as always as the loveable Wallace.

Despite the horror and comedy components constantly battling it out, arguably the strongest aspect of the film is its heart and, more specifically, the touching relationship between one of the best cinematic duos - Wallace and Gromit themselves. It is the emotional anchor of the story, with each balancing the other out with their compatible personalities.

Gromit, despite not speaking a word of dialogue, conveys everything we need to know through his body language and very human expressions and constantly remains loyal to Wallace, despite the man's often ridiculous ventures. Gromit is truly one of the best animated characters ever created because of his muteness and the creator's clever, inventive ways to communicate Gromit's personality to audiences.

He is a real hero, always using his intelligence and intuition to solve the mystery and save the day, and it is clear that Wallace simply could not function without his beloved pooch. The film highlights the genuine warmth and companionship between them and provides plenty of heart-warming moments to complement the silly humour and numerous horror references.

Wallace and Gromit's feature-length debut capitalised on everything which made the shorts so successful and amplified these to a larger scale, winning the hearts of both UK and American audiences in the process

The movie wraps up like a perfect cocktail of all of these genre conventions, expertly put together by spectacular animation, with the fantastic dog fight sequence easily coming to mind as an outstanding inclusion. The narrative does have a convenient ending with slightly questionable writing choices regarding the fate of the Were-Rabbit; however, any noticeable minor plot holes or contrivances are overshadowed by the investable character drama and light-hearted nature of the film's universal appeal.

All in all, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is Aardman Animations at the peak of its creative endeavours in the feature length cinematic art form. Basically every element of this film is perfect, from its breathtaking stop motion animation and quirky cast of well-realised characters, to John Powell's both exciting and heartfelt score, to the wonderful plethora of comedy gold and family-friendly entertainment.

A film exhibiting the very best of British animation and comedy featuring one of the nation's most iconic duos - what is there not to love?

Definitely give this one a watch this Halloween season!

Check out the trailer for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!