A cracking throwback to “The Wrong Trousers.”
Wallace & Gromit were among my childhood favorites. The cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his silent dog Gromit are created with eccentricity and Laurel & Hardy inspiration by Nick Park, who has won 4 Oscars for his work (one of them being for “Creature Comforts”). Their latest adventure is called “Vengeance Most Fowl,” and seeing them back on the big screen in such a long time is really exciting for me. Granted, it’s going to be streaming on Netflix, which think it’s probably for the best, considering its 80 minute running time and the price of admission these days. But it’s still a perfect amount of time to see how Wallace’s inventions affect his relationships with Gromit and how an old enemy wants revenge on them.
I’ve been a little concerned with how some cartoon characters have been indulged through the years. “Rocky and Bullwinkle” has resorted to lame cell phone jokes on their Amazon series. SpongeBob has forgotten that DoodleBob existed and acts like he has never heard of maps before. I think the billions of dollars the “Despicable Me” franchise has earned has made the Minions forget why they were so funny to begin with. And I just found out Bart Simpson didn’t know what a newspaper was. And the fact that Wallace has made so many inventions, makes it clear he’s forgotten how to use a teapot or the fact that Gromit can’t talk. And that’s what sets up “Vengeance Most Fowl.”
Each adventure transitions them from one business opportunity to another. They had a room to rent, they washed windows, they caught rabbits, and they made bread. And now, Wallace has invented the Smart Gnome, which is dedicated to taking care of gardens. But they could also be the start of trouble. Let’s leave that to an old enemy of theirs. Here in the form of Feathers McGraw, the evil penguin, who wears a rubber glove on his head, and pulled off a diamond heist, only to be foiled by Wallace and Gromit. So, I guess you could say this is a sequel to “The Wrong Trousers.”
This Smart Gnome, which is named Norbot (get it? Norbert and Robot) and voiced by Reece Shearsmith, scores some big laughs the way he charges up and how he’s programmed to clean the garden. I’m going to have to assume that a new “Wallace & Gromit” adventure with garden gnomes was inspired by a “Simpsons” parody called “Willis & Crumble,” which had these two repairing garden gnomes, only for an evil parrot to cause trouble for the dog. Even Nick Park guest starred as himself in that episode called “Angry Dad: The Movie.” Maybe that’s not the case with “Vengeance Most Fowl.”
Maybe it likes to be a sequel to “The Wrong Trousers,” maybe it likes to add some throwbacks to “A Grand Day Out” and “A Close Shave.” And maybe Wallace needs a reality check. Either way, I really enjoyed this movie for its ability to bring him and Gromit back in their own territories, as well as Feathers McGraw. Park (in his first directing job since “Early Man” bombed even in the U.K.) and co-director Merlin Crossingham continue to push the boundaries of their clay animated world, even with some CGI effects and some real water. At least that’s what I got out of a special screening of the film.
If Beavis & Butthead can survive the 2020s, then why can’t Wallace & Gromit? Maybe that’s just my optimism talking, but I still love how these iconic British characters still look like clay and not CGI.
Playing at Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center This Wednesday
Streaming on Netflix January 3rd.