Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit film review

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WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

Perhaps the most surprising part of the success of Wallace & Gromit's big screen debut is the quintessential Englishness of the film. Despite, or perhaps because of, major backing from a Hollywood studio in the shape of Dreamworks, Nick Park and his crew from Aardman have been left to their own devices for the last five years, and created a picture that surpasses their previous offering, 2001's Chicken Run. This is one of the best films of the year, and one that will leave their fans delighted and make instant converts of newcomers to the pair.

In their latest scheme, Wallace & Gromit are running Anti-Pesto, a successful rodent-tracking-outfit much beloved by the residents of their local town. But as the year's crucial vegetable show approaches, a huge and fearsome beast threatens some of the largest marrows and onions on show. The local Lady Tottington (or Totty as she eventually becomes) enlists Wallace & Gromit to solve the problem, but insists upon a humane solution. Her erstwhile suitor, the dastardly Victor Quartermaine, believes his old-fashioned method of simply shooting the beast is the best idea.

On the big screen, a world which we first encountered over sixteen years ago on television becomes fresher and funnier than ever. Wallace's inventions are a joy to behold, while Gromit emerges into a candidate for most loveable canine of the year. The painstaking manner in which the film has been put together, frame by frame, becomes a triumph as several set-pieces are liable to leave most viewers bent double laughing.

And then there are the jokes, which come thick and fast: there are some terrible puns, a marvelous spoof of horror films, and visual and verbal gags that both kids and their parents will find themselves laughing at for different reasons.

Peter Sallis once again proves that he is the only man for the job as the voice of Wallace, while he is given sterling support by a cast that includes Ralph Fiennes as the irascible Victor and Helena Bonham Carter as his unlikely love interest.

Above all Park has succeeded in making a film that his country can be proud of, and a line can be traced from some of the better Ealing comedies to his new work. Not only will it launch a franchise, but it's likely to become a holiday favourite, and is a film that leaves kids clapping and their parents singing the theme tune. Not to be missed.

Paul Hurley