Almost 20 years since its first feature-length film, the Wallace and Gromit franchise returns with a much-anticipated sequel. “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” follows the story of “The Wrong Trousers,” a short film in the original franchise. In “The Wrong Trousers,” Wallace and Gromit face an unexpected adventure when they receive a new tenant, Feathers McGraw, a penguin with ulterior motives to steal a prized diamond from their town museum. The new installment revisits these characters, with McGraw returning as the antagonist with a new goal of escaping prison on top of getting the diamond.
Surprisingly, “Vengeance Most Fowl” shapes its narrative with relevant plot points. The premise of the movie is that Wallace, a self-contained inventor, creates a robot garden gnome for his dog and companion, Gromit. However, the idea quickly turns sour when the gnome starts acting out of control. First, it destroys Gromit’s natural flower garden with sharp-cut hedges and dull grass. The gnome seems to replace Gromit’s presence in Wallace’s life by being an all-in-one helper. Finally, it even becomes susceptible to hacking by McGraw, who uses the gnome to get out of jail.
Wallace’s over-dependence and trust in his new invention mirrors contemporary discussions about artificial intelligence. By gifting Gromit the robot gnome, Wallace actually stopped Gromit from doing the gardening work that he loves. In addition, the gnome became a tool of ill intent. These are all some arguments against the new technology that circulates around society. Despite being a decades-old franchise, “Wallace & Gromit” tackles this discussion in their story seamlessly and in a humorous way.
Aside from its themes, the artistry adds so much delight to the film. Aardman, the production company, uses clay animation (claymation) in making their works. The effort and time that goes into making even a minute of the movie shines in the detailed backgrounds, expressive faces and inspired editing. Because of the nature of clay animation, the filmmakers are allowed to create an atmosphere. For example, Gromit is a bipedal dog with human intelligence. He even drives a motorcycle in the movie. If “Vengeance Most Fowl” had been live-action, these characterizations would have been uncanny. However, the animation suspends reality to make Gromit a unique and iconic character, and this applies to the rest of the film as well.
In addition, claymation gives a nostalgic quality to the movie that does not exist in a lot of contemporary movies. The bright colors, the cozy house of Wallace and Gromit and the use of puns add to the whimsical world in which the movie takes place.
Though the movie exudes much of its value from the content itself, real-world challenges that the filmmakers faced are equally noted. While the Wallace & Gromit franchise gained much love from its fans, the behind-the-scenes had less of a positive experience. For instance, Nick Park, the creator and director of the franchise, had conflicts with DreamWorks, which produced the first Wallace and Gromit film. Because of the animation market shifting to prefer computer-generated images, it took years to flesh out the sequel and have it attached to a distributor.
Moreover, the company that provided the clay used to model the characters, the setting and the props went out of business; it was a close call to get enough material for the film. Despite all of these hardships, “Vengeance Most Fowl” is a work of art that is worthy of the time and effort for everyone — both the crew and the audience.
In a combination of old-fashioned charm and a modern theme, “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” delivers an animated (both literally and figuratively), hand-crafted story that can be a feel-good watch to start out the new year.