OSCARS 2025: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

Wallace and Gromit are such archetypal creations that it's hard to imagine a time when they didn't exist. The duo first appeared in a short in 1989. I was in grade school when VHS tapes of some of their later adventures started making their way over here. I distinctly recall watching “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave” in school. I'm not surprised that the wacky but gentle comedy of the series would appeal to school teachers. Thirty-five years later, Aardman's most beloved stars are still kicking around. It's been nearly twenty years since their previous, and first, feature film. Despite all the change that has happened in that time, the dynamic that made “Wallace & Gromit” popular are still viable and beloved. “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” a direct sequel to one of the duo's breakthrough shorts, has been well received by fans of the characters, animation nerds, and critics in general.

Some time ago, eccentric inventor Wallace and his unusually resourceful dog Gromit foiled the plot of wicked penguin, Feathers McGraw, as he attempted to steal a priceless diamond. For his crimes, the flightless bird thief was imprisoned in a zoo. More recently, Wallace has unveiled his latest invention: The Norbot, a robot patterned after a garden gnome and programmed to perfectly trim and manicure the lawn. Gromit seems uncertain about the machines but Wallace is enthused by them, soon deciding to launch a lawn care services with them. The news reaches Feathers McGraw in his cell and the villain hatches a plot to hack the robots, turn them against their master, have them cause chaos, bust him out of jail, and resume his scheme to retrieve the diamond. It's up to Gromit – somewhat assisted by his bumbling owner and a pair of clueless cops – to stop the plot.

For three and a half decades, Aardman has been getting laughs out of a surprisingly flexible comedic device: The deadpan animal reaction shot. From the very beginning, Gromit has never spoken nor shall he ever. Instead, the dog communicates strictly through wide-eyed glances, the posture of his ears, and his body language. Feathers McGraw takes this idea further. The villain has a face simpler than Gromit's, his eyes being nothing but utterly static black dots, his beak never changing position. Despite the seemingly limited range of expression that allows, “Vengeance Most Fowl” regularly generates chuckles by cutting to McGraw's blanking staring visage. Somehow, an unmoving bird face conveys sinister intent, stunned confusion, and ominous plotting. Frankly, it's a real display of the talent of the filmmakers, animators, and artists involved. 

I'll admit, I have not seen a “Wallace & Gromit” film in many years. I had a tape of “The Wrong Trousers” as a lad and definitely watched it often. However, I can't say I've stay too abreast of the duo's adventures lately. Which means I may be wrong when I say this but, as far as I can remember, “Vengeance Most Foul” follows the established formula for the series closely. Wallace remains largely unaware of the threat at hand, at least for a while, while Gromit is immediately aware of it. The man's wacky inventions naturally cause more trouble than they resolve, forcing his industrious dog to save the day. As the duo attempt to undo whatever the threat might be, the slapstick escalates into bigger, goofier set pieces. In “Vengeance Most Foul,” that means chase scenes over the water and on a train that climaxes in a massive explosion. My memories of “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave” are fuzzy but I do seem to recall them having a similar structure. 

In a thirty minute short, such a set-up is ideal. The laughs and wackiness gets bigger over a few minutes but the characters are simple enough to be immediately grasped in such a short package. When stretched out over a feature length runtime, it's a little harder to maintain that whip-crack pacing. This isn't to say that “Vengeance Most Fowl” isn't full of many inspired gags. The sequence the details McGraw's escape from his prison is especially amusing. However, the energy does start to falter a little by the end. That so much of the film revolves around the robotic lawn gnomes – who intentionally straddle the line between the creepy, whimsical, and antiquated – does present some diminished returns. I'll admit to not finding those guys anywhere near as appealing as the film's other characters. 

There are multiple reasons why “Wallace & Gromit” have remained popular about snobby movie nerd types when a lot of other cartoons are dismissed. Aardman's continued commitment to using stop-motion animation, a more hand-made format than your usual CGI cartooning, is certainly a factor. As if the distinctly British style of slapstick employed here, harkening back to the classical physical comedy of older cartoons over the one-liner and pop culture reference heavy style of your average Illumination flick. One can, however, make the argument that the “Wallace & Gromit” shorts – and perhaps Aardman's work in general – are a little smarter and more subversive than standard kiddy fare. Many have spotted an anti-AI subtext to “Vengeance Most Fowl.” The gnome robots Wallace create render everything around them as perfectly symmetrical, geometric shapes. This horrifies Gromit and, naturally, the robots enable the villain. You could probably read into the subplot about the bumbling cops too. The older, white, male police chief insists on doing things strictly based on instinct while the younger, browner, female officer has a more evidence based approach. I don't think Wallace and Gromit say ACAB exactly but there's definitely some skepticism towards the older, traditional way of doing things here.

If “Vengeance Most Fowl” can't sustain its snappy comedic flow for its entire runtime, that still doesn't take away from the potency of its best gags. Feathers McGraw is the kind of brilliant gag that only comes along every once in a while, after all. The film definitely feels like a bit of a throwback, in a positive way, in our modern animation landscape. Perhaps the movie didn't charm me to the degree that it did many others but it's hard not to be thankful simply for something like this existing. May Wallace and Gromit be doing what they've always done for another three decades. [7/10]