It’s been almost 20 years since Nick Park brought us the Academy Award Winner film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit which is, to this day, one of my favorite animated movies of all time. And now, after all those years, does this new Wallace & Gromit movie manage to reach the high level of its antecessor? Let’s dive into that…
Tapping into modern-day fears over automation, the film will focus on Gromit’s concern that Wallace has become over-dependent on his inventions, which proves justified when Wallace invents a “smart gnome” that seems to develop a mind of its own. As events spiral out of control, it falls to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces, or Wallace may never be able to invent again. And to make things even worse, Feathers McGraw is back and he’s here for vengeance…
Coming back to this world feels magical and extremely satisfying, it’s a franchise that I wish they would just keep releasing more and more films of these because they’re just pure perfection. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is maybe not as good as the first film, however, it’s a fact that this is not only a masterpiece but one of the best animated films of 2024. From the beginning of the film, I knew I was about to have the greatest time. This film is not only visually stunning (one of Aardman’s finest works) but it’s also emotionally compelling, thoroughly enjoyable, and surprisingly very creepy sometimes. If you think you were scared of the Were-Rabbit in the first film, wait until you see these creepy gnomes. Aardman and Netflix knew what they were doing here and kids will get creeped out by this.
I can also confirm that the short 1 hour & 18 minutes runtime will not affect your experience, this movie never felt “rushed” or badly paced. It’s a fun, engaging, and active 78 minutes that will have you laughing, scared, and maybe even emotional at some moments. Wallace’s relationship with Gromit is, as expected, still a massive standout, you feel for Gromit mostly because he is treated in a way he doesn’t deserve, this is something really similar to what we saw in the first film. Their relationship is great in here and is what makes this film’s heart so huge.
The humor is also on point, with many funny moments and jokes that will have you with a smile on your face throughout this whole film. Even though I keep referring to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit as the “first film,” it’s important to note that this new film is not a sequel, there will never be mentions to anything that happened or appeared in the other film. Many references and easter eggs can be spotted in this film, there is a very specific cameo that had me smiling so hard because I just thought it was genius work.
What doesn’t make this film as remarkable and impactful as the first one, is that Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl has some very tiny issues and most involve lazy plot conveniences and uninteresting subplots involving some secondary characters. I feel like the secondary characters of the first film are way better than the ones in this one, they’re not only more enjoyable to watch but, in this new film, it feels like some characters are just thrown in there just to make the story longer. These are some minor mistakes that genuinely didn’t affect my great experience with this film.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl brings back our favorite duo in a visually stunning, action-packed, and surprisingly creepy film that will satisfy newcomers while also delighting old fans with some very interesting Easter eggs throughout. This one is a must-watch for this holiday season, grab your snacks and just enjoy Wallace & Gromit’s latest adventure.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl releases on Netflix on January 3.
