Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Director: Steve Box and Nick Park
Writer: Nick Park (characters), Steve Box & Nick Park, Mark Burton, and Bob Baker (screenplay)

In this adventure, Wallace & Gromit are Anti-Pesto, a humane pest control service. With their village's annual giant vegetable contest only days away, a fearsome, veg-ravaging were-rabbit is on the loose and it's up to the stop-motion animated duo to save the day and the veggies.

As much as I love highbrow art films, gory slasher flicks, and most things in between, I seldom find myself wholly charmed by movies anymore. There are the classic films that remind how much I love watching and studying film, like Chinatown and Halloween. I remember the "Creature Comforts" shorts on Nickelodeon from my youth and knew of Wallace & Gromit's international fame, but Curse of the Were-Rabbit was my first real experience with the characters. My inner child was delighted by the silly humor while the film snob reveled in the meticulous mise-en-scène. As a film, not just one for kids, Curse of the Were-Rabbit is very well made. The story unfolds without any superfluous material; the jokes are clever but do not relying on strings of double entendres; each viewing reveals some new detail once previously overlooked. Naturally, not all of the jokes carry over across the pond but the film does have a universal appeal.

The story is a clever take on the old gothic mad-scientist-creates-and-must-destroy-a-monster narrative. As creator Nick Park

commented, Curse of the Were-Rabbit is "[a] vegetarian horror movie." As such, many visual codes associated with the genre are implemented then manipulated (e.g. graveyard fog, extreme high- and low-angle shots, chiaroscuro lighting, the Jaws scene, etc.). One fun example involves Gromit in the kitchen, a close-up of his finger running around a selection of knives. He then selects a chef's knife, sharpens it, and raises it over his head in a chopping motion while the orchestral string crescendo. Because we are familiar with that series of shots, we expect something gruesome but instead of dismemberment, Gromit cuts up a carrot for the captured rabbits.

When watching, you can't help but think about and marvel at the amount of time and dedication it took the filmmakers to create the film one frame at a time. It's that kind of devotion to one's art that I truly admire. CGI-dependant films are fun when executed well, but they have an artificiality that I feel keeps the viewer at arm's length. To that end, Gollum will never move me. The use of Plasticine characters however lends a more personal quality to the finished product. Gromit's facial expressions, through manipulation of his brow, provide a vast array of pathos and comments to the scenes. What computer effects are use, and there are many, only serve to compliment and enhance the film's overall visual experience. The bunnies are delightfully quirky, waving to each other manically like caffeinated children. Lady Tottington has that wonderfully batty English charm associated with the upper class. Wallace and Victor Quatermaine are the archtypical hero and villain, squared off against each other not only to save the town but also to win the heart of Lady Tottington. We know how it will play out but seeing what twists Park and Box employ is where the film pays off. Not a perfect film, like any horror-oriented piece there are holes and inconsistancies, but an enjoyable experience just the same.