Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (G)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott: Tonight we are reviewing Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
, the latest film in the adventures of the title characters. This one finds Wallace & Gromit tracking down a mysterious, vegetable eating monster - the Were-Rabbit.
So what did you think Mike?
Mike: I thought the movie was silly fun. It's a movie that kids will love and adults can enjoy too.
How about you?
Scott: Thinking about the crowd of kids that were there, I don't know if the kids will love it. They were pretty quiet throughout the movie. There are some grown up jokes sprinkled throughout the movie though, just enough to keep a parent interested.
Mike: There actually weren't that many kids there and I think some of them were almost too young.
Scott: What would be the ideal age? Certainly less than 13.
Mike: I'd say in the 6 to 12 range. The adults laughed quite a bit too.
Scott: Yes, there were a few parts where I thought I was going to have to hose you down.
Mike: It probably helps if you are a Wallace and Gromit fan.
It's the simple fun of watching old cartoons.
Scott: This is a must see for fans of claymation. Creator Nick Park proved yet again that he and his crew are at the top of their genre.
Mike: This movie has a lot of the elements of the old Warner Brothers cartoons. The animation is fantastic. It's especially amazing when you think about how time consuming it is to animate something like this.
Scott: Apparently, the movie took 5 years to make.
Mike: They even reference the old cartoons when Wallace, who has grown bunny ears, turns to Gromit and says "What's up dog?"
Scott: Nick Park outdid himself with this movie. The animation was great and at times the movie moved seamlessly.
Mike: Nick Park has been making Wallace and Gromit shorts and films since the 1980s. He is also responsible for the successful Chicken Run, which was a very amusing take on The Great Escape.
Scott: Park has already won three Oscars, two for W&G shorts; this may be up for animated feature film this year.
This movie didn't have the celebrity voices, but had the celebrity main characters.
Mike: Yes, the most famous voices are Ralph Fiennes as Victor Quartermaine and Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Campanula Tottington. Carter must love doing voices as she competes against herself in the recent Corpse Bride. I guess she can still get work in films other than those by Tim Burton.
The detail is amazing. Not just the characters, but the detail in the background is something else.
Scott: I really liked the details in the pictures hanging on the walls.
Mike: The great thing is how expressive Gromit the dog is. It doesn't matter that he can't talk.
Scott: It's almost like Penn and Teller, he has such expressions that he need not speak. To do that with clay is really something to see.
Mike: I also think there is great appeal for anyone who admires gadgets and Rube Goldberg devices. Wallace and Gromit's world is an array of wacky inventions that actually seem to work.
Scott: I would love to have an 'alarm-clock/dressing-machine' like they have. I remember the Wallace and Gromit shorts I had seen before and I always thought their inventions were the coolest part.
Mike: It's funny to watch them get ready for work in the morning or capture pesky animals through their humane pest control company, Anti-Pesto.
Scott: The rabbits were pretty cute and cuddly as well in this. And no clay was harmed in the making of this movie!
Mike: Visually there is not a dull moment to this film. The great thing is that unlike the Corpse Bride, this movie is rated G and really is suitable for all audiences.
Scott: I think that movie had more play for adults than this did. This truly is a family movie; adults probably aren't going to see this without a child, unlike Corpse Bride.
Mike: I'll be honest I don't think I have ever seen that many giant vegetables in my life.
Scott: So what do you rate it? Overall and family movie?
Mike: I give it a 3 overall and a 4 for animated family movie.
And you?
Scott: I give it a 3.5 for animated-family, but only a 2.5 overall. I can see the attraction for families, but not much beyond that.
Mike: It's obvious you are not the uncle of young nephews.
Scott: You would think that with the success of this series and of American Idol, they would have "Clay" Aiken do a voice, it's only fitting right?
Mike: (Groan)
It's a "cracking good" time.
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