Nick Park has done it again, finally in the form of a full-length motion picture, and this time, he's done it with bunnies.
It is particularly hard to complain about the Claymation characters Wallace and Gromit, and even harder to complain about the wacky situations they're thrown into. Wallace's quirky naivet?? and fervent love for cheese remains a delight, while Gromit and his tell-all eyes are still more than endearing. Who would have thought that clay could convey such emotion?
The hard work put into \Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"" is both apparent and rewarding, and of course, the characters are a treat the whole way through. Some more devoted fans of the Wallace and Gromit franchise may, perhaps, find ""The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"" to be lacking slightly in comparison to some of Park's earlier endeavors, but this film is mounds of fun all the same.
This time, the village where our two title characters live is in full-fledged, veggie mania as the Giant Vegetable Competition approaches swiftly and in the wake of hungry rabbits looking to infiltrate the villagers' hopeful goods. Wallace and Gromit are flourishing with their safe and humane version of pest-control called ""Anti-Pesto."" After de-pesting the home of highly-pursued and lover of all things fluffy Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter), they devise a kind of ""rabbit rehabilitation"" for the hundreds of bunnies hopping around in their technologically-advanced basement.
Due to an invention mishap, Wallace and Gromit find themselves deep in the thicket of angry villagers as a beastly, vicious were-rabbit is now tormenting the town and eating everybody's giant vegetables. Wallace has the brilliant idea of catching it with ""a big trap,"" and he soon falls into a big trap of his own-love for the sensitive Lady Tottington. The were-rabbit's attack starts out with a ""Night of Vegetable Carnage,"" and the monster is soon being pursued by Lady Tottington's arrogant, trigger-happy suitor, Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes).
The movie wrenches itself into a beautiful twist about three quarters of the way through and then ends with an airplane chase, potential true love, and a bunny sanctuary. Nick Park's Claymation is so pleasant to look at. The tiniest details lurk in the most unexpected of corners, and everything about the world of Wallace and Gromit is wonderfully inventive to the last drop. Also, the plethora of bunnies in ""The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"" is quite cute, as is Lady Tottington's motto: ""The killing of fluffy creatures is never justified.""
The dynamic between Wallace and Gromit is, as always, hilarious. It just makes one want to sigh and say ""Oh, Gromit;"" he's always right, and Wallace has usually just gone off to get himself into another mischievous situation. More avid Wallace and Gromit fans will also appreciate subtle pokes at the dialogue and lingo of old half-hour adventures and of course, when even the fingerprints on the clay are visible, the toiling and fussing that must go into the hilarious efforts of such a franchise will not go unnoticed.
Side-splitting, sometimes raunchy humor will fly right over a little kid's head, and yet even most of the kiddie jokes are good for a laugh or two. There is no complaining to be done here. Bring a friend, a sibling, a grandpa, a boyfriend, girlfriend, a parent, a little boy or girl who looks like they need cheering up, anybody, and ""Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"" will be quite the enjoyable experience.
