Movie Review – Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Principal Cast : Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Reece Shearsmith, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Muzz Khan, John Sparkes.
Synopsis: Top dog Gromit springs into action to save his master when Wallace’s high-tech invention goes rogue and he’s framed for a series of suspicious crimes.
********
As with almost everything from Aardman’s stable, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is an absolute delight. Marking the dynamic duo’s first feature-length outing since 2005’s The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (and their grand return since 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death), Nick Park hands co-directing reins to longtime Aardman animator Merlin Crossingham. Together, they revive everyone’s favourite cheese-obsessed inventor and his endlessly patient dog, overcoming not just a 16-year hiatus but the loss of Peter Sallis, Wallace’s original voice actor. Ben Whitehead steps in seamlessly, channelling Sallis’s endearing bumbling with uncanny precision.
The plot? Classic Aardman chaos. Wallace invents Norbot, a robotic garden gnome hired out to locals, much to Gromit’s technophobic dismay. When Feathers McGraw—the villainous penguin last seen in 1993’s iconic The Wrong Trousers—hacks Norbot from his zoo prison, he unleashes an army of pilfering gnomes. Cue a heist caper involving bumbling police (Chief Inspector Mackintosh and PC Mukherjee) and Gromit’s sleuthing to clear Wallace’s name. It’s a gleefully convoluted romp, balancing pratfalls and sly wit with Aardman’s trademark stop-motion polish.
The Wrong Trousers remains a pinnacle of animation—its train-chase climax is pure genius—and while Vengeance Most Fowl doesn’t quite match that anarchic spark, it’s a worthy successor. Feathers McGraw’s return (still wordless, still fiendish) will thrill fans, and Norbot’s dual role as helper/hijacked villain cleverly taps into themes of tech dependence. Park’s love for pulp parody endures, even if the horror nods here are subtler than Were-Rabbit’s campy B-movie flair. Aardman’s animation, as ever, is meticulous. The studio’s stop-motion craft has evolved since Park’s DIY origins, yet retains its handcrafted charm. Crossingham and Park pepper scenes with visual gags (keep an eye on those gnomes) and wry social commentary, while Whitehead ensures Wallace’s voice feels nostalgically intact.
Is it a true sequel? Surprisingly, yes—rare for Aardman, whose franchises usually favour standalone tales. Yet Vengeance Most Fowl straddles nostalgia and freshness effortlessly. Newcomers will adore the slapstick; loyalists will revel in callbacks (Feathers’ deadpan menace, Wallace’s wince-inducing inventions). Breezy, clever, and brimming with heart, this is Aardman at its best: a seventy-minute masterclass in animation that’s as warm as Wensleydale. A top contender for 2024’s finest animated film—and proof that some duos (clay or otherwise) only get better with age.
Who wrote this?
