WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT [2005 / 2019] [Blu-ray + Digital Download] [USA Release] The Flat Out Funniest Movie In Dog Years!
Academy Award® winner for Best Animated Feature, ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ is a hair-raising adventure from the creators of ‘Chicken Run.’ When their towns’ prized produce starts disappearing, our cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his savvy canine companion Gromit must use all of their wildly imaginative inventions to try to capture a mysterious beast of epic and fluffy proportions. Hailed as “a terrific family film” (Russ Leatherman, CNN and Moviefone.com) and “whimsical, funny and endlessly inventive” (Roger Ebert, Ebert & Roeper), ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ is an unforgettable film for the whole family!
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2005 Awards Circuit Community Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Feature. 2005 Cartoons on the Bay: Win: Pulcinella Award for Animation Studio of the Year for Peter Lord and Aardman Animations. 2005 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. 2005 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. 2005 Golden Schmoes Awards: Win: Best Animated Movie of the Year. 2005 Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. 2005 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Sierra Award for Best Animated Film. 2005 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Animation for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2005 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Win: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in a Foreign Feature for Glen Gathard (Assistant Foley Mixer). 2005 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2005 New York Film Critics Awards, Online: Win: Best Animated Film. 2005 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Best Animated Film for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2005 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. 2005 St. Louis Film Critics Association, USA: Nominated: SLFCA Award for Best Animated, Musical or Comedy Film. 2005 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. 2005 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards: Best Animated Film. 2006 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2006 BAFTA Film Awards: Win: Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for Bob Baker, Claire Jennings, David Sproxton, Mark Burton, Nick Park and Steve Box. Win: BAFTA Children's Award for Best Feature Film for David Sproxton, Nick Park, Peter Lord and Steve Box. 2006 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2006 Annecy International Animated Film Festival: Nominated: Cristal Award for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2006 Annie Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature. Win: Best Animated Effects for Jason Wen. Win: Best Character Animation for Claire Billet. Win: Best Character Design in an Animated Feature Production for Nick Park. Win: Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production for Nick Park and Steve Box. Win: Best Music in an Animated Feature Production for Julian Nott. Win: Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production for Phil Lewis. Win: Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production for Bob Persichetti. Win: Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for Peter Sallis as the voice of "Wallace." Win: Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production for Mark Burton, Nick Park and Steve Box. Nominated: Best Character Animation for Jay Grace. Nominated: Best Character Animation for Christopher Sadler. Nominated: Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production for Michael Salter. Nominated: Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for Helena Bonham Carter as the voice of "Lady Campanula Tottington." Nominated: Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for Ralph Fiennes as the voice of "Victor Quartermaine." Nominated: Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for Nicholas Smith as the voice of "Reverend Clement Hedges." 2006 Bodil Awards: Nominated: Best Non-American Film (Bedste ikke-amerikanske film) for Nick Park and Steve Box UK. 2006 British Comedy Awards: Win: Best Comedy Film. 2006 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Critics Choice Award for Best Animated Feature. 2006 Central Ohio Film Critics Association: Nominated: Best Picture [3rd place]. 2006 Empire Awards, UK: Win: Best Director for Nick Park and Steve Box. Nominated: Scene of the Year for the dogfight. Nominated: Best Comedy. Nominated: Scene of the Year for the dogfight. Nominated: Best Comedy. Nominated: Best British Film. 2006 European Film Awards: Nominated: Audience Award for Best European Film for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2006 Genesis Awards: Win: Animated Feature Film. 2006 Gold Derby Awards: Win: Animated Feature. 2006 Hugo Awards: Nominated: Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form for Bob Baker (screenplay), Mark Burton (screenplay), Nick Park (director/screenplay) and Steve Box (director/screenplay). 2006 International Film Music Critics Award: Win: Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for Julian Nott. 2006 International Online Cinema Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2006 International Online Cinema Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature for Nick Park and Steve Box. 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Animated Movie. 2006 London Critics Circle Film Awards: Nominated: ALFS Award for British Film of the Year. Nominated: ALFS Award for British Producer of the Year for Peter Lord. 2006 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Win: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Animated Feature Film for Andie Derrick (foley artist), Danny Hambrook (sound designer), Derek Trigg (foley editor), Graham Headicar (sound editor), James Mather (supervising sound editor), Joseph Stracey (sound designer/sound editor), Michael Connell (music editor), Peter Burgis (foley editor), Simon Changer (music editor) and Tim Owens (dialogue/adr editor). Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in a Foreign Feature for Glen Gathard. 2006 North Texas Film Critics Association, USA: Win: Best Animated Film. 2006 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Award for Best Animated Picture for Carla Shelley, Claire Jennings, David Sproxton, Nick Park and Peter Lord. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Official Film Website. 2006 Online Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature. 2006 PGA Awards: Win: Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures for Claire Jennings and Nick Park. 2006 Visual Effects Society Awards: Win: Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture for Lloyd Price for “Gromit.” 2006 Young Artist Awards: Win: Best Family Animation Feature Film.
FILM FACT No.2: The Aardman Animation film was originally going to be called ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Great Vegetable Plot,’ but the title was changed, as the market research didn't like it. The first reported release date for ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Great Vegetable Plot’ was November 2004. The vehicle Wallace drives in the film is an Austin A35 van. In collaboration with Aardman Animation in the spring of 2005, a road going replica of the model was created by brothers Mark Armé and David Armé, founders of the International Austin A30/A35 Register, for promotional purposes. In a 500-man-hour customisation, an original 1964 Austin A35 van received a full body restoration, before being dented and distressed to perfectly replicate the model Austin A35 van used in the film. The official colour of the Austin A35 van is Preston Green, named in honour of Nick Park's home town. The name was chosen by the art director and Mark Armé.
Voice Cast: Peter Sallis [Wallace / Hutch], Ralph Fiennes [Victor Quartermaine], Helena Bonham Carter [Lady Campanula Tottington], Peter Kay [Police Constable Mackintosh], Nicholas Smith [Reverend Clement Hedges], Liz Smith [Mrs. Mulch], John Thomson [Mr. Windfall], Mark Gatiss [Miss Blight], Vincent Ebrahim [Mr. Caliche], Geraldine McEwan [Miss Thripp], Edward Kelsey [Mr. Growbag], Dicken Ashworth [Mr. Mulch], Robert Horvath [Mr. Dibber], Pete Atkin [Mr. Crock], Noni Lewis [Mrs. Girdling], Ben Whitehead [Mr. Leaching], Christopher Fairbank [Additional Voice], James Mather [Additional Voice], William Vanderpuye [Additional Voice] and Nigel Pilkington [Various] (uncredited)
Directors: Nick Park and Steve Box
Producers: Carla Shelley, Cecil Kramer, Claire Jennings, David Sproxton, Michael Rose, Nick Park and Peter Lord
Screenplay: Bob Baker (screenplay), Mark Burton (screenplay), Nick Park (screenplay/based on characters created) and Steve Box (screenplay)
Composer: Julian Nott and Hans Zimmer (composed music produced by Hans Zimmer)
Cinematography: Dave Alex Riddett (Director of Photography) and Tristan Oliver (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Spanish: 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
French: 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French
Running Time: 84 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / DreamWorks Animation SKG / Aardman Animation
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: The Aardman Animation film sees ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ [2015] at its very best, where we find Wallace and Gromit is running a pest-riddance company, entitled “Anti-Pesto.” Each night, they're alerted by the elaborate security system the townspeople have attached to their prized vegetable gardens, and go forth in their well-outfitted truck to capture, but never kill and the offending creatures, typically rodents and rabbits. Wallace [Peter Sallis] then deposits the animals in cages in his basement, where he keeps them supplied with carrots and lettuce. Wallace's desire to reprogram the bunnies so they won't desire veggies leads to an experiment that goes awry, and soon a giant were-rabbit is stomping through the town at night, ravaging the squashes and pumpkins, and threatening to shut down Tottington Hall's annual Giant Vegetable Competition and so Wallace and Gromit are on the case.
Sheltering the bunnies threatens to overwhelm Wallace and Gromit's modest household, and so Wallace invents in a device that will cure their craving for fresh produce, with predictably disastrous results and of course it is predictable that the results will be totally disastrous, but the particular shape of the disaster springs with a delightful surprise from the imaginations of Nick Park and Steve Box, who directed the film, and Mark Burton and Bob Baker, with whom they did the screenplay.
They have also assembled a fine supporting cast of bounders, ninnies and local biddies, notably a pompadour villain named Victor Quartermaine [Ralph Fiennes] whose idea of pest control is a good blast from a shotgun. Victor Quartermaine aristocratic would-be fiancé, the flame-haired, green-thumbed Lady Campanula Tottington [Helena Bonham Carter], otherwise known as Totty and who is also the sponsor of the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, commissions the duo to rid her expansive grounds — which is starting to look like a rampageous putting green of a rabbit infestation, without hurting the dear little creatures. "They can't help it," she twitters wistfully. "It's in their little bunny natures."
But the villagers soon find they have bigger things to worry about — literally. A giant beast of unknown provenance is raiding vegetable patches throughout the countryside, leaving them looking as if they’ve been hit by a bomb. With a bit of investigation, Wallace and Gromit learn that they’re dealing with — cue the dramatic monster-movie music — a Were-Rabbit!
Wallace and Gromit roll out the over-complicated invention the Bun-Vac 6000 “Anti-Pesto” and part-containment unit, part-highly-evolved-vacuum thingy, which then proceeds to suck up the bunnies with a satisfying series of thumps. Within the machines glass chamber, a few dozen airborne bunnies float about in a surreal aerial ballet, looking adorably stunned and bemused. A bunny rabbit, who thinks he’s dying after being shot at by Victor Quartermaine, feels it is experiencing a “near-death” experience of going through a long tunnel toward a bright light. But instead, is in fact actually being sucked out of their rabbit hole by Wallace’s machine the Bun-Vac 6000 “Anti-Pesto” and is completely unharmed.
Of course, the little bunny rabbit critters are the least of the town's problem as a monstrous, fuzzy offshoot of their bobtailed family tree skulks onto the scene, and begin gorging himself on the veritable smorgasbord of tomatoes, cauliflowers, pumpkins, cabbages, and melons that are to be entered in the competition.
The village vicar, the Reverend Clement Hedges [Nicholas Smith], prays over his prize vegetables and also keeps a constant supply of veggies in the church for the poor and is, by the way, the first to encounter the were-rabbit, uttering “Heavens above!” upon seeing the beast. He reaches behind him for a cross to fend off the monster, à la vampire movies, but accidentally knocks it over. He then improvises a cross with two cucumbers. Later, the vicar tells the villagers that their obsession with prize vegetables means “we’ve brought a terrible judgment on ourselves. We must pray for our sins.” After the vicar describes his encounter with the Were-Rabbit, a man says, “I believe the vicar’s been into the communion wine again.”
The door to the church has cross-shaped knockers, and a stained-glass window depicts the legend of St. George and the Dragon. The vicar keeps copies of Nun Wrestling magazine on the table in the parsonage. Lady Campanula Tottington calls the elevator in her mansion her “Jacob’s Ladder,” which “goes all the way to heaven” — her rooftop garden.
‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ is good hilarious clean fun from beginning to end, and will appeal to all family viewing and will definitely reward you with repeat viewing, as the first time round you will probably miss things with so much action going on, because it is sheer good humour. But really, nothing has changed. Wallace and Gromit still inhabit a world that is quintessentially English, and northern English at that. It's as whimsical as a tea-cosy: harrumphing locals, terraced cottages and harvest festivals. Despite flashes of CGI, the film retains the homespun quality of the brilliant Claymation animation.
‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ was inspired by the gentle wit of Ealing comedy, and on top of all that Were-Rabbit owes a great debt to Hammer horror genre films. The Claymation animation film pastiches comes thick and fast, leavened with plenty of groans with some of the puns and surprisingly saucy double entendre, which of course is usually meant to be utterly risqué or indecent.
‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ is a fitting big-screen debut for the beloved Claymation stars Wallace and Gromit. Nick Park’s particular genius is telling terrifically funny stories through stop-motion animation. When you consider that each character is moved in tiny increments to match the film’s 24-frames-per-second speed, you marvel all the more at Nick Park’s skills. Take Gromit, for example. He’s a dog. He doesn’t speak. But he says more with his eyes and ears than many an actor can say with words and his whole body. The storywriters actually give Gromit “dialogue” so that the sculptors know what expressions to give him. Reportedly it took five years to make, as Nick Park and Steve Box and a crew of hundreds posed each clay figure frame by frame. The only downside is that most of the jokes will go right over the heads of the youngest children and even some older children, on what is otherwise a finely crafted bit of family entertainment that will hopefully have everyone laughing.
At the end of the film, they state: WE WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THAT NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED DURING THE MAKING OF THIS MOTION PICTURE.
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT MUSIC TRACK LIST
The Planets Opus 32:2. Venus, The Bringer of Peace (Composed by Gustav Holst) [Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker] [Conducted by Herbert von Karajan]
WE PLOW THE FIELDS AND SCATTER (Words by Matthias Claudius) (Music by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz) [Performed by Nicholas Smith]
THE STRIPPER (Written by David Rose) [Performed by Joe Loss & His Orchestra]
BRIGHT EYES (Written by Mike Batt) [Performed by Art Garfunkel]
1st movement from Symphony No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Op. 55: Andante. Nobilmente e semplice (Written by Sir Edward Elgar) [Performed by The BBC Philharmonic] [Conducted by George Hurst]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and Aardman Animation presents ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ with a totally outstanding and impressive 1080p image and is equally enhanced with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This beautiful stop-motion Claymation animated film is at its finest. Everything is extremely well lit, with characters and set pieces popping off the screen with vibrant colours and incredibly precise and fluid animation. The transfer is equally as good, with all of the night scenes and blacks being very crisp and even, with not a trace of any kind artefact. All in all this is a wonderful job by all involved and definitely gets a five star rating from me.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and Aardman Animation brings us ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ with a good solid 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience and is mastered really wonderfully. Julian Nott’s score is perfectly understated to match the tone of the film and even in the darker, more dramatic moments maintains that almost bubbly quality of the main theme without being too intrusive. The surround sound audio track is good, but it could have been a little better as they only really take advantage of the rear channels towards the end and there were so many opportunities to make all five speakers sing. Once again, this gets a five star rating from me for a wonderful enhancing audio experience.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Cracking Audio Commentary with Director/Writer Nick Park and Director/Writer Steve Box: Here Nick Park and Steve Box explain in great detail the reason for the start of the film, to make it feel like it was the start of a ‘Star Wars’ film introduction and also to make the audiences that Aardman Animation had gone Hollywood, and as the animated film starts, you come down with a bump into a Wallace & Gromit animated film into a British territory, and they feel it really captures the magic of Wallace & Gromit, and all the pictures of the faces you view on the wall kind of gives you a back story to Wallace & Gromit. Nick Park and Steve Box wanted to start the film on Dartmoor National Park in the county of Devon, in southwest England on a moonlight night, to give you that real spooky atmosphere, but instead decided to start the scene of Police Constable Mackintosh walking the streets in the moonlight. Nick Park and Steve Box both felt the dramatic composed music by Hans Zimmer was really brilliantly done and really set up the atmosphere for the start of the animated film. When Wallace & Gromit set off to Tottington Hall at the request of Lady Campanula Tottington to help with the bunny rabbits, and Nick Park and Steve Box wanted it to look like the start of the animated film ‘A Close Shave’ especially when the pond turns over as they set off on their journey. When we see Wallace sitting at the table and the “Mind-O-Matic” lowers onto Wallace’s head and explain in great detail what we are about to witness, but we are also told the “Mind-O-Matic” was sent in the post from Russia and was used by the Russian secret service for mind control on certain victims and of course with the “Mind-O-Matic” things as usual are bound to go wrong. Next we see the characters Lady Campanula Tottington and Victor Quartermaine on the grounds of Tottingham Hall and Nick Park and Steve Box praises Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes for their over the top posh voices that they feel really suit their plasticine characters, but when Nick Park and Steve Box showed Lady Campanula Tottington the plasticine character to the Aardman Animator team, they were at first not keen on the design, but Mick Park thought Lady Campanula Tottington looked totally marvellous and especially over the top, especially with her enormous exaggerated ginger hair, but over time the Aardman Animator team started to love Lady Campanula Tottington especially after seeing some of the rough cut rushes. When we get to the spooky atmosphere of the animated film and we get a glimpse of the Were-Rabbit, but before that Nick Park and Steve Box talk about their love of the old Hollywood black-and-white horror films and what to replicate the style for this animated film, especially when the vicar confronts the Were-Rabbit and uses two cucumbers to replicate a cross. When we see the church congregation scene after the attack of the Were-Rabbit with the vicar, well with the crowd congregation and Police Constable Mackintosh, Nick Park and Steve Box inform us that this took just over 12 months to film and was also very complicated to film with so many characters to move and also had to be very carefully log everything they had filmed because it was so complicated. When we see Wallace finally change into a Were-Rabbit and runs off and we then get the scene where Victor Quartermaine confronts the vicar to rid the Were-Rabbit once and for all and the vicar brings out the big book on all kinds of beasts that roamed the land throughout the age, and shows Victor Quartermaine the page on the Were-Rabbit and this is where Nick Park says that this is the point in the animated film they wanted to bring in and element of Gothic Horror and the build-up to hunt for the Were-Rabbit like in those old black-and-white Horror films like Frankenstein and Dracula and to eventually kill the Were-Rabbit with a gold bullet. Nick Park says that he loved the scene where Gromit confronts Wallace with his large rabbit ears and at the same time Gromit finally confronts Wallace the large Hutch rabbit coming out of the big wooden box, and Nick Park says when people seeing this scene will not know what was about to happen, where it is revealed that Hutch is now talks with a Wallace voice, which of course is again the voice of Peter Sallis, and because Wallace has got amnesia, this is where Hutch as Wallace and rebuilds the smashed up “Mind-O-Matic.” When the Were-Rabbit falls off the roof and lands on its back and starts to change back into Wallace, Nick Park and Steve Box felt this was a very moving scene, so when we see Wallace is finally recovered, but of course is totally naked, and of course Lady Campanula Tottington is slightly embarrassed, so Gromit gives Wallace an empty cardboard box, but of course we get a wonderful joke where on the box is a label that says MAY CONTAIN NUTS and of course is definitely a touch of the nudge nudge wink wink moment and I wonder if anyone else noticed this wonderful joke of the wording on the box? At that point the bunny rabbits have been saved by Lady Campanula Tottington and decided to have a rabbit sanctuary on her estae, and a perfect happy ending to the film. As the end credits roll up the screen, the DreamWorks people suggested having the bunny rabbits all floating about and felt it was a fitting end to the animated film ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT.’ One thing I suggest, is please watch right to the end of the end credits sequence, you really get to hear a really nice final comment from Nick Park and Steve Box talking about working on the animated film over a five year period and how proud they felt working on the animated film and especially all the hard work the Aardman Animation professional team really helped towards making the animated film such a huge box office hit.
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes plus with Audio Commentary [2005] [480i / 1080p] [1.37:1] [13:26] Sequence 10: Alternative opening and deleted Police Constable Mackintosh scene, Sequence 45: Deleted Mind-O-Matic scene, Sequence 205: Deleted launch scene, Sequence 235: CG altered rabbit ears, Sequence 300: Alternative ending – West Wallaby Street, Sequence 360: Alternative ending The Wedding, The Anti-Pesto Song, The Anti-Pesto Song Reprise, Sequence 45: Deleted shot 41 [This deleted scene is completely silent]. Please Note: As an added bonus of listening to an Audio Commentary on each deleted scene with Nick Park and Steve Box and explains why each deleted scene was not suitable to be included in the animated film due to the running time and also to speed up the action.
Special Feature: How Wallace and Gromit Went to Hollywood [2005] [1080p] [1.37:1] [20:27] This featurette for the Claymation animated film ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ [2005] details the history of Wallace and Gromit, and their Oscar-winning short films and how Aardman Animation and DreamWorks Animation SKG came to work together at the time in 2005 to do a five-film deal with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg. Here Aardman Animation and DreamWorks Animation SKG collaboration between the Oscar-winning animators and Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio made the feature-length film ‘Chicken Run.’ Bristol-based Aardman Animation is recognised as the industry leader in stop-motion Claymation animated film. Founded by Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1976, Nick Park joined Aardman Animation in 1985 and became a co-director. Under the terms of the deal at the time, Aardman Animation exclusively produced feature films with DreamWorks Animation SKG, but due to circumstances parted company and Aardman Animation went back to being independent because of a clash of cultural differences behind the collapse of Hollywood film deal. One bit of bonus because of the film, the famous people Wensleydale Creamery who made the Wensleydale cheese which is situated in the market town of Hawes, in Wensleydale, in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park and nearly went out of business, but with Aardman Animation and the creation of Wallace & Gromit animated films, it caused massive runaway sales of Wensleydale cheese and saved the company closing down. But near then end of this special, we hear some very sad news, that while the Aardman Animation team were at the ‘THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ premiere, back in Bristol a devastating hits Wallace and Gromit sets, and props and sets from the Wallace and Gromit films had been destroyed in a warehouse blaze. The storage building belonging to Oscar-winning Aardman Animations, contained the company's “entire history,” a spokesman said. Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park said it was “dreadful” for the company but comparatively “not a big deal.” Company Spokesman Arthur Sheriff said: “It couldn't have come on a worse day – we were supposed to be celebrating, but instead our history has disappeared in a couple of hours. Everything has gone, from as far back as Morph and all the way through to Chicken Run, including Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts, it's all there. Everyone is devastated. A lot of the original sets were there, including several panels of original storyboards and that, in a way, is the biggest loss.” Aardman Animation co-founder Dave Sproxton said one of the most important losses was a complete exhibition of the three Wallace and Gromit short films which was recently brought back to the UK after a tour of Japan. Mr. Sproxton said: “A lot of the original sets were there, including several panels of original storyboards and that, in a way, is the biggest loss. It's basically a ready-to-go exhibition and sadly that's been destroyed.” Mr. Dave Sproxton added that the films themselves were stored elsewhere and so had not been damaged. Contributors include: Nick Park [Co-director of ‘THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’], Peter Sallis [Wallace], David Sproxton [Aardman Animation Founder], Peter Lord [Aardman Animation Founder/Co-director of ‘Chicken Run’], David Hartley [Wensleydale Creamery], Jeffrey Katzenberg [CEO DreamWorks Animation SKG], Steve Box [Co-director of ‘THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’], Helena Bonham Carter [Lady Campanula Tottington], Ralph Fiennes [Victor Quartermaine] and Keiran Argo [Events & Exhibition Manager].
Special Feature: Behind the Scenes of ‘THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ [2005] [1080p] [1.37:1] [13:01] Here we have a very absorbing in-depth piece about the film ‘THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ and also about how the sets are built and how the film is put together and the amazing amount of talented people who tirelessly work together as a team for Aardman Animation on an industrial scale. Contributors include: Nick Park [Director/Writer/Producer], Steve Box [Director/Writer], Peter Sallis [Wallace], Helena Bonham Carter [Lady Campanula Tottington], Ralph Fiennes [Victor Quartermaine], Ivan Whitlock [Key Animator], Merlin Crossingham [Second Unit Director], Tom Barnes [Technical Director], Teresa Drillinag [Key Animator] and Jeffrey Katzenberg [CEO DreamWorks Animation SKG].
Special Feature: A Day in the Life of Aardman Animation [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [8:28] With this special feature we get a fascinating look at the different departments that go to make up Aardman Animation. We see how the film is put together through the eyes, hands and talents of each of the people who make it happen, from the story board, to artist voicing of the characters, from modeller to set designer. All in all, it is a totally fascinating tour of the magic factory that is Aardman Animation.
Special Feature: How to Build a Bunny [2005] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:34] With this special feature we get to see how to make a clay bunny suitable for frame-by-frame animation, from the ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ Aardman Animation Claymation animated film. “How to Build a Bunny” in which one of the sculptors Harriet Thomas who is the Model Making Team Leader explains how to sculptor the bunnies seen in the film. It’s a very in-depth and, was actually fun to view and would be a great project for very young children.
Special Feature: Stage Fright [1997] [1080p] [1.37:1] [11:01] ‘Stage Fright’ is a 1997 stop-motion short film produced, directed and co-written by Steve Box. Tess Daulton is also an uncredited co-writer. This Steve Box animation short, is brilliantly inventive, and is about Tich a music hall (Vaudeville) performer, Arnold Hugh [Graham Fellows] a silent film actor, and his amazing juggling dogs and how they and their friend, the actress, Daphne [Tess Daulton] , as they attempt to adjust to the coming age of film. But is thwarted by the over-the-top bad cheese and dare I say it, a Stinking Bishop – borrowing liberally from the ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ who scraps variety and stars in the films himself, with the help of the dogs, who have been trained by Tich, but whom he never credits. The over blown nasty bully “actor” Arnold Hugh comes to a satisfyingly bad end, whilst Tich overcomes his stage fright and steps out into the real world with his girlfriend. The plot to this animated short is a little dry in places. The dialogue can be at times for some people a bit flawed slightly with the Northern English accent that can sometimes be slightly hard to understand. Still it is a very nice short animation to watch. There's nothing too inappropriate with this interesting animated short, just know that if any children are watching this animation might not quite be understand by the story outline too well. ‘Stage Fright’ won a 1998 BAFTA Award for Best Short Animated Film. It was also nominated for Crystal Star for Best European Short at the 1998 Brussels International Film Festival, for the Jury Award at the 1998 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, as well as the Best Animated Film Award at the 1998 Molodist International Film Festival. Please Note: You have the added choice option while watching the animated short to hear the audio commentary by Steve Box.
Finally, ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box, and based on a screenplay by Steve Box, Nick Park, Max Burton, and Bob Baker. ‘WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT’ is rampant with tons of wonderful visual puns and again hilarious double entendre. However, the comedy is never indulged at the expense of the plot, which flies off in genuinely unexpected directions, culminating in a boundlessly inventive funfair chase sequence. The supporting cast are clearly having fun but never overshadow the central pairing, Wallace enjoying a spot of romance, while Gromit gets all the cool action scenes. It’s a tribute to Aardman Animation that Gromit, who doesn’t even have a mouth, conveys a cavalcade of emotion, from courage to suspicion to terror. But of course one of the outstanding moments in the Claymation film is when Victor Quartermaine asks the Vicar for a way to defeat the beast; he is told that the Were-Rabbit can only be killed with a gold bullet. "Gold?" Victor Quartermaine asks, momentarily stumped. The Reverend Clement Hedges flashes a toothy grin and declares: "24 CARAT!" There's little doubt that children will love this Claymation animated film. One particular scene that stands out is when the Were-Rabbit howls at the moon and all over the countryside, and the little groups of bunny rabbits simultaneously thump their chests and let out a great loud "Awooooooo." It's pure magic! Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
