A Close Shave

Plot synopsis:
In the middle of the night, a small sheep escapes from a mysterious lorry (truck) and enters the house of Wallace and Gromit, who are currently running a window-cleaning business. The next morning, Wallace and Gromit fail to notice the sheep chewing at their food and furniture, as well as their new Porridge Gun, before they leave for work.
While they clean the windows of a wool shop, Wallace meets and falls in love with Wendolene Ramsbottom, the shopkeeper. Wendolene mentions that she inherited the shop from her father who was also an inventor and owns a sinister dog named Preston, who runs a sheep rustling scheme to supply the shop. After returning from work, they finally discover the little lost sheep, who has wrecked their furniture and decorations.
Wallace puts the sheep into one of his inventions: the Knit-o-Matic, a machine for washing and shearing sheep and knitting the wool into jumpers. Gromit programs the machine to give a wash, but a fault causes the sheep to be sucked into the rest of the machine and sheared. When the sheep emerges, Wallace names him "Shaun" (a pun on the word "shorn") and dresses him in the jumper it knitted. Preston spies on the scene while hiding in a flood drain and after they leave, he sneaks in and steals the design blueprints for the Knit-o-Matic.
The next day, Wallace pays Wendolene another visit. Gromit attempts to investigate and find out what Preston is doing, but ends up getting captured by Preston and framed for the sheep rustling. Gromit is arrested and sentenced to life in prison while Wallace finds his house overrun with sheep. Wallace, Shaun and the other sheep rescue Gromit from prison and they hide out in the fields. Wendolene and Preston arrive in the lorry and round up the sheep. Wendolene turns against Preston and demands that he should put an end to the rustling, revealing that Preston intends to use the sheep to make “dog meat”. Preston locks Wendolene in the lorry with the captured sheep and drives away.
Wallace and Gromit, who have been spying on the scene, give chase on their motorcycle. The sidecar Gromit rides in separates, rushes down another road and off the edge of a 2000-foot cliff. Gromit saves himself by activating the sidecar's ability to turn into an aeroplane, and flies after Wallace's motorbike and the lorry. Their attempts to catch Preston fail, and Wallace instead gets himself trapped in the lorry. The captives are transported to Preston's factory, where Preston has used the stolen blueprints to build a giant replica of the Knit-o-Matic machine. The captives are loaded into the wash basin, with Shaun escaping, and Preston pulls out the nozzle to suck them into the shearing machine.
As they fight against the suction, Shaun activates some neon signs, revealing the factory's location to Gromit, who then flies in and attacks Preston with the porridge gun. Shaun then pulls the nozzle away to suck Preston into the Knit-o-Matic, which Gromit programs to give a "Close Shave". Wendolene reveals that Preston is a malfunctioning "cyber dog" built by her father, that has "turned out evil".
Preston breaks out of the machine with his fake fur ripped off, revealing his robotic form. Unable to see after being dressed in a jumper knitted out of his fake fur, Preston accidentally loads himself and Gromit onto the conveyor belt of his "Mutton-o-Matic" mincing machine. Wallace attempts to turn the machine off but inadvertently loads everyone else on as well (except Shaun). As they all fight against the conveyor belt, Shaun swings over them on an anvil and knocks Preston into the machine.
Gromit is exonerated from all charges of the thefts, Wallace has rebuilt Preston back to the harmless pet he used to be, and Wendolene comes by to thank him. However, when Wallace invites her in to have cheese, he discovers that she dislikes cheese, which brings her out in a rash. This is greatly to his dismay ("Not even Wensleydale?") and Wendolene says goodbye and leaves. The film ends with Wallace finding Shaun eating his cheese.

Tags: psychedelic, comedy, entertaining, humor

Review:
Of course, it's only gotten better and better since these were made, capped off recently by a full-length Wallace & Gromit film.I don't think I ever stop laughing looking at the mouths on Wallace and the woman he likes in this story.
It's all silly, of course, but very entertaining and the best of the three short Wallace & Gromit animated films of the period (1989-1993), in my opinion..
But in addition the story is far more engaging, light & humourous compared to the darker more mechanical nature of TWT (my least favourite of the three).For the first time, A Close Shave introduces an extra dimension to the W&G pairing, in the form of Wendolene, a lady woolshop owner who Wallace falls in love with when both he & Gromit clean her shop windows.With the addition of a female into the story we are given a little more character development concerning Wallace.
In fact the next time you have the benefit of seeing a L&H film take note of Ollie's facial expressions to-camera and you'll understand the comparison between him & Gromit.Its now 6 years since the last W&G installment and it is to be hoped that Nick Park will do another follow up.
However, the Dreamworks Studio to which NP is affiliated, may not like having to wait such a long time for the next installment to be made, a may insist on using computer animation rather than clay to speed the production process up somewhat.Chicken Run (2000), NP's first full-feature movie in conjunction with Dreamworks was, on the whole, ok.
Can Wallace get Gromit out of jail in time to foil the sheep rustlers?By this stage Christmas on the BBC was basically better known as the time when we get the new W&G film rather than for the birth of the son of God. This film was THE focus for Christmas day  ITV did everything but stop broadcasting at the same time as this was on  who would want to compete with this?!
Wendolene (gettit?) is not so good and the scenes with Wallace and her don't work as well as the rest.Overall this is very funny despite just falling short of the mark set by `The Wrong Trousers'.
'Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave' is a short featuring the clay animation characters Wallace (an inventor) and Gromit (the inventor's pet dog, who seems to be smarter than the inventor and often the star of the show).
STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits The resurgence in popularity of the plasticine two-some has caused me to also seek out this 1995 entry into the series, the last short film and the only other one I've seen (I don't think I got round to A Grand Day Out.) This time, dodderingly traditional Yorkshire-man Wallace and his faithful manservant Gromit have come up with a spot of bother in the shape of a mysterious pest that's leaving holes in everything in the house, especially the cheese!
But it's still a far-cry from bad, as such impressive model craftsmanship would be, with Park's twisted blur between the laws of man and animal as high as ever, as Gromit is dealt with not by the RSPCA after being wrongfully convicted of sheep-murder, but the police and jail!
It has better clay animation then the other two, the story is excellent, it is never boring (with A Grand Day Out I found some scenes boring) and you can even watch it two times in a row its that good!
In Wallace and Gromit's adventure there is a sheep rustler, Wallace falls in love and Wallace and Gormit are ensare in a malevolent mystery only they can unravel.I saw a close shave years ago but I still really like it all these years later, I think most people that see the Wallace and gromit like them and like them still years later.
Thats whats great about all the Wallace and Gromit movies adults and children alike can enjoy them.Overall I think this is the best in the Wallace and Gromit series and I highly recommend it!.
Sadly, his Wallace and Gromit series is limited to only three, half-hour episodes.Though "The Wrong Trousers" won an Oscar, my favorite is still "A Close Shave."  It has an interesting story and a really positive atmosphere to it.
A lone sheep, later named Shaun, escapes from a sheep rustling plot and hides in the home of eccentric inventor Wallace and his long-suffering dog/best pal Gromit.
With a little help from Shaun, Wallace must rescue Gromit and catch the real crooks.There are more laughs and jokes in this half-hour short than most feature-length comedies manage in their entire running time.
It's simply such a fine and entertaining movie to watch, not in the least because it has Preston, the evil villain dog in it and a whole bunch of sheep.It's an impressive looking movie, with some surprising big sequences.
What I always love about the Wallace & Gromit movies is that they often feature some amazing build-up and shot action sequences and chases in particular.
It's often worth the price alone already.This was the second Wallace & Gromit short to win an Oscar for best animated short, which not only proofs the quality and entertainment level of the Wallace & Gromit shorts but shows as well that you don't need a big budget or impressive new techniques to make a brilliant animated movie with.
As a matter of fact, after this movie Wallace had many more love-interests in later Wallace & Gromit adventures, such as the big theatrical released "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and the latest short "Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death'".It of course are not just the human characters that make this movie but also really the animals.
The sheep in this movie also provide the movie with lots of hilarious moments and they are cute looking as well.perhaps my favorite Wallace & Gromit short.9/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
It takes forever (seemingly), and just two years after Wallace and Gromit's last adventure, we get this superbly animated, well thought out short film, that is actually as exciting as many live action adventure pictures.
Proof that Nick Park and crew are about quality, because after the success of "the Wrong Trousers" it would be easy to cash in on a less than great installment, but thankfully for us, that's not the case.A mysterious wool shortage has plagued the town where Wallace and Gromit, who are now cleaning windows, live.
When thinking of the original three Wallace and Gromit shorts, I've always put this one and the Wrong Trousers nearly on par as perfect shorts, and while I still feel that way, this one falls a little short of their second adventure, and yet this has nothing really wrong with it to make it worse.
When you have two perfect shorts, one is going to probably be favored over the other, and the lack of talking and pure clay animated suspense that "Wrong Trousers" produced stands above this equally wonderful, but more grandiose outing.
Either way, this is seriously great, and one of the greatest short films out there.The animation has improved greatly since "The Wrong Trousers".
A new addition to the score for this film that wasn't in the previous two was the love theme which is almost a parody of love themes, but one that stands on it's own and also works perfectly in the scenes.Wallace and Gromit represent not just quality animation, but also top notch writing, well thought out jokes and gags, fantastic direction from Nick Park, and proof that animation is not just for kids.
Additionally, if you watch this film and the later full-length movie, WALLACE & GROMIT AND THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, you'll see that there are some similarities in the stories.
An adventure follows that could only exist in a Wallace and Gromit film and includes, among other things, a hilarious truck/motorcycle chase with the help of an incredibly coordinated flock of helpful sheep.
Nick Park certainly always knows how to come up with something clever in these cartoons, and you'd better believe that he does just that in "Wallace & Gromit in A Close Shave".
England is experiencing a wool-shortage, sheep are disappearing, and Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) is sweet on Wendolene (voiced by Anne Reid) a charming, but mysterious, wool shop owner with a sinister looking dog.
Everything has been replicated with a level of observation that leaves you feeling nothing but admiration for the level of craftsanship that Nick Park and his team possess.The best thing about 'A Close Shave' however is that the story is excellent, the humour is well done and the characters are extremely well conceived.
tuned in to watch 'A Close Shave' on Christmas Day 1995, the result of three years of hard labour by Nick Park and his team and follow-up to the amazing 'The Wrong Trousers'.
Again, we are reacquainted with the somewhat eccentric and VERY British inventor Wallace and his trusted, sane sidekick, Gromit the Dog. And amazingly, this time the standard of animation is even higher than his previous effort.Where 'The Wrong Trousers' had Hitchcock as spiritual father- the rather dark tale of a mysterious *penguin* that takes over Gromits place in the house, woos Wallace and uses his inventions for its evil purpose- 'A Close Shave' has a much lighter air, more Spielberg if you may.This time we get even more chase scenes, more jokes, more references to TV-shows, movies than in earlier W&G outings and goodness, there's even some love in the air for Wallace.
In a world where feature films cost more to make each year, where the explosions get bigger, the profanity louder, the sex and violence more prolific, "A close shave" is an object lesson in how to entertain.A clever script, faultless animation, extreme attention to detail and plain hard work has created something which may never be bettered.This film, although a short feature, will stand repeated viewings, and bring almost uncontrollable laughter to all ages, types..
It's those little things that make Wallace and Gromit so much fun I guess.The sheep are being stolen from the farmers by the owner of a wool shop Wallace takes a liking into, and her (mechanical) dog.
Gromit is taken for the thief mistakenly and sentenced to life, before Wallace and the sheep free him and all ends well.Really funny stuff by the Aardman people but it's no match for the brilliant 'The Wrong Trousers'.7/10..
I have no idea what I have just seen.After the first two Wallace and Gromit shorts I had high expectations for the third.I couldn't have been more disappointed.For some reason W & G are window cleaners this time.By the time you stop thinking about that, it's too late to just turn it off.Wallace falls in love with the owner of a wool shop whose windows they clean.Her name is Wendolene Ramsbottom and I'm not sure how I feel about that.On one hand I get that it's a genius joke, naming her after a window cleaning product and an animal that is similar to a sheep.At the same time it doesn't make any sense because she doesn't clean windows and no one gets wool from rams.Maybe I'm over thinking her name but it's the most interesting thing about this short.My least favorite thing about this is that they take the newspaper joke from The Wrong Trousers and use it to death, without it ever being funny.I heard they made a Shaun The Sheep movie and I shudder to think what it may be like.Kids might enjoy this but it's definitely not for everyone.Anyone over 10 should pass on this..
Wallace (Peter Sallis) falls for Wendolene (Anne Reid), a wool shop owner, while Gromit is framed for the sheep rustling.I have now seen just about every Wallace and Gromit cartoon and I am still confused by their popularity.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor "The Wrong Trousers", "A Close Shave" won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1996.Not only was it given an award, but Shaun, the youngest of the flock of sheep in this feature, proved to be a very popular character and in 2007 was given a TV series, "Shaun the Sheep", which has been broadcast worldwide.
This here is the third Wallace and Gromit short film.This was aired 2 years after the previous one.Has the same style as in "Wrong Trousers" If you like Sheep then this one would be recommended to you.
And plenty of sheep with wool to last you for more than a year.It's yet another fine Wallace and Gromit film to see..
Her dog Preston takes an instant dislike to Wallace's dog Gromit - meanwhile Wallace works on more inventions, including a knitting machine, and there is a cute little lost sheep by the name of Shaun.The action gets a bit repetitive but again Gromit gets to outwit the opposition and save the day.
I don't think I liked this one quite as much as I enjoyed "The Wrong Trousers", but it's still an excellent film.
If you liked the other Wallace And Gromit films, then you should most definitely see this one as well.
This is the third animation short involving the characters Wallace and Gromit, from Aardman Studios, a British studio whose speciality is stop-motion animations.
Meanwhile, Wallace begins to date the owner of a wool shop, at the same time as Gromit is charged of the sheep abductions.
Everyone has their own personal taste in films and TV shows but I'm yet to find anyone who doesn't love the 'Wallace & Gromit' series.
'A Close Shave' is another wonderfully imaginative and entertaining short and, like the rest in the series, a film that just never gets old no matter how many times you've seen it.The attention to detail and the amount of effort that must have gone into every frame is mind blowing.
The third 'Wallace and Gromit' adventure has lost none of it's charm 21 years later, even in our age of 3D and computer animated films.The reason for this is mainly because everything Aardman do is so homemade, so charming, you can literally see the finger marks on the models.
There's charm at every turn and is so quintessentially British that we fall in love with Wallace and Gromit from the word go.The previous outing 'The Wrong Trousers' is many people's favourite of their films, but for me this one is right up there..
I love the fact that as an audience we are put through a series of emotions like any "regular" film would - joy at the romance between Wallace and Wendelene, pity for poor Gromit, the dog who goes through so much and it is rewarded by being put in prison, etc.
This was my first Wallace and Gromit film short and by the looks of other reviewers here, it might be I picked the best of the bunch to start with.
I thought it entertaining enough but don't think it merits it's high rating on IMDb. What I look for in animated films are the sight gags and clever one liners, so I got a kick out of Gromit reading 'Crime and Punishment' by Fido Dogstoyevsky.
It's a great film with some good old Wallace and gromit humour aka sheep falling on Wallace I truly recommend it!.
Wallace & Gromit made a likable debut with A Grand Day Out. The film had some problems to iron out, but by the time of The Wrong Trousers, Nick Park had gained a command of the stop-motion process, and captured lightning in a bottle.
With every Wallace & Gromit film, the animators refine they're craft a little bit further.
The Wrong Trousers has a slight edge over it, but A Close Shave is yet another lively, hilarious Wallace & Gromit adventure.A Grand Day Out had a giddy innocence to it.
Wallace falls for Wendoline, the owner of a wool-shop he (or rather Gromit) does the windows for.
A secret that ropes Wallace & Gromit into an adventure with sheep rustlers and a dog who is not the good shepherd he appears.Every film in the series develops an increasing maturation.
Its difficult to remember at this point that A Close Shave was made by the same team of animators who produced the light romanticism of A Grand Day Out. Aardman are working from an all new rule book.The Wrong Trousers had a seriousness to it over its predecessor.
We need to remind ourselves here that we're watching a Wallace & Gromit picture.That doesn't mean the film isn't funny.
Anne Reid gives a sympathetic voice to Wendoline's plight, and never comes between the delightful double-act of Wallace and Gromit, always the heart of the series.One of the best things about The Wrong Trousers was the surprising poignancy Nick Park managed to make us feel for Gromit, watching Feathers McGraw slowly oust him from Wallace's house.
But A Close Shave takes several viewings to get a proper grasp of the narrative, meaning its not as dramatically taut as The Wrong Trousers, or as instantly accessible as A Grand Day Out.We would have to wait a staggering ten years for the next instalment, Wallace & Gromit's feature film debut, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, a delightful story just as engaging as any of the shorts.
A CLOSE SHAVE was, for me, the first time I was disappointed by the Wallace and Gromit series.
If Gromit is to be saved and the real criminal punished Wallace will have to help Shaun and the other sheep break Gromit out of gaol then confront the evil Preston who isn't quite what he initially appears.To my mind 'The Wrong Trousers' is the best 'Wallace and Gromit' story but this is almost as good; it has all the elements we've come to expect.