The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Plot synopsis:
Tottington Hall's annual Giant Vegetable Competition is approaching. The winner of the competition will win the Golden Carrot Award. All are eager to protect their vegetables from damage and thievery by rabbits until the contest, and Wallace and Gromit are cashing in by running a vegetable security and humane pest control business, "Anti-Pesto".However, they are faced with two problems: the first is Wallace's growing weight and the second is inadequate space for the captured rabbits. Wallace comes up with an idea use his Mind Manipulation-O-Matic machine to brainwash the rabbits, allowing them to run freely without harming everyone's gardens. While performing the operation, he accidentally kicks the switch from Suck to Blow and a rabbit gets fused to wallace's head, somehow leaving them with a semi-intelligent rabbit who no longer has the appetite for vegetables, whom they name "Hutch". Soon the town is threatened by the "Were-Rabbit", a giant rabbit-like monster which eats vegetables of any size. During a chaotic yet hilarious town meeting, Anti-Pesto enters into a rivalry with Lord Victor Quartermaine to capture the Were-Rabbit and to win Lady Tottington's heart. After the first night of the Were-Rabbit, the townsfolk start to argue about what to do.Wallace and Gromit come to the theory that Hutch is the Were-Rabbit. Wallace is overjoyed however, because this technically means he has already captured the beast, and goes to tell the good news to Lady Tottington. After a hectic night-time chase and a series of clues, Gromit discovers that the Were-Rabbit is, in fact, Wallace, suffering from the effects of the accident with the Mind Manipulation-O-Matic having caused him and Hutch to each take on aspects of the other; Hutch has gained Wallace's entire personality (right down to his liking for cheese) and even displays Wallace's knack for inventions and regularly repeats some of Wallace's old phrases (e.g. "I do love a bit of Gorgonzola!" or "I'm inventing mostly" ). Victor corners Wallace during the night, jealous of Lady Tottington's growing fondness for him because of his humane practice of pest control (whereas Victor thinks it's more effective to shoot and kill them). But then Wallace falls into the path of moonlight and transforms. Victor, having identified the Were-Rabbit, goes to Reverend Clement Hedges and gains access to "24-carrot" gold bullets - supposedly, the only things capable of killing a Were-Rabbit.The next night, during the final showdown, Victor and his dog Philip capture Gromit, who subsequently escapes and decides to make the ultimate sacrifice by using the marrow he had been growing for the competition as bait for Wallace who, in his rabbit form, has burst in upon the vegetable contest, causing panic. Victor tries to shoot what is apparently the monster, but Gromit is one step ahead of him, using a rabbit costume he and Wallace had created prior to the discovery of the Were-Rabbit's true nature as a trap. Unfortunately, the marrow cannot keep Wallace's attention as Victor tries to take the golden carrot award from a distressed Lady Tottington (The only vaguely bullet-like object left to him after he exhausted the gold bullets provided by the vicar). Wallace ascends to the rooftops, holding a screaming Lady Tottington in his hand. Discovering his identity, she promises to protect him, only to be interrupted by Victor. Meanwhile, in a mid-air dogfight in toy aeroplanes, Philip chases after Gromit. Gromit forces his foe out of the air in a fiery crash and explosion - but Philip manages to hold on to Gromit's plane and the two grapple with each other. The fight rages on and in the end, Gromit releases Philip through the bomb doors and into a bouncy castle.On the roof of Tottington Hall, Gromit's toy biplane circles Wallace, who clings onto the flagpole at the top of the building for dear life. Victor, wielding the Golden Carrot trophy inside a blunderbuss he finds at an antiques table at the fair, tries one last time to shoot Wallace, but Wallace is saved by Gromit, who grabs onto a rope from a flagpole and swings his plane into the path of the improvised bullet. Unfortunately, since it is a toy plane not intended for flying, when Gromit accidentally lets go of the rope, the plane begins to descend rapidly. Wallace jumps from the flagpole and catches the plane, thereby breaking Gromit's fall into the cheese tent below. Victor gloats, but is knocked unconscious by Lady Tottington, using a giant carrot. He falls into the tent too, where Wallace lies unconscious and seemingly dying of his injuries. To protect Wallace from the angry mob outside, Gromit dresses Victor up as the monster (using the marionette he used earlier as a lure for the Were-Rabbit), and throws him out of the tent. Philip, believing Victor to be the beast, bites his master, and the angry mob chases Victor away.Gromit and Tottington tend to Wallace who, seconds later, breathes his last and morphs back into his human form. Gromit, the rabbits, and Lady Tottington are saddened by their loss, but Gromit is able to revive Wallace with a slice of Stinking Bishop cheese. Gromit, for his bravery and his "brave and splendid marrow", was awarded the (now somewhat battered) competition trophy, and Lady Tottington turns Tottington Hall into a wildlife refuge where all the rabbits, including Hutch, can live in peace.

Tags: comedy, psychedelic, humor, cute, entertaining

Review:
So, the new "Wallace and Gromit"-movie is enjoyed best if you watched (and liked) the shorts already, yet it also works on its own.
The movie manages, like "Shrek 1+2" and "The Incredibles", to fulfil high level entertainment for the whole family, with adding a British and at least a little bit darker edge to the humour of American animated movies.The animation is  as expected  superb, and they kept true to the Aardman style because they didn't put in too many digital effects - I realized just a few when it came to Wallace's inventions.Finally, the score works fine in the movie, although one of the main themes definitely is "borrowed" by Randy Edelman's "Dragonheart" score.The bad thing is: It will probably take another six years from now until we can see a new animated gem from Nick Park & Co..
With tons of adult humor hidden beneath the brilliant animation, Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit is one of the few films that perfectly manages to equally appeal to both kids and adults.
Despite the DreamWorks logo slapped onto the poster, this film is mainly from the very creative staff of Aardman Animations.Wallace and Gromit are first seen running a business that protects the townspeople's crops from being ruined by rabbits, which apparently had been running around wild and in great numbers lately.
Simple plot yes, but there is more than meets the eye, be prepared for a few fun surprises along the way, kind of like in the other Wallace and Gromit cartoons.In animated films with little dialogue, it is the animation that has to set the pacing and the mood of the film.
The funniest rabbit in the movie is the "cursed" rabbit himself, to the very end of the movie he had the audience rolling in laughter.Bottom Line: Despite not being as memorable as "The Wrong Trousers", this film is just as good and entertaining as Chicken Run. Unlike almost every movie to come out this year, the movie does not drag at all, clocking in at a short 85 minutes yet containing so much joy and fun, it will leave everyone watching it asking for more.
His painstaking art in the form of Plasitcine claymation is a unique process involving literally thousands of hours (it takes roughly an 8 hour work day to contribute 3 minutes of action to a film; this foray into feature length storytelling took 5 years!) in making his lovable master & loyal dog team take form is finally on the big screen in the duo's first full-length motion picture and it's cracklin' good (to coin a phrase from Wallace's usual reply to all things good!) Park, who co-directed with Steve Box and co-wrote with Mark Burton and Bob Baker, sends up the horror genre in this rollickingly funny and swift paced action comedy with the geeky inventive Wallace (voiced by British vet thespian Salis) and his mute yet loyal (and sharper-minded) mutt Gromit (all furrowing eyebrows and mouth-less insouciance) have devised a service to their community: pest control ("Anti-Pesto" as they are known) for the upcoming Giant Vegetable Festival that has the entire town in the mood for all things vegetative a gigante and the biggest pesk are troublesome rabbits eating the crunchy goods.
Wallace's inventive mind has created a vacuum container that is quick, efficient, and more importantly harmless to the cute vermin that plague the estate of Lady Campanula Tottington (voiced by Bonham Carter, making a fast-break to be the first lady of stop-motion animation what with her earlier turn in "Corpse Bride" a few weeks ago), who is housing the competition and is a love interest for the nerdy Wallace.The only fly-in-the-ointment is vainglorious, bombastic loud-mouth and jerk Victor Quartermaine (voiced by Fiennes, his first attempt in the animated arts coming across as a Patrick Stewart lunged braggard with hilarious results), a badly toupeed wearing macho moron who is plotting to marry Lady Tottington for her riches while he is a chief competitor to W&G's humane attempts by resorting to his trusty guns and nasty bulldog.To add insult to injury the duo are facing a terrible plight in the form of a huge were-rabbit (the titular monster a nice nod to both Universal and Hammer horror flicks) that is terrorizing the village and devouring every veggie in sight.
The two set out to trap and dispose of the creature but there is more than meets the eye as things progress.Relentlessly funny and with such amazing elastic, and kinetic energy to his wonderful clay counterparts, Park and Box have created a truly magical and highly entertaining film with so much amazingly detailed production design to their little world that it may take more than one screening to absorb just how much effort in their blood, sweat and tears have gone into making this instant classic for children of all ages.
His Rube Goldberg-like gift for making the complicated into ease is inspired lunacy that fans will recall from the earlier shorter films "The Wrong Trousers", "A Close Shave" and "A Grand Day Out".But it is in my opinion the wise, silent and long-suffering Gromit, his poached egg eyes of slow-burns and disbelief at what is transpiring, is one of the best animated characters ever created with such an amazing arsenal of exasperated, mouthless expressions and subtle nuances that most live-action actors would kill to accomplish in the attempt of conveying dismay, concern, grief, genuine surprise and relief.
His final chase  a signature of the immensely popular comic team  is ingeniously set and quickly improvised especially his literal dog-fight with the equally soundless bulldog with tenacity, wit and a Chuck Jones fueled smartness that would have Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger green with envy.Wallace and Gromit match the best of Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello and any other classic comedy team that comes to mind; here's hoping their longevity continues on screen for just as long as their predecessors.
The voice casting that includes Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes is excellent.This is Aardman's first feature film in 5 years since the hilarious and adventurous 'Chicken Run' so perhaps one will have to wait 5 more years before the next movie (as the making does take a considerable amount of time).
But when Wallace's experiment to "cure" the rabbits of their vegetable eating desires goes horribly wrong, an overlarge rabbit emerges and goes on a nightly rampage eating everyone's gardens.As with the "Wallace and Gromit" shorts and "Chicken Run," Nick Park fills this film with good humor that can be universally enjoyed.
I'd been a fan of "3-D animation" since the days of George Pal and Art Clokey, and I'd thought myself among the apparent few who felt the Aardman short films not so much funny as charmingly quaint, odd and eccentric, very much a product of their environment, whilst displaying great care, even love, and just incredible craftsmanship in their making.Still, the Claymation specials of the Will Vinton Studios struck me as funnier and more imaginative.
My only problem with The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is that the movie does not take the time to properly introduce Wallace and Gromit to those not familiar with Park's short films.
Coming off the heels of their successful Chicken Run, Aardman Studios returned to what originally made director Nick Park a star in the UK: Wallace is an inventor who loves cheese and whose mind is on the moon, while his silent partner is a dog named Gromit, gifted with common sense.
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit continues Aardman Studios' track record of excellence, in the Oscar-winner for Best Animated Film of 2005.
All in all, the voice acting has a British charm vital for the comedy of the film, though it is perhaps Gromit's lack of voice that offers the most laughs.Pixar Animations is noted for creating family films that offer laughs for viewers both young and old; despite years of attempting to renew their success with Shrek, DreamWorks Animation has yet to produce a film on the same level as their competition, but having procured the rights for this film accomplishes such a goal  even though all the credit must be given to Aardman Studios.
Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers happens to be one of my favorite short animation pieces and although just because it's a Wallace & Gromit film, doesn't mean that I'll love it, I went in expecting to be charmed.And I was.The film was true Wallace & Gromit in form and fashion, this time featuring Wallace & Gromit as humane pest control operatives "Anti-Pesto." Again, featuring many cute Rube-Goldberg-type inventions, cheese, and menacing, but somewhat silly, villains, the film is full of things to adore.There were a couple moments that threw me off, namely a couple of jokes that belong in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, but I suppose it will fly over the heads of the target youth audience.
Actually, I haven't seen a General Audiences rated movie this enjoyable in a while, and minus those moments, this film is good clean fun.Wallace & Gromit's sense of humor is less the laugh-out-loud humor but more the grin-inducing chuckle-laden charming type, with some punny moments, and it works to great effect.
Without saying nary a word or making a single sound, he manages to convey a great deal of emotion and comic excellence, which is quite impressive considering that Gromit is made entirely of clay.The plot is simple and not particularly original, but I was surprised by the inventiveness by which Nick Park and company took a few old stories and refreshed them.
It's a true return to the original heart and soul of Wallace and Gromit, with a sense that they've only gotten better at it in the intervening time.The fact that you can see the fingerprints on the characters, the beautifully expressive faces, the visual puns (they really outdid themselves in that department this time)--it just doesn't miss a beat from beginning to end.Characters like Wallace and Gromit really earn a place in peoples' hearts, and it's always a bit nerve-wracking for me wondering whether the new material that is produced will live up to the extremely high hopes I (and, surely, thousands or millions of others) have for the characters that we feel such a connection to.Thanks to Aardman for caring enough to put out another one that lives up to what seems to me the impossibly high standard they've set for themselves..
However, their humane techniques of capturing these critters, especially the loads from Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter, straight from another stop motion pic The Corpse Bride), led them to a storage problem.Wallace comes up with a hare-brained (pardon the pun) idea of brainwashing the rabbits into becoming non-vegetarians led to a mysterious appearance of a king-sized rabbit haunting the populace, and it's up to our favourite man-dog team to return things back to normal, while fending off the competition from a certain Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes), a poke at a certain Alan Quartermaine.While the storyline's pretty straightforward, and the mystery of the Were-Rabbit would've been a non-event for most moviegoers, what makes this movie enjoyable is the intricate details of the plasticine used in making the characters and town come alive.
It's just a funny exaggerated look at the oddball "Wallace" and his silent-and-smart dog "Gromit." Along the way, it pokes fun people who get carried away with their vegetable gardens, something akin to how the obsessive dog lovers were pictured in "Best Of Show."My only complaints were two typical traits of today's films, animated or not: 1 - let's make the cleric in the film look like a total idiot; 2 - let's overdo the final action scene with the predictable result but way overdone.
One of Britain's most recognisable duos, the claymation Wallace and Gromit (who's other appearances are all cracking adventures too, I might add), bring their home-spun and wholesome humour to the big- screen in a big way with what I can honestly say is one of the funniest films I have had the pleasure of watching, one that is carefully crafted to be a charming and entertaining experience that is almost impossible to fault mainly because there is not a single moment that seems out of place - not to mention the fact that the flick keeps a huge smile on your face throughout; of course it is also beautifully animated and holds a hugely tactile aesthetic that makes each frame feel both grounded and alive, but the piece also places an emphasis on its smartly written screenplay and several nuanced sight-gags to elevate what some could consider simple 'kids- material' into something that can be enjoyed by an extremely wide audience, while its story and visuals also include a couple of nice call-backs to horror movies past which cement the picture as a very cine-literate one that knows its place and relishes it.
The score (provided by Julian Nott) is very good and brings plenty of excitement to certain scenes, while it's always great to hear the fantastic main theme.It's difficult to find a fault with The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, in that it is pretty much what you would want from a Wallace & Gromit film.
The animation world's two best-kept secrets have always been Wallace and Gromit, and creator Nick Park continues to plant the evidence in the duo's first full-length feature, "Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit." Although the stop-motion shorts have won multiple Oscars and the concept seems better suited for more concise storytelling, the quick wit and charms remain along with that trademark tinge of horror."Were-Rabbit" follows Wallace and Gromit's latest business venture, Antipesto, a service that protects the prized vegetables of the town's residents from rabbits using Wallace's high-tech inventions.
A man and his loyal canine run a "friendly" pest removal company, their cosy existence is shattered upon the arrival of a giant "were-rabbit", who is wreaking a trail of destruction on the locals with the annual Giant Fruit & Veg contest looming...Wallace & Gromit have been around for it seems forever, and their innocent adventures providing 25 minutes of entertainment to millions every few years when Nick Park saw fit to put together one of his painstaking hand made plasticine creations frame by frame.The announcement of a film length version was music to the ears of many, (including me) and it doesn't disappoint.
and then rewatch it.Some jokes will thankfully go over the head of the littlies, who will quite happily watch the bunnies and the clever doggie, but aside from Toy Story there really aren't as many adult-friendly moments in everything else on this list than there are in Wallace & Gromit.What you hope kids will learn: I really don't think they set out to teach in these films.What they'll take away: Wallace talks funny.
I fondly remember enjoying the Wallace and Gromit short films as a kid, namely A Grand Day Out and The Wrong Trousers, so I was excited to see how the clay-mation duo's first feature film would turn out and if the old charm would still be there.
In addition, the Were-Rabbit itself looks very funny, both cuddly and a little menacing at the same time.The Reverend's character is not the only thing aimed at more mature audiences: there are references to literature and movies as well as jokes about Lady Tottington's "melons" and Wallace's "nuts" but such winks to older audience members never become too obvious like in some other family films I've seen.
The whole film is put together with a real good nature, and creator Nick Park excellently ensures that every scene is great fun to watch and every joke gets the laughs.
"Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is a very good movie.
These days, I think I've developed a more discriminating critical eye when it comes to movies and I'm usually not one for superlatives but I feel I have no choice when it comes to this absolute bloody delight from claymation master Nick Park.I think going into this film I'd forgotten just how much I enjoyed the other Wallace & Gromit films (the short ones) and so I can't say I was looking forward to this feature-length effort with any great slavering anticipation, but after about twenty minutes I knew I was in for a wonderful treat.Basically, stripped down to nuts and bolts, this film is not a masterpiece - in fact it's nothing more than a romp.
Cheerful, kind and somewhat eccentric inventor Wallace and loyal dog Gromit (aka "The Brains of the Outfit"...) are back with another fun and fantastic adventure in "Curse of the Wererabbit".No spoilers here - you'll just have to go and see for yourself how hysterical this movie is!The short featuring the penguins from "Madagascar" was also too funny.This film is a "Grand Day Out" for all of W&G fans!
Wallace, well you don't really need to say he was voiced well all you have to do is look at the other 3 shorts.But overall it was a great film, well put together, perfect for kids and there was adult jokes in their aw swell.
Suddenly, a huge mysterious veg-ravaging 'beast' begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots at night, and the competition hostess, Lady Tottington, commissions Anti-Pesto to catch it and save the day.It was great to see Wallace & Gromit in a full length movie and as usual, the characters were fantastic, interesting and funny.
If you've enjoyed the previous Wallace and Gromit stories or you're a fan of British humour or you simply love animation, you are in for a treat.Subtle (and not so subtle) humour is mixed in with superb animation (or claymation as Aardman like to call it) and an original entertaining storyline to give us "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit".
If you enjoyed the other Ardman Wallace and Gromit short films, you'll absolutely love "Curse of the Were-Rabbit".