A joyous (but flawed) release celebrating Aardman Animation’s beloved duo
It was Christmas 1990 that I first met Wallace and Gromit. I remember the adverts, the quirky promise of what looked to be a quintessentially British comedy adventure. When A Grand Day Out aired it delivered that, and instantly etched two characters into our lexicon. Building the stop-motion magic of Aardman Animations (and creator Nick Park) takes time, but over the past few decades we’ve seentheir short film exploits in The Wrong Trousers (’93), A Close Shave (’95), A Matter of Loaf and Death (’08), the mini-series Cracking Contraptions, and a feature film, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (’05).
These are just exemplary puns, but testaments to the humor and craft of Aardman Animations. For the unknowing, Wallace is a rather befuddled old sort who happily resides in the North of England (Wigan to be precise) with his faithful hound Gromit. An inventor by trade, it’s his pursuit of technological marvels to make life easier that is usually the source of the (mis)adventures he gets drawn into. Gromit, when not by his side, is typically putting out the fires ignited by his ‘owner’. A smart, streetwise canine, who is all too often put through the wringer and usually saves the day.
A Grand Day Out saw a cheese shortage (the pair’s favorite food) launch the pair off to the moon to see if it really made of the stuff. The Wrong Trousers cemented their status with a heist scheme encircling Wallace’s latest invention and their new, mysterious lodger. A Close Shave opened up Wallace to the possibility of love, and the scourge of sheep rustling, while A Matter of Loaf and Death saw the duo launch their own bakery and solve the ensuing mystery of disappearing competitors. All shorts, perfectly spun yarns under 30 minutes. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was a full blown feature where a monstrous force is threatening the town’s prized vegetables, just before the annual competition. It’s quirky and whimsical fare with each entry to the series feels like a familiar warm hug, yet packed with inventive and playful fare. With witty scripts, a treasure trove of visual gags, an array of superb voice-performers, and a singular aesthetic that makes champions the use and character afforded by stop-motion animation.
For over 30 years Wallace and Gromit have delighted us, and this set from Shout! Factory isn’t just striving to celebrate the past, but the upcoming release of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl which lands on the BBC on Christmas day, rolling out internationally over Netflix from January 3rd, 2025. Having already seen the film, I can happily attest it delivers another adorably whimsical adventure for this beloved duo.
The Package
The package adorably replicates an old school travel suitcase that you’d expect to see carried by Wallace himself. Adorned with stickers from their many adventures, and with a removable slip that details the contents of the package.
The case flips open to reveal a full color booklet (more below), a sheet of stickers, and a card disc holder.
The disc holder opens to reveal a gatefold of the pair, tucked away within are three discs hosting the shots, feature, and extras.
The booklet is 24 pages and showcases a mix of stills, original art, playful blueprints (of Wallace’s many inventions), a few articles on the series, and a selection of recipes, all involving cheese.
The Transfer
The notable aspect of this release is the 4K-transfers/updates to the shorts, Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Cracking Contraptions remain Blu-ray releases. As someone who owned all three on VHS and DVD, the release is overall a significant step-up. The colors are robust and well saturated, blacks are strong, detail impresses too. You can even see some of the fingerprints left in the clay figures. these films are a labor of love and the 4K presentation drives that home.
It should be noted that this release has come under some scrutiny and it is apparent while watching that some aspects of the transfer show off some over processing. Noise reduction is often cranked up and it’s been indicated that AI smoothing might be responsible. This is most apparent in reducing some detail, largely in regards to background detail. Best examples of this are in some of the glimpsed newspapers and labels. These often include throwaway visual gags (or hints at plot points), which can be argued are integral to the sharp ongoing humor so associated with the series. I’m a devotee of physical media, and an advocate for AI-free restorations, clearly this release conflicts with that. Is it the most authentic and best possible representation, perhaps not. Is this the best presentation of Wallace on Gromit currently available, yes. The package is superb, the visual presentation is flawed. It doesn’t detract from overall enjoyment of the shorts, but is a cautionary tale about how to approach a transfer and restoration.
Extra Features:
- Peter Lord & Nick Park Interview: The studio founder and head honcho/W&G creator talk about the studio, their niche, approach and ethic, and the challenge and character of using stop-motion techniques
- Audio Commentaries: Great accompaniments to the film with insights into both some of the technical challenges and approaches, script/character development, and some of the Easter eggs littered in the works
- “The Amazing World Of Wallace & Gromit”: Only 15 minutes in length, but it packs in a lot about the creation of W&G, and their popularity around the world
- Cracking Contraptions: A series of 10 short-shorts, each with Wallace showing off a brand new invention to Gromit. A nice burst of the wit and whimsy you’d expect
- “Inside The Wrong Trousers”: A nicely put together making of that complements the audio commentary pretty well, albeit draws from other talent involved in the production
- A Close Shave – How They Did It: As above
- The Making Of A Matter Of Loaf And Death – How They Donut: The last making of
- When Wallace Met Harvey: A look at the use of the duo in an ad campaign for department store Harvey Nichols
- 28-Page Booklet, Picture Gallery, Invention Blueprints
Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection is available via Shout! Factory from December 3rd
About Wallace & Gromit
Wallace and Gromit, Aardman’s most loved and iconic duo have been delighting family audiences around the world for 30 years. First hitting our screens in Nick Park’s Academy Award®-winning ‘Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out’ (1989) the pair went on to star in three further half hour specials (Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993), Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995) and Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf or Death (2009)) and a feature length film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and are internationally celebrated winning over 100 awards at festivals – including 3 Academy Awards® and 5 BAFTA® Awards.
