Wallace & Gromit find that baking is A Matter of Loaf and Death
Written: Jan 13 '09 (Updated Jan 14 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Gloriosuly animated, lots of humour, Wallace and Gromit are back!
Cons: The story is very simple and predictable.
The Bottom Line: The Wallace & Gromit movies are that rare breed: age really doesn't matter. Just sit back, relax and enjoy!
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| captaind's Full Review: Wallace and Gromit - A Matter of Loaf and Death |
Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death is the fourth animated short starring the loveable claymation characters. Wallace is an absent-minded inventor who comes up with an endless series of weird and wonderful creations, most of which end up causing mayhem. He also falls in love quickly which creates many more dilemmas. His love of cheese is insatiable, which can at times instigate yet more anxiety for various reasons. Of course most of the many problems caused by Wallace are solved, not by himself, but by his faithful, very long-suffering dog, Gromit.
Gromit has the most expressive eyebrows in history and they are fully in use here. Without giving away too much plot (it is only a 30-minute animation after all), Wallace & Gromit are now successful bakers. All is going smoothly until Piella, a woman who used to appear in the famous "Bake O Lite" commercials comes into Wallace's life... it's love at first sight of course, and there also seems to be an attraction between Gromit and Fifi, Piella's dog. Worryingly enough there has been a spate of bakers being murdered... it doesn't take too much effort to work out that there's a link there...
The predictability of the story is Loaf and Death's main weakness, but then we've never really watched W&G because of the storylines. The claymation is as good as ever, the inventions as whacky and outlandish as always, and the humour is great. What makes these Aardman Animation movies so good is the attention to detail, both in terms of the animation itself - little details add greatly to the overall effect - and the amount of things happening at any one time. While the main story is admittedly simple, in each scene there are little escapades going on in the background, sneaky references to movies, and almost hidden gems that enhance the film no end. A veritable feast of cheesy jokes and a plethora of inventive sight gags await your delectation here.
Peter Sallis continues to voice Wallace wonderfully, and it's impossible to imagine anyone else ever voicing the character, while Julian Notts' music never gets old. The series' inventor and Director of this and the other movies, Nick Park, is a genius. Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death is another fine addition to the body of evidence supporting this statement. Bob Baker returns to writing duties, co-writing the screenplay with Nick Park.
Final Verdict
This isn't my favourite Wallace & Gromit - that is still The Wrong Trousers - but it's a hugely entertaining little movie and one that will make all fans of the characters happy. It first aired in the UK on BBC1 on 25th December 2008, and the DVD is already listed on Amazon. While the RRP of £14.99 and Amazon price of £9.99 seems a little steep even though no doubt there'll be extra features, it's definitely one to look out for when it comes down in price a little or if it gets included in a bundle with the other W&G movies.
Voice Cast:
Peter Sallis ... Wallace
Sally Lindsay ... Piella
Melissa Collier ... Fluffles
Sarah Laborde ... Bake O Lite Singer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geraldine McEwan ... Miss Thripp (uncredited)
Claymation / Aardman Animation Links
A Grand Day Out - Wallace and Gromit's first adventure.
The Wrong Trousers - the second and my favourite W&G short film
A Close Shave - the third W&G films, featuring sheep!
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - the dynamic duo's first feature-length film!
Chicken Run - Aardman Animation's first feature-length claymation movie
Learn more about Claymation
Recommended:
Yes
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