Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

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8.0 Overall Score
Story: 8/10
Acting: 8/10
Visuals: 8/10

Smart humor

Very dry sense of humor isn't for everyone

Movie Info

Movie Name:  Wallace & Gromit:  The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Studio:  Aardman Animations

Genre(s):  Animated/Comedy/Family

Release Date(s):  October 7, 2005

MPAA Rating:  G

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Capturing rabbits and taking names!

It’s Tottington Hall’s Giant Vegetable Competition and the Golden Carrot is at stake. The only thing standing between the town and rabbits is “Anti-Pesto” pest control run by Wallace and his dog Gromit.  When Wallace tries to impress Lady Tottington by creating a way to forever keep rabbit from eating vegetables, he unwittingly unleashes a mutant rabbit monster upon the town.  Hunted by Lord Victor Quartermaine, Wallace and Gromit try to capture the Were-Rabbit first…but the Were-Rabbit has a secret!

Directed by Nick Park, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a stop-motion animation.  The film is based on the Wallace & Gromit shorts by Nick Park that began in 1990.  The movie won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Wallace & Gromit already had a big fan base when this movie was released. Though I am an animation fan, I am not a huge fan of Wallace & Gromit.  That doesn’t mean I don’t like the films, but I don’t seek them out.  Wallace & Gromit:  The Curse of the Were-Rabbit follows in the tradition of other Wallace & Gromit shorts and is strong, but it isn’t necessary my favorite.

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The horror, the horror…

Wallace & Gromit is very dry humor. It has a lot of puns and many of the gags are lengthy set-ups for a smart chuckle rather than a laugh.  This film plays a lot with the clichés of old horror monster movies (which is a good thing) and as a kid I think I would have had a hard time following some of the humor since it primarily seems aimed at adults (though it is kid friendly).

The dialogue and voice actors seem almost secondary in Wallace & Gromit (especially since Gromit is mute). Peter Sallis voices Wallace and a lot of the humor is his bumbling nature but the mute Gromit is the better character.  The movie brings in Ralph Fiennes to play the gun-happy Lord Victor Quatermaine who is trying to woo Lady Tottington and Lady Tottington is voiced by Helena Bonham Carter.

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The Were-Rabbit must die!

The animation like most Aardman Animations is slick. The stop-motion work is slick and maybe not as polished as some of the modern stop-motion animation, but that is part of the charm of the work.  Wallace & Gromit isn’t mean to be perfect and it is the imperfections that gives the work substance unlike computer animation.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit might not be my favorite animated movie but it is a very good animated movie.  I feel that the style and humor make it a little niche in its audience, but obviously it did well so perhaps it is a bigger than I thought.  It is definitely worth seeking out…because the Were-Rabbit stalks at midnight!

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Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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