STEVE BOX, NICK PARK

Bil’s rating (out of 5):   BBBB. 

United Kingdom, 2005.  Aardman Animations, DreamWorks Animation.  Screenplay by Steve Box, Nick Park, Mark Burton, Bob Baker, based on characters created by Nick Park.  Cinematography by Tristan Oliver, Dave Alex Riddett.  Produced by Claire Jennings, Peter Lord, Nick Park, Carla Shelley, David Sproxton.  Music by Julian Nott.  Production Design by Phil Lewis.  Film Editing by David McCormick, Angharad Owen, Gregory Perler.  

Your favourite adorable claymation heroes are back, and this time they’ve been given their very first feature film. Clever inventor Wallace and his ever-talented dog Gromit run a successful business ridding their neighbours of pesky rabbits who threaten their vegetable gardens. Wallace and Gromit’s township is having a festival of giant vegetables in a matter of days, and it is very important to the citizens that their pet projects remain untouched, which is where the duo’s humane (i.e. they don’t kill the bunnies) operation proves useful.  After Wallace experiments with his mind-influencing machine on one of his bunny prisoners, he ends up creating a giant monster that terrorizes the neighbourhood’s backyards every time the full moon appears in the sky. Helena Bonham Carter is adorable as the aristocratic hostess of the festival who is also the apple of Wallace’s eye, while Ralph Fiennes gets quite a few chuckles as the dastardly bunny-killing rival who doesn’t believe in humane pest control. Superbly animated, with a terrific screenplay and marvelous direction that lives up to the success of the very popular, Oscar winning short films.

Academy Award:  Best Animated Feature

Toronto International Film Festival:  2005