Weekend Watch: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The claymation duo returns in fine form

Image Credit: Netflix

Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, where I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, . Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite and Threads/Instagram: @jammerwhite

While I realize that the vast majority of my UK readers have already seen the new offering from Aardman Animations –– if the huge Christmas Day viewing figures and follow-up via streaming are anything to go by the new Wallace & Gromit outing was a huge success.

And deservedly so.

For the benefit of those who didn’t watch it, and those outside the UK who are now able to access it on Netflix, Vengeance Most Fowl is just the latest adventure for Claymation duo Wallace and Gromit. Created by Nick Park (who returns to co-direct here), Wallace is an enthusiastic, but careless inventor whose work often gets him into trouble. Gromit, meanwhile, is his faithful hound who has to sort everything out each time. Despite not uttering a word, Gromit is one of the most expressive characters out there.

Taking a story strand from way back in 1993 short The Wrong Trousers, the new movie sees the return of crafty criminal penguin Feathers McGraw (who, like Gromit, is silent but totally communicative) who was sent to prison by our heroes following a jewel heist. Here, he’s managed to escape and has hatched a plan to wreak vengeance on our loveable duo.

What follows is a tale of smart gnomes (the robotically cheery/scary Norbot, voiced by Reece Shearsmith) and the usual top–notch blend of puns, action and character work we’ve long come to expect from both Aardman and our heroes.

While some of the references might leave those outside the UK wondering what they mean, none of that distracts from the sheer joy of seeing Wallace and Gromit back on our screens. This new film might not quite be on the level of, say, The Wrong Trousers, but it’s still fantastically entertaining.

Welcome back, pals…

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is on Netflix in the US now, and available via the BBC iPlayer in the UK.