Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was one of my most anticipated films of 2024. Curse of the Were-Rabbit is amongst my favourite animated films of all time, and while I’m not in love with the shorts, they are incredibly charming and likable. However, when it came out that Feathers McGraw was going to be returning as a villain, I was somewhat skeptical. I don’t have any real nostalgia connected to Wallace & Gromit, so bringing back an old character just screamed of lazy fanservice to me. 

However, those fears were put to rest. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was an absolute delight that I am grateful I was able to witness in theaters. Stop-motion animation is something I have a massive amount of respect for because of the pure time and talent required to make it work. When I was younger, I would make little stop motion shorts that would end up being around 2 minutes or so and took several hours to finish. An 80-minute feature requires infinitely more effort and patience, so I have a gargantuan amount of respect for this craft. The animation is phenomenal, with there being so much personality and character. Every detail, from small character moments to fun background gags to the focal points of every scene, is brought to life with so much care.

Animation is an inventive medium that allows for so many possibilities, but occasionally stop-motion animated films can fail to make the most out of their medium and feel slight as a result. This is not the case for this film, which has a very strong, fun and creative third act that demonstrates how the sky is truly the limit in the world of animation. 

The film also allows for a lot of personality through the characters, even those that don’t talk. Wallace & Gromit are incredibly likable and charming protagonists and Ben Whitehead does a remarkably good voice that sounds as though the late, great Peter Sallis was still playing the role today. Meanwhile, Feathers McGraw is the antagonist of the film. While I would’ve preferred him to have a more Hannibal Lecter-esque role (in that he’s locked in prison but he helps Wallace & Gromit deal with a new villain), he’s still an incredibly fun villain. He is given so much personality without a line of dialogue, which is an incredible feat I respect the film greatly for. There are so many fun bits with Feathers McGraw, but the film never forgets to remind the audience that he is a legitimate threat. There are some other supporting characters who are all fun to watch but are largely there to fill out the cast. Alas, no voice actor is able to stand out in the way that Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter did in Were-Rabbit.

Though the premise at the heart of this film is simple, it is expanded on wonderfully. I will say that the film does take a little bit to get going. There is a decent amount of setup that takes a bit too long to get to the point. However, after about 40 minutes, it comes alive completely with so much inventive, beautiful animation. The third act especially allows the film to justify why it had to be a film as opposed to being another half hour short. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is one of the most charming, likeable and just darn fun films I have had the pleasure of seeing this year. I can only hope that we get more Wallace & Gromit for years to come.

8/10