Wallace & Gromit : Un mauvais pantalon

In my opinion, Wallace & Gromit are to modern animation what Bugs Bunny was to classic cartoons: they truly set the standards. Following "Creature Comforts", Nick Park made "The Wrong Trousers". W&G take in a penguin as a boarder, and the little guy soon becomes Wallace's favorite. Gromit decides to leave, but then it turns out that this is no ordinary penguin.

I think that my favorite scene was Wallace "walking" around in the trousers; they must have had fun filming that scene. Watching these cartoons, one can see that "Chicken Run" was coming eventually. All in all, this is a cartoon that you can't afford to miss. Perfect.

A prodigy of animation, "The Wrong Trousers" won the Oscar for best animated short. Nick Park is at fine shape here, as he displays not only the skill of his craft but also a narrative coherence and care that nearly overpasses the artistic talent. It's the advantage of stop-motion animation: each shot is carefully studied and considered, and the story moves forward having Gromit the dog as the main character, and he succeeds all the way in convincing us of his "acting skills", even though he doesn't say one word or make one sound. The film has a great plot: Wallace and Gromit are forced to let a room, and a grim penguin applies for it. Soon, the intruder takes over the house and replaces Gromit as Wallace's best friend. But there is more than meets the eye, and the rest of the story is too good to be spoiled. Constructing suspense to the very end, with hair-raising sequences until the last spectacular showdown and applying all the formulae that make a god movie, this is animation on the top of its game, and a great opportunity to see just how much you can raise the bar on claymation short features. Talent has never been so evident.

Nick Park's hysterical plasticine duo Wallace and Gromit are back in this, their second outing, pitting themselves against the plotting penguine whose devious nature is taking advantage of Wallace's niavity. However, the ever suspicious Gromit is seeing through the Penguine's frosty exterior and sets out to uncover his secret scheming shadowy plan. The Wrong Trousers is the best so far from Peter Lord and Nick Park, putting even the outstanding Chicken Run and Close Shave in it's shadow. The characterisation is simply electrical. The ever suffering but mute Gromit and the clumsy well meaning Wallace muddle their way to stopping a truely outstanding criminal genius penguine (whose pesona is portrayed with such subtlety and effect that the cute bird becomes the very essence of evil). Park and Lord's pace and cinematography in this animation medium are truely world leading, climaxing in the mad mayhem of a train-set chase through their house. The plot is simple yet full of nuances and details (check out the headline's on Wallace's newspaper and the wall paper in Gromit's bedroom)raising this above even the best that that big studios can produce. A film almost without fault which pays homage to the greatest and most farciscal works of the great Ealing comedy era (there is something sinister happening but, it isn't that sinister really). Watch this film and let the quality and clarity of the humour seep into your soul. A true mile-stone of animation which deserved it's oscar like no other animation ever will.

The best film of the Wallace and Gromit trilogy, and one of the greatest films, period. Nick Park and the animators at Aardman are some true talents and gifted storytellers. Nick Park has made some great clay stop motion cartoons before, such as Creature Comforts, but with The Wrong Trousers he really topped himself. The technical aspects of the movie are amazing. The noirish lighting, the attention to detail, the small jokes in the background, the camera compositions and the fluid animation (it doesn't have that herky-jerky look of most clay animated films) are awe-inspiring by themselves, but combined with such a witty story and appealing characters the result is something that truly deserves to be called a classic.

In order to help make ends meet Wallace decides to rent out their spare room. However the new lodger takes Gromit's room and puts him out in the dog house. Meanwhile Wallace continues work on a pair of remote controlled trousers. But is the new lodger as innocent a chicken as he appears? Wallace finds himself part of a major jewel robbery – can Gromit return in time to save him?

The second of the adventures of Wallace & Gromit sees the animation greatly improve and the comedy oh so very sharp and funny. The basic plot is a little silly but very well crafted considering this is a short film – I wish many `proper' films had plots this clever and imaginative. It is also absolutely a wonder to watch – even when I wasn't laughing I was easily charmed by the wit and imagination of the whole thing.

The animation is superb, Wallace is as good as ever and Gromit is much more fully developed and is easily the star. The penguin however threatens to steal the show as well as the jewel. How can a plastercine penguin with a glove on it's head that likes listening to organ music be threatening? Well it can – here he snaps his head round and stares with such menace that it's frightening! They all work well together but Gromit takes the film by a nose.

With all those brain dead kids cartoons around on TV this should be treasured. Adults will love it as there is plenty of detail for them to enjoy and kids will totally fall for the rich comedy and well animated characters. A wonderful little gem.