Wallace & Gromit: Questione di pane o di morte

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Wallace and Gromit have decided to set up their own baking business. One day, Wallace nearly has a traffic accident with the woman who used to be the 'bake-o-lite' girl. They warm to each other and romance starts to blossom-but Gromit, wary as ever (what with past experience!) suspects she's trouble, and what with the spate of serial killings involving local bakers that's been going on lately, maybe he's onto something.

After the success of 2005's film version The Curse of the Were Rabbit, Nick Park's plasticine heroes have become popular again and got enough publicity for a timely new episode last Christmas, that for one reason or another I didn't get to see all the way through. But now I have, and while the technical animation never ceases to impress me, it's now becoming quite clear that in my mind, Park'll never make as great an episode as The Wrong Trousers.

The serial killing theme of this new story might have been a bit too dark and adult to feature in a family film, but one of the trademarks of the franchise, the cheesy puns, are in abundance, from vinyl records Gromit owns by artists like Doggy Osmond and McFlea (as well as The Hound of Music!), to other clever (but not very subtle!) touches like advertisements for flights by Cheesy Jet. The stories in most of the short films revolve around Wallace warming to someone (or something) he's just met and Gromit suspecting (and being proved right!) that they're up to no good, and this is no exception but most of it is carried off with such technical expertise it's a minor quibble.

There's nothing really wrong here, it's just that nothing has (and I doubt ever will) live up to the standard of The Wrong Trousers for me. ***

This was the first Wallace & Gromit short to be made after the big world wide theatrical release and success of the full length animated movie "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". By now the entire world and- not just England anymore, knew who Wallace & Gromit were. This of course made expectations higher than usual and putted on pressure on Nick Park and the rest of the crew. "Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death'" however does what all other previous Wallace & Gromit shorts had also already done in the past and that is to bring some cracking and good looking simple entertainment.

It's probably not as hilarious to watch as the previous Wallace & Gromit shorts but the movie is nevertheless entertaining and of course impressive as well to look at. The animations and possibilities have all advanced, which provides "Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death'" with some even more impressive looking sequences.

The movie is probably less hilarious to watch because of its story. It's a quite sinister- and more of a thriller type of plot. All other Wallace & Gromit movies already sort of had this but this movie just a bit more than others. I must say that the movie even tends to drag a little at points but luckily the movie has more than enough redeeming qualities to qualify this movie as simple a great- and highly entertaining movie.

Another triumph for the Aardman studios.

8/10

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Under rated, I feel, by a sizable amount. Yes it was a bit different to the more innocently silly Wrong Trousers but it was both a post-Wererabbit feature and a clear spoof of Murder mysteries. I loved the cartoony menace rumbling away as the plot thickens. Brilliant references, a great (cartoon) murder thriller atmosphere and the usual fantastic animations and characters. I found it the most gripping and compelling of all W&Gs. There's just enough silliness and action in it for W&G purists while IMO giving a much better, more involving story and a far slicker narrative. I thought it was pretty near to perfection and am surprised so many seem not to be as impressed.

It is a bit different, definitely darker than the early ones but this came after the darkish Wererabbit movie, so this progression is to be expected. Yes it's not as charming and may be on the dark side for young kids, but you have the early ones for eccentric charm. This is post-Wererabbit and is an excellent little murder thriller.

Having gone all Hollywood on us it was a surprise to see Wallace and Gromit back on the small screen with this 30 minute short (which sounds harsh considering the years that goes into making them) for Christmas 2008.

It's great fun from start to finish. Loads of lovely verbal jokes, as well as the classic Aardman style of visual jokes you only see on second viewing.

Peter Sallis is as ever the perfect voice for Wallace, and is much missed.

The bar is set pretty high where Wallace and Gromit are concerned, and while I don't think this short is up there with 'A Close Shave' or 'The Wrong Trousers' it's certain good fun.

Nick Park's favourite creations Wallace and Grommit are back for another short feature, and 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' will appeal to all who loved the earlier stories. Perhaps the duo's latest outing lacks some of the freshness of their original appearances; but the detail of Park's gentle parodies of a certain vision of Englishness is as loving and humorous as ever, and the claymation approach saves the film from the curse of excess speed that mars much computer-generated animation. In some ways, the Wallace and Grommit films feel as if they belong to the world they depict, rather than our own, coarser one; long may they continue!