Wallace & Gromit: Dia de Folga

Wallace and Gromit are a phenomenon. How many stop motion animation films win Oscars, top the US and UK box office charts etc. But all that came later.

A Grand Day Out was the first Wallace and Gromit film. Low budget. More or less a graduation piece. Of course the animation is less sophisticated than in the later films. Of course the plot is a little shallow. The entire story is designed to minimise the need for sophisticated animation and to maximise the excuse for shortcomings (perhaps dogs and people would move a bit like that on a cheese moon).

Yet it is extraordinary to see how much of the Aardman genius is already there in this short film. Hilarious and clever references to other films. Mice in shades for take off. The rocket handbrake gag. Coin-operated machine gags (brilliantly recycled in Were-Rabbit BTW). And a machine (is it an Aga?) that daydreams about skiing when it sees Wallace's holiday magazines.

Of course TWT, ACS and Were-Rabbit are better movies, but this film is so worth seeing as a sign of early genius and indeed in its own right as a crude but wonderful animated film.

Although A Grand Day Out is arguably the weakest of the three existing Wallace and Gromit films, it's still very funny, and very entertaining. This was my first W and G experience. I heard the uncontrolled sounds of hysterical laughter from my family in the next room as a refrigerator on the moon dreamt of skiing down slopes (don't ask, watch.) Everyone, from ages 3-103 will be at least slightly amused by any W and G skit. I also recommend A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Nick Park has delighted many with his unique creations. Wallace and Gromit is the best of the lot, though Chicken Run is great too. Although this is the weakest offering from them(some of the clay was a bit runny), it is still hilarious. Wallace is superlatively voiced by Peter Sallis, and it is pretty much a one-man show. I loved Gromit, and although he never speaks, his facial expressions are priceless. I loved the idea of Wallace thinking the moon was made of cheese, and the plot never ran out of steam. The scenes on the moon, with the yellow box on wheels, were well done too. in conclusion, although this is the weakest short in terms of quality, the one that started it all is well worth watching. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

Nick Park has created such funny characters with Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit. This time, they run out of cheese and decide to get it on the moon, as 'everybody knows it's made of cheese'.

They make their own spaceship and finally make it to the moon, where the cheese doesn't really taste like anything and they have an encounter with a local robot, whose secret dream is it to ski (as we see in a lovely dream sequence with the W&G theme playing on the background, loved that!).

This short picture is so funny, I can recommend it to anyone. Maybe not as much though as the even more brilliant 'The Wrong Trousers'... oh heck, what am I talking, watch all the W&G right now! You'll be glad you did.

8/10.

In this Wallace and Gromit short, the clay twosome voyage to the moon in order to replenish their cheese supplies. They also learn that traffic wardens have dreams too. This is stylish and funny and will leave you wanting to see more.

To my mind, this is the best W&G outing. Let me explain. I agree that the characters are not as developed as they were in 'The Wrong Trousers' or 'A Close Shave' and also the plot is weaker. Some of the models are not as refined as they came to be (this is after all the first W&G film).

What it has that the other W&G offerings lack is that feeling of sadness and mood that the 'The Wrong Trousers' and 'A Close Shave' replace with story telling. This is closer to Tom and Jerry than it is to Chicken Run. It has laughs sure, but the feeling I have when the credits role is of one of wistfulness and a slight melancholy. Not bad for 20 minutes of plasticine animation!

See this Wallace and Gromit, then move onto the others asap.