It has been years since audiences have been able to go to the theatre to experience the magic of stop-motion animation and now in less than a month we’ve been treated to two examples of the medium at its best. The lastest is the feature-length debut of Oscar Winner Nick Park’s short subject duo Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit opened to rave reviews, better than expected box office returns, and finished the weekend in the top spot. It is truly deserving of such honors.

For those who have not seen Nick Park’s excellent short films, Wallace is a good-natured, cheese-obsessed everyman inventor whose projects always work but fall short of working to perfection. Gromit is his faithful canine companion who does not speak but says volumes. Wallace’s child-like nature necessitates Gromit occupying the adult supervision role in the relationship. In Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Wallace and Gromit run the humane pest control company Anti-Pesto whose most important mission is to protect the village gardens from hungry rabbits prior to the annual Giant Vegetable Competition. In addition to protecting the gardens of the townspeople Anti-Pesto is also called upon by the illustrious Lady Tottington whose grounds are a veritable rabbit playground. Lady Tottington prefers the non-violent approach, much to the adoration of Wallace. The rotten fruit in this garden romance is Victor Quartermaine who would delight in nothing more than winning Lady Tottington’s hand in marriage while ridding the town of its rabbit infestation the old-fashioned way, by hunting. The unexpected arrival of a monstrously large were-rabbit throws the village in disarray and its demise will become the battleground over which Wallace, Gromit and Quartermaine settle their differences.

Unlike Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Park’s stop-motion animation style is largely claymation. A clay-like substance called plasticine is used as the building block for the characters and much of the set pieces used to film Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The result is different from Corpse Bride and yet equally as amazing. A production crew of 250 took 5 years to complete Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Stop-motion animation/claymation is a painstakingly slow process. Park’s crew considered it a good week when they were able to complete 100 seconds of usable footage. The dedication and love of the idea as well as the process is evident in each frame of the film. It is a delight to watch.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a great family film. The various inventions that litter the film provide a great deal of wonder and humor for young and old alike. There are several very funny moments but what strikes me about this film even more than other child-oriented movies is that many of the truly laugh out loud moments are their for adults, or for very sophisticated children. Much of the humor to be had is in the form of vegetable related puns and quips, much of which is lost on very young children. In addition there are a few Austin Powers inspired moments with vegetables that were more innocent and yet all the more funny due to their unexpected nature.

Curse of the Were-Rabbit also contains a completely different level of humor in that it is a British comedy. There is a dry, sardonic wit present throughout the film and there are similarities to be had with some of the best loved British comedic imports, most notably the books/television series of P.G. Wodehouse and the television series The Vicar of Dibley. Like The Vicar of Dibley, Curse is set in a small, quaint village in which the height of entertainment is the competition to determine who can grow the largest vegetables. A village in which cataclysmic past events, like the Great Storm of ’72, can be talked about and argued about for all of eternity. The similarities of some of the characters in Curse and Vicar were such that I was not at all surprised to learn that the voice of Mrs. Mulch is none other than Liz Smith who played a similar character, Letitia Cropley, in The Vicar of Dibley. Being a fan of the warmth and wit of British comedies like The Vicar of Dibley added greatly to my enjoyment of this film.

There is so much to enjoy about this film. The voice acting from lesser known actors/actresses is equally as impressive as that from well known celebrities like Helena Bohnam Carter and Ralph Fienes. The plethora of vegetable related gags and the easily missed bits of humor, like movie posters with vegetable pun names, make this a movie that I look forward to perusing on DVD. In addition Park’s peppers this film with homages to movies, entertainment and pop culture. One of my favorites is a dogfight between Gromit and Quartermaine’s bulldog that honors Charles Schulz’s great Snoopy vs. the Red Baron battles.

If you are in the mood for a film with a sentimentality that will appeal to both adults and children alike I would encourage you to go see Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The overwhelmingly positive critical reviews are right on target in declaring this one of the best family films of the year.