Musings in Search of a Muse

The reviews are in and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a sure-fire must-see movie. Rather than subject you to a full review-style commentary by me, I'd just like to hit a few high points:

Kids will love Were-Rabbit because it is a silly animated film unlike that which they are used to seeing. The whole film isn't slick computer graphics simulating reality but rather warm, detailed stop motion animation aided by a computer without any pretentions. The hearts of the animators and directors are right up there on the screen, imperfections and all.

Adults will enjoy the humor that ranges from wry to slapstick to a wee bit mature. In the showing that I attended the older attendees laughed out loud as much as the youth contingent. Further adding to the enjoyment is that Were-Rabbit is faithful to the better "monster" movies of yore - there's an actual plot with depth and genuine character development. Even the bunnies.

Laugh-out-loud-funny is what this film truly is, indeed. I decided about half way through that I'd have to either see it again or make buying the DVD a priority just so I could catch up on the jokes I missed while laughing. The humour isn't quite as Brit as found in previous incarnations, but there is enough that the cultural cognoscenti will have a few extra laughs.

Wallace and Gromit fans -- and Aardman fans in general -- will take to this movie like Wensleydale to a cracker just for the visual tid-bits and not-so-inside jokes found in nearly every scene through the cleverness of the art direction. The picture (left) of Lady Tottington is a good example. Sometimes the visual punnery is this obvious while other times it leaves you scratching your head thinking "Did I just see ..." while the merriment continues. Like the best Marx Brothers, this film will keep you on your toes.

The dialogue also runs the gamut from witty obliviousness to pie-in-the-face obviousness. Here the town constable, PC McIntosh (whose name we don't learn until the credits - talk about subtle) is addressing a meeting of townsfolk:

PC McIntosh: [the townspeople are discussing the attack on their vegetables] If you ask me, this was arson!
Townspeople: [gasp!]
PC McIntosh: Yeah. Someone arsen' around!

Were-Rabbit may not be as artsy as other animated flicks this year and it may not have a huge studio behind it as yet others do, but it is certainly Oscar-worthy because it is a complete package. "Wallace and Gromit have the additional quality of being lovable beyond all measure, inhabiting a world of British eccentricity that produces dialogue such as: 'This is worse than 1972, when there were slugs the size of pigs'" (Ebert*). No element has been sacrificed for the sake of another. I would not be afraid to recommend Were-Rabbit to anybody without a fetish for hasenpfeffer.

Come to think of it, I might go see it again tomorrow.

For Your Consideration:

• BBC News coverage
• *Roger Ebert's complete review
• Associated Press "Mind-bogglingly elaborate yet undeniably cute, five years in the making yet utterly timeless, 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' finally comes to the big screen, and it's a complete delight."