Starring (the voices of): Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes
Cert: U
Released: 14th October 2005

If you didn't know ... then where have you been?
Wallace (Sallis) is an inventor who likes a spot of cheese. His trusty side-kick, silent partner and saving grace is his dog, Gromit.

It's the annual giant vegetable competition in their village and Wallace and Gromit are running a security venture to keep the residents' allotments safe from the ravaging, destructive appetites of rabbits. Whilst trying to impress Lady Tottingham (Bonham Carter), Wallace devises a machine that will alter the rabbits desire for vegetables and hence humanely solve the pest problem.

But trouble arrives during that lunar powered experiment and a terrible creature is created that devours every scrap of prize worthy vegetation in its path.

It's up to Wallace and Gromit to capture the beast to correct their error, prevent Quartermaine (Fiennes) from killing it, and stay in the good graces of Tottingham.

No end of praise that I give this film could do it enough justice. Wallace and Gromit are British comedy icons in their own right and have finally been deemed worthy of their own feature. Who could have thought that a big-eared, cheese-eating crackpot genius and his mute partner could invoke so much laughter whilst not actually doing very much.

As per usual there is an array of outrageous gizmos and contraptions to perform some of the most mundane tasks (getting out of bed and putting slippers on) as well as some for highly unlikely eventualities (as well as a de-mister, the car has a de-mudder).

The cinematography is astounding; well on a par with the computer generated features that have been swamping the kiddie-flick market for the past decade and captures the atmospherics and action of 'real' films whilst being able to over-exaggerate the elements in their animated form to extra comical success.

The supporting cast are a varying degree of grotesque individuals; their putty moulded faces akin to the likes of League of Gentlemen but each so excellently crafted and acted that it's easy to forget that you're watching hand moulded lumps of plasticene.

Probably the greatest aspect of this film, which has been Aardman's area of expertise since their Creature Comforts, is their attention to the smallest details. The facial expressions of the humans and animals alike make them fascinating to watch. Gromit's disdainful eye rolling becomes one of the funniest running jokes ever and is on a par with the silent talents of Buster Keaton. On top of that are the plethora of things that are going on in the background. A scene doesn't go by where you could catch every element or nuance; vegetables are held in suggestive manners, rabbits attempt to upstage the cast and in-film gags are cracked at every given opportunity.

A truly simple and innocent story with a delightful collection of characters that will keep all ages amused and enough subtleties to allow, perhaps even necessitate, at least a second viewing.