Review of The Wrong Trousers (1993) by Bryan G — 17 Oct 2005

[font=Courier New]In addition to my review for [i]Curse of the Were-Rabbit[/i], I wanted to put a little blurb about the three [i]Wallace and Gromit[/i] shorts. All are great in there own way, but some are better than the rest. You can get these three, along with some mini-shorts, on the [i]Wallace and Gromit In Three Amazing Adventures[/i] DVD.

[i]A Grand Day Out[/i] will probably seem really outdated to newcomers to these great characters. It was the first animated short. It took Nick Park many years to fully animate this movie, and his passion shows. While the story is simple, it still shows the great things to come with these great characters.

After the cheese loving duo run out of cheese, Wallace and Gromit take off in a homemade rocket to the moon. Why? Because the moon is made of cheese of coarse. When they arrive, everything seems okay. But a coin operated robot may have other things in store for them.

While this film doesn?t compare to the later ones, I still give it respect for creating an imaginative little ride. And you can clearly see that the characters of Wallace and Gromit aren?t some simple minded creation like most of the animation today.

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The Wrong Trousers[/i] was actually the first Wallace and Gromit short I saw. I remember it winning an Oscar, and then PBS showing it one night. And having seen it for the first time in many years, I can still say this is one of the best animated experiences I?ve ever had.

Wallace and Gromit take in a Penguin, who rents a room in there house. The two have has some money troubles, and this cute little tenant seems to be no problem. But it turns out that this penguin is actually a diamond thief, planning on stealing a local exhibit.

This movie is completely insane with using animals as villains and heroes. But somehow, it all works. From beginning to end, you are pulled into this wonderful world of imagination. And the chase scene involving the giant train-set is one of the best movie moments I?ve ever seen.

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A Close Shave[/i] isn?t as great as [i]The Wrong Trousers[/i], but is a slight step above [i]A Grand Day Out[/i]. It did introduce a female character, and for the first time some romance to the world of Wallace and Gromit. This one gets a little to cutesy at times, but still is fun to watch.

Gromit is framed for a rash of sheep-rustling that has been going on. And it turns out that Wendolene, the woman that Wallace is smitten with, may have more to do with all of this than he could have ever expected.

All of these films are cute, and charming. And each is certainly worth seeing. If you see this DVD collection, and don?t have any of the previous releases, pick it up. I can almost guarantee that you won?t be disappointed. [/font].