In the absence of a (decent) feel-good action caper in 2005 – Spielberg turning his efforts to darker pastures, and Batman – although superb – was hardly ‘cheery’ was he? – it seems the mantle of high-octane adventure, comic partnerships, and glib one-liners fell to the shoulders of one man and his dog;

i.e. the irrepressible Wallace & Gromit. Not that Wallace & Gromit were new to adventures, see… their previous outings saw them foil an evil criminal (penguin) mastermind; being falsely accused of murder (of a sheep); building a rocket and flying to the moon (made of cheese); and bagging two Oscars (plus one Nomination) for Best Animated Short (creator Nick Park taking another Oscar for Creature Comforts) along the way.

Curse of the Were-Rabbit being W & G’s first feature-length voyage, Aardmen Animations and Nick Park decided to yield and allow American entertainment colossus DreamWorks SKG to help smooth over the arduous production. And smooth it is; Curse’s ambitious animation, story, comedy, adventure and blockbuster-style camerawork come across as a sly in-joke to W & G’s humble genesis (Nick Park originally creating the pair as a University assignment), allowing W & G to reach new plateaus of brilliance. Important also, is that the addition of DreamWorks into the production mix has not taken away the duo’s eccentric British-ness – fundamental to the character’s appeal -, in fact, it allows for the regional flavourings of Wallaby Street to be accentuated, creating more characters, sets, and wonderfully shot action-sequences.

As impeccable as in the animation is, it never allows itself to become too slick, part of its charm is providing incredible venture and hilarity; all the whilst giving a sly acknowledgement that, yes, you’re being entertained by clay. However, it’s the first-rate story and tidy-script, which makes the film worthy of a five-star rating; Wallace & Gromit: Curse… has more excitement, jaunt and laughs-per-minute than any other movie in a long, long time. Operating under a Universal certification can be something of a tightrope walk for films, particularly in the humour stakes; the story and humour must be accessible enough for the youngest of children, whilst it must also be engaging and intelligent enough to keep adults involved. Push too far in either direction and the film will fall off onto it’s face, knocking out its box-office teeth. Wallace & Gromit however, gleefully skips and cartwheels across this tightrope, all the while juggling triangular-chunks of Wensleydale and a packet of Jacob’s Crackers.

Wallace & Gromit: Curse… is a reminder of just how funny and loveable family entertainment should be.

Unlike its Oscar-nominated counterpart; Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Curse… never makes too much of the vocal-talent on display. Peter Sallis; the spiritual voice of Nick Park’s creation, (and of course, Wallace) makes his most energetic case yet; as does Helena Bonham Carter as the ginger-wigged Lady Tottingham (call her ‘Totty’), and Peter Kay as PC Mackintosh is an inspired bit of casting. Bonham Carter also provided the voice for Corpse Bride’s Bride, but has much-more fun here, and Ralph Fiennes’ dastardly Victor Quatermaine could be a fat-bodied creation of Burton’s… Yet if the two films were to go head-to-head in a stop-motion battle-royale (let’s hope they do), Gromit’s quick thinking and incredibly articulate eyebrows may prove too much for Corpse’s Victor Van Dort to handle. (He’s got a glass-jaw anyway, so I hear).

If the word ‘humour’ or its close friends are used excessively throughout this review, it is simply to give an accordance to just how funny Curse of the Were-Rabbit is. Most comedy films coast along on one or two amusing gags, milking them for all their worth, but W & G practically sparkle with just how many funny-buttons it presses in its short 83 minutes. Whether it be the abundance of references to An American Werewolf in London, Ben-Hur, King Kong or the Hammer Horror films; the perfect physical and comical timing; or the impressive array of vegetable-based innuendo and one-liners (“kiss my arrrr-tichoke”) it hits every mark it aims for.

There is something inherently guiltless and appealing about Aardmen / Park animations; particularly Wallace & Gromit. Their lidless eyes and perma-smiles sit perfectly in the form of Saturday afternoon matinee. Curse of the Were-Rabbit, is the perfect family film; the characters are lovable, the story and execution is superb, the action is thick and fast, and the humour is strong enough to tickle even the most despondent family member… George Lucas created Indiana Jones for these reasons. Move over Dr. Jones; enter Wallace & Gromit.