Legacy sequels are all the rage these days and now everybody’s favourite duo Wallace & Gromit are getting in on the action this Christmas.
It’s been 16 years since their last short film, A Matter of Loaf and Death, and 19 years since the last feature-length outing for the duo, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. So their return is long overdue – and they’re not doing it alone.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl also sees the eagerly-awaited return of villainous chicken penguin Feathers McGraw. What’s most pleasing about it is that this isn’t just for some thin, crowdpleasing cameo. Feathers is properly back in business, turning the movie into a Wallace & Gromit first: an actual sequel.
Vengeance Most Fowl is the direct sequel to The Wrong Trousers we never expected, and it proves to be an absolute must-watch this Christmas on the BBC.
Wallace has always been at the cutting edge of technology, and now he’s even dabbling in AI (kind of). His latest invention is smart gnome Norbot, who is designed to do any kind of gardening task or “gnome improvement”, proving a hit in the neighbourhood.
But as with most of Wallace’s inventions, Norbot doesn’t quite function as he’s supposed to as he begins to develop an evil mind of his own. Like with the techno-trousers from The Wrong Trousers, though, Wallace’s latest misfortune could all be down to the scheming of Feathers McGraw…
We’re not going to be a Grinch and spoil all of the delights that await you in Vengeance Most Fowl. Rest assured, the new movie has all of the puns and the quirky British humour you’ve come to know and love from Aardman. A cheese-based verification gag, in particular, is one of the best jokes of the year.
The attention to detail that has gone into every frame is extraordinary, especially when you consider the work that goes into even a split-second gag with stop-motion animation. Wordplay is everywhere you look, from a Marvel-inspired gardening magazine to a very silly and very funny spin on Ant and Dec.
Feathers McGraw’s return has been teased in multiple Easter eggs in practically every Aardman outing since The Wrong Trousers. His proper comeback does not disappoint, as he’s still the dastardly villain we fell in love with 31 years ago (yes, 31, sorry to make you feel old).
Directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, along with writer Mark Burton, make sure we get a full meal and not just a taster. Feathers gets not one but two excellent slow-motion chair spins (including a super cute Bond villain gag), and he gets another iconic foolproof disguise.
Vengeance Most Fowl isn’t just a nostalgia play, as great as it is to reunite with Wallace, Gromit and Feathers. Norbot – superbly voiced by Reece Shearsmith, who also gets an earworm of a song – is a terrific addition, with the masterful animation making the most of his evil turn and the sheer terror of a blank, cold-eyed stare.
In another connection to The Wrong Trousers, the movie builds to an inventive and hilarious climactic set piece. Imagine Wallace & Gromit meets Mission: Impossible crossed with Fast & Furious but with canal boats and you’re almost there. It’s a worthy homage to the model train chase.
The same could be said for the entirety of the movie. It’s packed with Easter eggs to the wider Aardman world, all the puns you could hope for and very British, very silly humour, but it isn’t some lazy retread of past glories and freshens up the series for new fans too.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is just another cracking outing for the loveable duo that you’ll want to watch again and again.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this Christmas. It will be released globally outside the UK on Netflix on January 3, 2025.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.