Top Totty and Y Fronts (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Special Edition, 2 DVDs))

Member Name: susie19

Product:	Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Special Edition, 2 DVDs)
Date:	09/01/07 (354 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's funny and full of innuendos.

Disadvantages: Over too quickly.

The Curse of the Were Rabbit (Disc One)
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The Curse of the Were Rabbit was a must see film for me when it was released in October 2005 and yet typically the rest of the family went to see it whilst I was busy helping at someone else's birthday party. Hmmmph. Anyway, I decided that our youngest daughter would love this in her stocking for Christmas and it would be a sure way of me getting to watch the full film as many times as I liked. Daytime if I wish.

This has to be the best film I watched over Christmas by a long shot.

If you have never seen any of the Wallace and Gromit films, you are really missing something. I am pretty much word perfect in all of the preceding three 'A Grand Day Out', 'The Wong Trousers' and 'A Close Shave'. The Wallace and Gromit animated or rather claynated films are brilliantly written and the plasticine figures and sets are simply superb, perfectly capturing life in a northern town with a fabulous tongue in cheek style humour. Two of these films have won Oscars and Nick Park, the creator of the Wallace and Gromit characters spent five years working on this latest film. This film is co directed by Nick Park and Steve Box.

Hop 2 It
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The Curse of the Were Rabbit is a wonderfully funny story of rabbits and monsters and vegetables. It combines some of Wallace's inventions from previous films such as his getting dressed machine (with the addition of a jar of Middle Aged Spread) but there are numerous new inventions, the funniest of which has to be the suck and blow machine for humanely gathering bunnies. The film had me laughing out loud at several points, much to the surprise of the younger kids in our family. This film is rated PG which suggests that some scenes might be frightening for young children. To be honest I would have thought a U rating was fine. Our kids watched all the Wallace & Gromit films from toddler age and up. The Were-Rabbit monsters is not scary but some young viewers of sensitive disposition may disagree. There are many slapstick and funny incidents throughout the film which will appeal to children.

Peppered all the way through the film are amusing little innuendoes and funnies whch are more likely to be picked up by adult viewers. For example, the registration plate of the Wallace & Gromit Anti-Pesto van is HOP 2 IT. Later in the film Wallace peruses his cheese book collection including titles such as Grated Expectations and Fromage to Eternity. Each time you watch the film you are likely to spot something you missed at a different viewing.

If you have not seen the film, I will not spoil it by telling you the plot. The film involves the usual duo, Wallace with his bald head and wide toothy smile and Gromit the speechless but ever expressive dog. Wallace and Gromit are the Anti Pesto team guarding the vegetables of the town for the forthcoming 500th Vegetable Growing Competition at Tottington Hall.

New characters in this film include Lady Campanula Tottington (which you just have to abbreviate to Lady Totty), a little love interest for Wallace. She is a little more classy than the Wensleydale hating Wendolene from 'A Close Shave'. The slim and heavily lipsticked character of Lady Totty has the lovely voice of Helena Bonham Carter. The villain of the film is Victor Quartermaine, voiced over by Ralph Fiennes. He wears a black toupee and wants to rid the town of bunnies with his shot gun and win the hand of Lady Totty. He has a hunting dog called Philip and one can't helping thinking royalty here.

Other notable characters include Reverend Clement Hedges, a man of the cloth with white afro hair and buck teeth, Mrs Mulch (voiced over by Liz Smith ) and PC Macintosh (Peter Kay). Do not miss the hilarious scene where Reverend Hedges is searching for his Observer Book of Monsters written by none other than Claude Savagely and you get a glimpse of his copy of Nuns Wrestling with header articles such as Big Bad Habits.

As the title suggests the monster in the film is a Were-Rabbit. It's in this context that we learn that Wallace indeed wears Y fronts underneath his trousers. The moon is of significance in this film, not for the same reason as in the Grand Day Out' where "everyone knows the moon is made of cheese".

Additional humour is also to be found at various points with reference to famous films including a pun in the opening scene of Gromit graduating from Dogwarts University (Harry Potter Hogwarts); the clothe splitting scene of the Were-Rabbit (Incredible Hulk); two cucumbers being used to form a cross (Dracula) and the classic lady /gamekeeper relationship between Wallace and Lady Totty (Lady Chatterley's Lover). These are just a few and there are so many more puns including the Smug fridge and the Botch drill.

This film really is laugh a minute but it is typically British, the Americans don't always get the humour. For children and adults alike, this is an hour and a bit of amusing entertainment and I happily award it a full five stars.

Voices
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Wallace - Peter Sallis
Gromit - None (he is mute)!
Lady Campanula Tottington - Helena Bonham Carter
Victor Quartermaine - Ralph Fiennes
PC McIntosh - Peter Kay
Rev Clement Hedges - Nicholas Smith
Mrs Mulch - Liz Smith

Directed by Nick Park & Steve Box
Running Time: (1 hour 15 mins)
Certificate PG (UK).


More Cheese Gromit? (Disc 2 Extras)
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I never normally even get disc 2 out of any DVD case as I find watching how they made the film of little interest. In fact for me it spoils the magic. But then I don't like looking under the car bonnet or understanding how most things work. If you are a techie geek you'll love the Making Of the Were-Rabbit section which details stuff like how the robotics of the Were - Rabbit worked and the super stretchy high tech fur they needed for its body.

Cracking Contraptions is also well worth a look. I loved this. There are ten animations of new inventions including a soccer machine, a new style TV remote and the most hilarious Gromit-dressed-as-a-sheep counting machine. Very funny viewing for insomniacs. The very best contraption is the Autochef, a breakfast machine which sprays scrambled eggs over a raincoat proofed Gromit, fires eggs sunny side up at Wallace and speaks Dalek style phrases such as 'More Stuffing Madam', 'Get Off Your Horse and Milk It', 'More Tea Vicar?' before finally muttering 'Knickers' and then exploding. Fantastic, Heath Robinson eat your heart out.

The Amazing World of Wallace & Gromit is an insightful look into how Wallace & Gromit were created. This is interesting and features an interview with Nick Park and explains how he spent two years making 10 mins of A Grand Day Out before joining Ardman Animations.

Stage Fright is a short theatre based animation featuring lots of mice. It seems to be more of a disc filler than anything else.

The disc box tells me that there are more features on the extras disc including Filmmakers' Commentaries, How Wallace & Gromit went to Hollywood, Aardman Studio Tour, The Family Album and How to Build a Bunny. They were missing on our disc so I am unable to comment on these features.

In summary, this film is a true delight. It has a great story, humour and delightful characters and is well worth the £7 I paid for it at Sainsburys. The DVD extras are worth a look but children (and people like me) will probably only be interested in the Cracking Contraptions. Techie geeks may enjoy the extras more.

Thanks for reading. Lady Totty xx.

Summary: Rabbit heaven.