Wallace and Gromit are finally back.
The stop-motion franchise returns early next year on Netflix with its first feature in 19 years, “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.” And this time, the titular inventor and his dog are taking on AI.
Per the synopsis, Gromit is concerned that Wallace (Ben Whitehead) is becoming too dependent on his inventions, especially after Wallace invents “smart” gnome Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), who seems to develop a mind of its own.
“When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master,” the description reads, “or Wallace may never be able to invent again!”
The “vengeful figure…masterminding things” is none other than villainous penguin Feathers McGraw, who appears for the first time in a feature film after debuting in the franchise’s Oscar-winning short “The Wrong Trousers.”
Creator Nick Park co-directs “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” with Merlin Crossingham; the script is by Mark Burton.
Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Muzz Khan, and Lenny Henry round out the voice cast. Richard Beek produces.
“We are delighted to introduce Norbot, a ‘Nifty Odd-jobbing Robot’ gnome, designed to help Gromit with his gardening chores,” Park and Crossingham said in a joint statement. “Norbot is Wallace’s most proud achievement to date and, according to Wallace, his ‘best invention ever!’ Garden gnomes have long been a part of Wallace and Gromit’s world, but this is no cute patio ornament….We’re so excited to see Wallace unleashing his latest invention, Norbot, into the world. However, his long-suffering pooch, Gromit, may be a little less sure…”
BAFTA and Academy Award winner “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005) was the most recent full-length feature film in the “Wallace & Gromit” franchise.
Peter Lord co-founded “Wallace & Gromit” animation company Aardman, which previously partnered with DreamWorks for “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” Lord told IndieWire in 2017 that the “Wallace & Gromit” franchise has become “more efficient” over the years — especially while making the transition to features.
“If you come as we did from the world of short films, then you kind of do everything yourself with your mates,” Lord said. “But when you get into a feature film, in practice you need a team to do the storyboards. And that’s a big thing for a director to understand and accept and get used to. And, of course, that philosophy of the story team is that everyone knows better than the director. So the dynamic and the shape and the flow of a 90-minute story is very difficult to achieve. And you’ve got three or four main characters that need to be resolved, and you need to resolve all the other characters as well. You need something pleasing but not predictable.”
Animated feature “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” will have its World Premiere at AFI FEST on Sunday, October 27. It will have a limited theatrical run in December to qualify for the awards season.
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” premieres January 3, 2025 on Netflix. Check out the teaser below.
