Wallace and Gromit in: A Close Shave

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source: A Close Shave

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A Close Shave

Another sequel to the Plastercine animated success was brought to us at Christmas. Wallace the inventor and Gromit return as window cleaners working for Wallace's new love interest Wendoline Ramsbottom. Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) falls in love with Wendoline (voiced by Anne Reid) basically because she looks like him, except with hair. They don't know it, but Wendoline and her evil dog are sheep hustlers stealing their wool. The little sheep, Shaun, is also in their house eating everything he sees, well, and around to help. Preston the robot dog is brilliant animation and Wallace and Gromit are just classic comedy from Aardman Animations. They are now in their own full length movie as well! The quality of this animation is obviously the fact that everything moving is made of Plastercine! It won the Oscar for Best Short Animated Film, and it won the BAFTA for Best Animation. Wallace and Gromit were number 11 on The World's Greatest Comedy Characters, and they were number 15 on The 100 Greatest Kid's TV Shows, and as part of Aardman Animations, they was number 15 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons. Outstanding!

This time, Wallace and Gromit take in a lost sheep named Sean, and get drawn into a sheep-rustling conspiracy. As always, there's a plethora of wacky inventions (namely the motorcycle sidecar). I think that my favorite scene was when Gromit was reading "Crime and Punishment" (check out the author's name). Nick Park certainly always knows how to come up with something clever in these cartoons, and you'd better believe that he does just that in "Wallace & Gromit in A Close Shave". Park showed the talent that he previously brought to "Creature Comforts" and would later bring to "Chicken Run". You just might think twice about using wool after seeing this movie. Really cool.

This is the third Wallace & Gromit short. As you'd expect, the quality of the character design is greatly improved from the first Wallace & Gromit short. Instead of the claymation, soft plastic figures that are poseable are used instead. Additionally, the sets are much more complex and detailed. Now this isn't to say that the stuff in the earlier films is bad--far from it. It's just that with each successive project, the artistry improves. The only complaint I have about this delightful film, and it's a minor one, is that by this third short, the story has become a lot more fanciful and action-packed. In this film, less time is spent being laid-back and gentle (as well as very English) and Gromit even gets to fight against a cyborg dog! But, in spite of this, the film still works very well. Additionally, if you watch this film and the later full-length movie, WALLACE & GROMIT AND THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, you'll see that there are some similarities in the stories. The dog is pretty similar as is his owner to the lady in the full-length film. Again, these really aren't complaints as much as observations. Overall, a wonderful short film and one you can't help but love. It's wonderful and I can certainly understand why it, too, won an Oscar for Best Animated Short (like its predecessor).

I have no idea what I have just seen.After the first two Wallace and Gromit shorts I had high expectations for the third.I couldn't have been more disappointed.For some reason W & G are window cleaners this time.By the time you stop thinking about that, it's too late to just turn it off.Wallace falls in love with the owner of a wool shop whose windows they clean.Her name is Wendolene Ramsbottom and I'm not sure how I feel about that.On one hand I get that it's a genius joke, naming her after a window cleaning product and an animal that is similar to a sheep.At the same time it doesn't make any sense because she doesn't clean windows and no one gets wool from rams.Maybe I'm over thinking her name but it's the most interesting thing about this short.My least favorite thing about this is that they take the newspaper joke from The Wrong Trousers and use it to death, without it ever being funny.I heard they made a Shaun The Sheep movie and I shudder to think what it may be like.Kids might enjoy this but it's definitely not for everyone.Anyone over 10 should pass on this.

'Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave' is a short featuring the clay animation characters Wallace (an inventor) and Gromit (the inventor's pet dog, who seems to be smarter than the inventor and often the star of the show). This tale also features Sean the Sheep and a plot against Wallace and Gromit by a sheep thief. This is another highly enjoyable episode. It is a rare breed of film that can entertain both adults and children alike. Children and adults will enjoy the imaginative sequences, lovable characters, comical events, and animation. This is a must-see animation no matter what your age or gender is. There is something for everyone, and it is thoroughly enjoyable. Well done.

A CLOSE SHAVE was, for me, the first time I was disappointed by the Wallace and Gromit series. Initially I thought A GRAND DAY OUT was interesting but flawed, while THE WRONG TROUSERS was a piece of perfection that marked the flawless highlight of the series. By contrast, A CLOSE SHAVE feels half-baked and rushed out, keen to emulate rather than innovate. Remember how ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES fell to bits with the introduction of the wives and girlfriends and was much better when it was just Del Boy, Rodney, and Grandad? That's the case here. The addition of the friendly sheep and Wendolene is a step too far and takes the charm away from the original characters. Wallace is a cliché here and Gromit is just bland. As for the plot, it feels both muddled and predictable, and far too influenced by Hollywood instead of retaining the British angle. The whole TERMINATOR-derived climax just feels like a cheat instead of anything remotely entertaining.