Different strokes for different folks but when it comes to animation, Wallace & Gromit is right up my alley.  The duration is short, the characters are cute, and the use of Claymation is brilliant.  Most importantly, as we saw with the Shaun the Sheep spin-offs, there’s something to be said (pardon the pun) about a character who doesn’t speak.  It doesn’t matter if you understand English or not – a character’s facial expressions and body language are often more interesting than dialogue itself.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the 6^th entry in the franchise.  The Oscar winning short The Wrong Trousers kicked things off in 1993 and it’s been followed by three other shorts and one full-length animated feature from 2005, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.  It might be worthwhile revisiting the original 29-minute short (currently streaming on Stan) as this new outing serves as a direct sequel which refers to previous plot points.

The film opens with the creative Wallace (Whitehead) continuing to invent semi-pointless household devices.  His latest contraption is Norbot (Shearsmith), a robotic gnome that performs chores in and around the home.  Wallace is chuffed with the creation but his loyal dog, Gromit, is less than impressed.  He’d rather tend to the backyard garden himself (he’s quite a green thumb) than have a one-size-fits-all robot do things for him.

The villain is a returning character from The Wrong Trousers.  The sneaky penguin Feathers McGraw has been incarcerated at the local zoo after attempting to steal a valuable diamond.  He hasn’t given up on his lofty, criminal ambitions and wants a second crack at the heist.  As part of his efforts, he also seeks revenge against Wallace, Gromit, and Chief Inspector Mackintosh (Kay) after they led to his capture the first time around.

With a run-time of just 79 minutes, Vengeance Most Fowl is easy-to-follow for kids with plenty of humour for adults.  Feathers McGraw doesn’t say a word and is built entirely from coloured clay… but he’s the equal of any James Bond baddie.  He’s such a fun character!  The interactions between Wallace and Gromit offer both laughs and heart.  They don’t always see eye-to-eye, but you sense the close connection which makes them best friends.

Receiving a short cinema release for the school holidays before screening on Netflix, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl may appear to be simple but it’s one of the best animated releases of the year.  The series keeps delivering!