Wallace and Gromit – Three Amazing Adventures DVD Review
Posted by Christi Csonka on 03.03.2008
For a Cracking good time, leave it to Wallace & Gromit!
Featuring the voices of:
Peter Sallis: Wallace
Anne Reid: Wendolene Ramsbottom
Directed By: Nick Park
Written By: Nick Park, Bob Baker
Film Release Dates: Grand Day Out- December 24, 1990
The Wrong Trousers- December 3, 1993
A Close Shave- December 24, 1995
DVD Release Date: December 4, 2007
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Run Time: 190 minutes
Rated: not rated
Films
A Grand Day Out
I didn’t even know Wallace & Gromit existed until the Academy Awards in 1996 when I saw the funniest clip ever of the Best Short Film, Animated, which turned out to be A Close Shave. At that moment I decided to find out who these two were and it wasn’t until a few years later I found an old copy of these three films on VHS on a video store clearance rack. Since my first experience watching these two clay characters I’ve been in love.
With A Grand Day Out we get to meet Wallace & Gromit for the first time. The animation is a bit rough, the characters still being developed into the ones we know and love today, but already they have the personalities we adore. Gromit, Wallace’s silent sidekick, expresses his thoughts so perfectly with a simple movement of his eyes or eyebrows, you forget he lacks speech. While constructing the spaceship that will take them on their trip, Gromit manages to put up with some rather annoying mishaps, to which Wallace seems entirely oblivious.
Then there’s our favorite inventor, Wallace, who pulls off in his basement what took NASA years. His homemade ship takes them to the moon for a cheese holiday, after all, everyone knows the moon is made of cheese, where he finds the ’cheese’ a bit hard to identify.
In the mean time, Wallace comes across a vending machine, but it doesn’t seem to work, at least not when Wallace is watching, and the machine has a problem with Wallace’s snacking habits. Funny, I would have figured it taking quarters.
As you might guess, eventually Wallace finds himself pursued by a bobby club wielding machine who tries to climb aboard the ship, and instead gets blown out and left behind with only some metal strips. Not a happy ending you think? Course it is! Wallace & Gromit make it home and the machine makes itself some skis!
The Wrong Trousers
Back again with the duo, and here we can see how they’ve been further developed as the animation has become smoother. This time, we begin with Gromit’s birthday, and Wallace has bought him a wonderfully ‘modern’ present.
With a new gadget in their invention littered home, and money becoming a problem, Wallace rents out a room, to Gromit’s dismay, especially when their paying guest takes over his room. Little do they know this little fiend has a plan. Alienating Gromit, the penguin reprograms the trousers and sets his plan into action.
Wallace falls victim to the penguins plans, as Gromit goes undercover to find out what is going on. It doesn’t take long to find the plans to use the trousers, and Wallace, to steal a diamond on exhibit at the museum. All seems to go well during the heist, until the alarm is set off.
What happens next is all out hilarity. Having run back to the house, the penguin faces off with Gromit, setting in motion a fast speed train chase. Gunfire, nets, Wallace in his boxers… this scene is not to missed, or the bottled ending!
A Close Shave
The last short installment before their full length film, A Close Shave introduces us to Wallace’s first love interest. Running a window washing service, he meets Wendolene Ramsbottom, an appropriate name for a character involved in wool rustling. With her soft spoken voice and shy demeanor, the two hit it off rather quick.
We also meet Shaun, a sheep who’s escaped from the rustlers truck and made himself at home with Wallace & Gromit, eating them out of house and home. Or, at least eating their house and home. Gromit’s not too excited about the addition, but who could blame him?
However, by taking in Shaun, they’ve put themselves in position to become the scapegoats for the crime Wendolene’s dog, Preston, has been committing, and the cyber dog sets Gromit up, effectively getting him put in prison.
With Gromit in jail, things looks grim, until Wallace, with some help from Shaun and other sheep break him out. After the train chase in The Wrong Trousers you might not expect anything to top it, and you’d be wrong. This time we end up with a motorcycle full of sheep (think of waterskiing pyramids!) that leads to a final showdown in a dog food plant, run by none other than Preston. With Wallace’s invention twisted into a mincing machine, it’s Shaun that saves the day in the end. Cute, cuddly, and a hero all in one!
Video
The video quality is excellent, especially considering I first saw these three delightful shorts on an old, worn out VHS. The images are clear and the colors are crisp.
Audio
Excellent audio. You hear every clink of Wallace’s teacup on its saucer, the slosh of water in Gromit’s pale, even the wonderful crunch of the sheep’s many snacks.
Package
A nice package. I also have another, earlier, release of these shorts on DVD and I though I honestly prefer the packaging of that copy, I really can’t find anything wrong with this one. Your basic DVD cover in all honesty.
Bonus Features
Cracking Contraptions
Get a look at many of Wallace’s other interesting inventions! I must say, I never enjoyed soccer so much. Nor laughed as much!
The Amazing Adventures of Wallace and Gromit Featurette
If you’ve ever wondered about their humble beginnings, this is the featurette for you. Full of footage, sketches, and interviews, it gives a nice picture of how this pair was born.
Audio Commentary
Available on all three films with Nick Park and his creative team. Why pick the minds behind this delightful duo when they’ve done it for you?
Inside the Wrong Trousers Featurette
For those creative, and plain curious types, get a closer look behind this award winning short.
Shaun the Sheep Bonus Episodes
Our unlikely hero is back and in prime form on the farm in these hilarious episodes. My only complaint… I want more! Two is not enough! I grumble yet again that the Brits get all the goodies.
The 411: If you’ve seen Curse of the Were-Rabbit, or haven’t, these earlier escapades by Wallace & Gromit are not to be missed. Kids and grown-ups alike will adore Gromit and his inventive owner and laugh themselves silly. I can think of no better way to spend a night together with the family!
