Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl picks up 30 years after the arrest of Feathers McGraw, giving lifelong and new fans of the Wallace & Gromit universe a colorful adventure and the most action-packed fun you’ll have in a film this year. With large-scale animated chase sequences and heartfelt humor, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a jam-packed triumphant return to the world of Britain’s favorite inventor and beagle. 

31 years ago, a penguin named Feathers McGraw walked into the residence of a British inventor and a small white clay dog. It’s the type of introduction that demands your attention, especially for a newly discovered form of storytelling namely titled stop-motion animation. Through photographs that were taken in milliseconds turned into seconds of movements, each still told the story of man’s best friend as he tries to warn his owner about an evil mastermind penguin throughout chase sequences, arrests, and yes, a lot of references to cheese. In just under 30 minutes, the world soon became more acquainted with a relatively new company named Aardman, and began to fall in love with a dog named Gromit and his naively charming owner, Wallace. This was not the duo’s first taste of success: their first short film A Grand Day Out received an Oscar nomination in 1991. It wasn’t until Feathers strutted into Wallace’s doors in Park’s The Wrong Trousers, that the duo would win their first Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Even though he ended up in handcuffs, Wallace and Gromit remained triumphant in their journey, and have continued to grow as characters throughout their filmography.

Almost 20 years since their last feature length film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl follows the events after 1993’s The Wrong Trousers. Following the arrest and imprisonment of Feathers McGraw, the world of Wallace (voiced by Ben Whitehead) and Gromit has become more technologically savvy through Wallace’s inventions. We see Gromit take notice of all of Wallace’s new inventions, such as machines that originally did the errands that Gromit normally did. Through systems that alert Wallace to wake up, to make breakfast, and even an invention that gives Gromit pets, Gromit feels like there is no purpose for him as the inventions keep advancing to fit Wallace’s needs. Wallace, who invents for a living, takes notice of the fact that it’s costing more to invent things and to live more efficiently. In order to pay the bills and to ease Gromit’s workload around the house, Wallace reveals his latest invention, Norbot (voiced by Reece Shearsmith), a robotic gnome designed to help with gardening and housekeeping. As neighbors and the news begin to take notice of Norbot, the duo’s arch-nemesis Feathers McGraw begins to formulate a plan to escape prison at any cost, even if it destroys Wallace’s reputation. By hacking into Wallace’s Norbots, Feathers begins to take vengeance on Wallace & Gromit, and it’s up to Gromit to save the day.

To say that Vengeance Most Fowl has the most action you’ll see in an Aardman film is an understatement. Underwater sequences, robotic gnome fights, and a boat fight that almost rivals a Mission Impossible-esque chain of events show that this isn’t just a worthy followup to Feathers and Gromit’s showdown in The Wrong Trousers, but a successful step forward into the world of Wallace & Gromit. Despite a large gap between The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and Vengeance Most Fowl, the storytelling and craftsmanship feels as if there is no time that has passed. Park and Cunningham’s directing builds upon what Park has created throughout the last 35 years of Wallace & Gromit, and raises the bar even higher. The introduction of characters PC Mukherjee (voiced by Lauren Patel) and the return of Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh (voiced by Peter Kay) add more color to Wallace and Gromit’s ever-growing world, and prove to be comedic relief in midst of all of the craziness. The return of Feathers McGraw, a fan-favorite Aardman villain, steals the show throughout his evil tendencies and larger-than-life desire to enact revenge on Wallace and Gromit. By going back to references in The Wrong Trousers, Park and Cunningham build upon the anticipation for McGraw’s return by showcasing heartwarming slap-stick comedic moments that never feel boring or misguided. For a 70-minute film, the film flies by while also exploring each character’s arc, and never drags along. Aardman’s animators, set designers, puppeteers know how to make the film engaging, and we can’t help but wish for more.

At the heart of Vengeance Most Fowl is the relationship between Wallace and Gromit. Ben Whitehead’s performance as Wallace gives the film its beating heart. Whitehead has been the voice of Wallace since 2008, after Peter Sallis retired from voice acting until his death in 2017. Vengeance Most Fowl is Whitehead’s first full length film voicing Wallace, and it’s truly his voice that makes Wallace’s character feel more real than some live-action performances. In a moment where Gromit is in grave danger, Whitehead’s voice breaks our hearts as he tries to help his best friend when faced by Feathers McGraw. Whitehead’s performance is wonderfully charming, and will take life-long fans back to their childhood from the moment Wallace appears on screen.

The film is warm at times, while also being incredibly current in topics such as technological advances throughout our daily life. As we see Wallace create the most mundane inventions, we see how Gromit feels pushed aside as technology grows. By seeing how easily Feathers can hack into the Norbots and gain control of their consciousness, the commentary on how technology in the wrong hands can backfire on us all doesn’t feel outdated, but rather upgraded. Moments where we see Gromit’s garden, overflowing with beautiful flowers and fountains get ripped away by technology’s need to make everything more minimalistic, the film isn’t afraid to talk about these topics. You can also see how the idea of a media campaign that soon makes Wallace’s name smeared on newspapers and news reports affects the duo, which hasn’t entirely been explored in any stop-motion film. The film stands apart from its predecessors through performances and topics of discussion, showing the growth between the past 6 films. 

Vengeance Most Fowl is a worthy successor to the Wallace & Gromit series, and Aardman’s best achievement thus far throughout their long-lasting career in stop-motion. Whether this is your first time watching Wallace and Gromit, or you’re a lifelong fan, Vengeance Most Fowl is guaranteed to be the most fun you’ll have in a stop-motion film this year. The film is a labor of love, shown through each intricate character design and detailed craftsmanship from Aardman. It took 16 years for Vengeance Most Fowl to be the next feature film, and we’re happy to wait for however more long it takes to see what Park and Cunningham have to offer next in the world of Wallace & Gromit.

Grade: A

Oscar Prospects:
Most Likely: Best Animated Feature
Should Be Considered: Best Production Design

Where To Watch: BBC iPlayer (UK & Europe), Netflix (Streaming on January 3, 2025)