Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Aardman Animations has had a lot to think about these past years. CGI animation has become so heavily relied on that the call for other means of animation has returned in varying degrees (stop motion certainly has been back in full effect for a short while). The viral news of Aardman running out of its signature kind of modelling clay, Lewis Newplast, spread the misinformation that Aardman was going to shut down for good. Aardman’s latest outputs have mainly been decent sequels to existing properties like A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget which didn’t quite possess the magic the studio is renown for (but are still fun to watch). With all of the above in mind, there has apparently been a bit of self-reflection going on over at Aardman, and this has culminated in the form of a brand new Wallace & Gromit feature (the first since 2008’s short film A Matter of Loaf and Death).
Feathers McGraw, famed penguin villain of Wallace & Gromit, has been imprisoned at a zoo after trying to steal a blue diamond. He never forgot that it was Wallace who turned him in, and Gromit who helped thwart him. Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh — who was responsible for the safe return of the diamond — is preparing to retire many years later, and part of that new phase of his life is an exhibition of said diamond for the public to see (with maximum security measures taking place). He has a new recruit, PC Mukherjee, who is by his side. Mukherjee is smart and has good instincts, but she can’t seem to always persuade the hard-headed, self-assured Mackintosh on certain matters. The main storyline — considering that this is a Wallace & Gromit film after all — is that Wallace has come up with another one of his wacky inventions. This time, it is a robotic gardening gnome named Norbot who is incredibly fast and precise with his tasks. This bothers Gromit, who is feeling both neglected by his best friend and cast-aside as a resourceful help around the house and garden.
Vengeance Most Fowl is a welcome addition to the Wallace & Gromit series.
It is clear that the film has two main themes. The first is how an industry full of heart and passion (you can see human fingerprints embossed on the clay they painstakingly animate with) is being threatened not just by technology but specifically by artificial intelligence. Norbot is too fast and easy to manipulate to not be related to the ongoing discussion of how AI is affecting the world. Gromit’s reluctance won’t stop Norbot from operating, and a major concept of Vengeance Most Fowl is learning to accept this major technological shift (there is no turning back now); the fact that Vengeance Most Fowl boasts the most amount of CGI animation being integrated into an Aardman film thus far proves this point (at least — to the best of my knowledge — it isn’t AI conceived). The second major theme, which does go hand-in-hand with the previous point on technology, is that of generational cooperation. Mackintosh being too set in his ways stymies his procedures, and if he had only trusted newbie Mukherjee sooner, both would be on the right path earlier on. Having said that, Mukherjee is a little green and occasionally wishy-washy with her choices, and she could learn a thing or two from Mackintosh’s directness. Essentially, they both need one another to succeed (but, really, Mackintosh needs Mukherjee more).
The end result is a wise, good-old-fashioned Aardman flick: one where Feathers McGraw is up to his old tricks, Wallace is a lovable, well-intentioned idiot, Gromit saves the day and steals the show, and the new characters blend into this established property effortlessly. The point about AI gets driven home via how dangerous self-learning algorithms and devices are when they are used maliciously, and the point about different walks of life helping one another never gets forced. Vengeance Most Fowl is a stronger sequel in the Aardman canon than what we’ve had recently mainly because it seems to know what makes Aardman films truly work: warmth, cheekiness, and stuff to love for all members of the family. It feels like Aardman returned to Wallace & Gromit to put themselves back on the right track; this was the correct course of action. There feels like life has been reinstilled in Aardman Animations after their latest effort during a commendable year in animation overall, and they’ve made a strong point in the face of uncertainty in the industry; love and hard work will always triumph over lazy, technological quick-fixes (in that same breath, we can use technology to better ourselves and society when used appropriately, and not as a means to replace humans and soulful artistry).
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.