Wallace and Gromit

Just so you know, Nick Park is a genius. Wallace and Gromit have been favorites of mine since my friend Duane foisted a tape on me several years ago. It is all so simple and all so lovely. The world is in balance so long as there be cheese in the cupboard and nothing short circuits.
Park's claymation is fluid and vibrant. CGI and traditional animation are both wonderful media, but there is a special beauty to the molded forms which inhabit Park's world. Perhaps it is that Wallace and Gromit themselves are special; though I enjoyed Chicken Run, it did not have the same feel as the films of the hapless inventor and his charming dog. I went into Curse of the Were-Rabbit with a bit of apprehension, not entirely certain that the duo could sustain a whole film, but I worried needlessly. The new film has all the charm and all the wit of its shorter predecessors.
One review of the film pointed out that one can see fingerprints on the characters, and this is true: on the big screen, it is possible to see lines and sworls left by the artists. However, this too is part of the charm of the series. There is a very home-made feel to the films, but it is not a home-made that any of us could capture or recreate. The art and skill of the film is not in-your-face; it is subtle. It is the art and skill of a craftsman. It is the attention to detail and the affection for the subject that carries the film.