Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Nick Park
Steve Box
Produced by Nick Park
Claire Jennings
Peter Lord
Carla Shelley
David Sproxton
Screenplay by Nick Park
Steve Box
Bob Baker
Mark Burton
Starring Peter Sallis
Ralph Fiennes
Helena Bonham Carter
Music by Julian Nott
Hans Zimmer (producer)
Editing by David McCormick
Gregory Perler
Studio Aardman Animations
DreamWorks Animation
Distributed by DreamWorks Pictures
Release date(s) October 7, 2005 (2005-10-07) (US)
October 14, 2005 (2005-10-14) (UK)
Running time 85 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget $30 million
Box office $192,610,372

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 British clay-mation animated comedy horror film, the first feature-length Wallace and Gromit film. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box and produced at the Aardman Animations studio in Bristol, United Kingdom.

The film followed eccentric inventor Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and his intelligent but silent dog, Gromit, as they come to the rescue of the residents of a village which is being plagued by a mutated rabbit before the annual vegetable competition.

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit introduced a number of new characters, and featured a voice cast including Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the last DreamWorks Animation movie to be distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. It was a critical and commercial success, and won a number of film awards including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Contents

Plot

Tottington Hall's annual Giant Vegetable Competition is approaching. The winner of the competition will win the Golden Carrot Award. All are eager to protect their vegetables from damage and thievery by rabbits until the contest, and Wallace and Gromit are cashing in by running a vegetable security and humane pest control business, "Anti-Pesto".

However, they are facing with two problems: the first is Wallace's growing weight and the second is inadequate space for the captured rabbits. Wallace comes up with an idea — use his Mind Manipulation-O-Matic machine to brainwash the rabbits, allowing them to run freely without harming everyone's gardens. While performing the operation, he accidentally kicks the switch from Suck to Blow and a rabbit gets fused to Wallace's head, somehow leaving them with a semi-intelligent rabbit who no longer has the appetite for vegetables, whom they name "Hutch". Soon the town is threatened by the "Were-Rabbit", a giant rabbit-like monster which eats vegetables of any size. During a chaotic yet hilarious town meeting, Anti-Pesto enters into a rivalry with Lord Victor Quartermaine to capture the Were-Rabbit and to win Lady Tottington's heart. After the first night of the Were-Rabbit, the townsfolk start to argue about what to do.

After a hectic night-time chase and a series of clues, Wallace and Gromit come to the theory that Hutch is the Were-Rabbit. Wallace is overjoyed however, because this technically means he has already captured the beast, and goes to tell the good news to Lady Tottington. Gromit instead discovers that the Were-Rabbit is, in fact, Wallace, after discovered a pile of munched vegetables in his bed, suffering from the effects of the accident with the Mind Manipulation-O-Matic having caused him and Hutch to each take on aspects of the other; Hutch has gained Wallace's entire personality (right down to his liking for cheese) and even displays Wallace's knack for inventions and regularly repeats some of Wallace's old phrases (e.g. "I do love a bit of Gorgonzola!" or "I'm inventing mostly" ). Victor corners Wallace during the night, jealous of Lady Tottington's growing fondness for him because of his humane practice of pest control (whereas Victor thinks it's more effective to shoot and kill them). But then Wallace falls into the path of moonlight and transforms. Victor, having identified the Were-Rabbit, goes to Reverend Clement Hedges and gains access to "24-carrot" gold bullets - supposedly, the only things capable of killing a Were-Rabbit.

When the day comes for Vegetable Competition, Lady Tottington reluctantly bows to public pressure to sanction Victor's offer to shoot the Were-Rabbit. When she goes to Wallace to inform him, he begins to transform and is forced to send her to away to prevent her from learning the truth. Victor soon comes in and tries to shoot what is apparently the monster, but Gromit is one step ahead of him, using a rabbit costume he and Wallace had created as a trap, prior to the discovery of the Were-Rabbit's true nature. Realizing that Wallace is marching towards the competition, Victor and his dog Philip imprison Gromit in his own cage, who subsequently escapes with help from Hutch and decides to make the ultimate sacrifice by using the marrow he had been growing for the competition as bait for Wallace who, in his rabbit form, has burst in upon the vegetable contest, causing panic. Unfortunately, the marrow cannot keep Wallace's attention as Victor tries to take the golden carrot award from a distressed Lady Tottington (The only golden bullet-like object left to him after he exhausted the gold bullets provided by the vicar). Wallace ascends to the rooftops, holding a screaming Lady Tottington in his hand. Discovering his identity after recognizing his palm-shaking gesture, she promises to protect him, only to be interrupted by Victor (Who has the candy floss on his head as a Toupee much more like Mrs. Tweedy in her night gown). Meanwhile, in a mid-air dogfight in toy aeroplanes, Philip chases after Gromit. Gromit forces his foe out of the air in a fiery crash and explosion - but Philip manages to hold on to Gromit's plane and the two grapple with each other. The fight rages on and in the end, Gromit releases Philip through the bomb doors and into a bouncy castle.

On the roof of Tottington Hall, Gromit's toy biplane circles Wallace, who clings onto the flagpole at the top of the building for dear life. Victor, wielding the Golden Carrot trophy inside a blunderbuss he finds at an antiques table at the fair, tries one last time to shoot Wallace, but Wallace is saved by Gromit, who grabs onto a rope from a flagpole and swings his plane into the path of the improvised bullet. Unfortunately, since it is a toy plane not intended for flying, when Gromit accidentally lets go of the rope, the plane begins to descend rapidly. Wallace jumps from the flagpole and catches the plane, thereby breaking Gromit's fall into the cheese tent below. Victor gloats, but is knocked unconscious by Lady Tottington, using a giant carrot. He falls into the tent too, where Wallace lies unconscious and seemingly dying of his injuries. To protect Wallace from the angry mob outside, Gromit dresses Victor up as the monster (using the marionette he used earlier as a lure for the Were-Rabbit), and throws him out of the tent. Philip, believing Victor to be the beast, bites his master, and the angry mob chases Victor away.

Gromit and Tottington tend to Wallace who, seconds later, breathes his last and morphs back into his human form. Gromit, the rabbits, and Lady Tottington are saddened by their loss, but Gromit is able to revive Wallace with a slice of Stinking Bishop cheese. Gromit, for his bravery and his "brave and splendid marrow", is awarded the (now somewhat battered) competition trophy, and Lady Tottington (many people believed it to be Lady Tottington trying to propose marriage to Wallace) turns Tottington Hall's front garden into a wildlife refuge, where all the rabbits, including Hutch, can live in peace.

Cast of characters

For more information on the main characters, see Wallace and Gromit.
  • Ralph Fiennes as Lord Victor Quartermaine, the main antagonist and a spoiled, vain, upper-class bounder who is fond of hunting; he is rarely seen without his rifle and his hunting dog Philip. He wears a toupee and hates Anti-Pesto. His hunting rifle is apparently a high caliber bolt-action model with a sniper scope. It soon becomes clear in the film that Victor's only interest in Lady Tottington is her vast fortune which he is eager to get his hands on (a spoof on The Hound of the Baskervilles). He is also very similar to Percival C. Mcleach from The Rescuers Down Under and Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. After Lady Tottington discovers that Victor knew that the were-rabbit was Wallace all along, he reveals that all he wants is her money.
    • Philip is the second main antagonist and Victor's hunting dog who resembles a Miniature Bull Terrier. He and his master will do anything to stop the Were-Rabbit, although Philip is bright enough to know that the Were-Rabbit is beyond his hunting skills, and that Gromit, closer to his own size, is a better prospect as the target of premeditated violence. He also owns a lady's purse decorated with flowers for spare change.
  • Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Campanula "Totty" Tottington, the tritagonist and a wealthy 40-something single noblewoman with a keen interest in both vegetable-growing and 'fluffy' animals. For 517 years, her family has hosted an annual vegetable competition. Lady Tottington asks Wallace to call her "Totty" (which is an English term for attractive upper class women) and develops a romantic interest in him.
  • Peter Kay as Police Constable Albert Mackintosh, the village bobby who judges the Giant Vegetable Contest, although, with the havoc it creates every year he would rather it did not happen at all.
  • Nicholas Smith as Reverend Clement Hedges, the local vicar and the first person in the village to witness the Were-Rabbit, and describes the full horror of his encounter with the beast, but Victor refuses to believe him. However, when Victor discovers the true identity of the beast, he turns to the vicar for advice on how to kill it. Reverend Hedges appears to have a wide range of knowledge on the habits and the slayings of supernatural animals, and has a whole cupboard filled with the weapons to defeat them. Although his name appears in the credits, it is never said inside the film.
  • Dicken Ashworth and Liz Smith as Mr. and Mrs. Mulch, clients of Wallace and Gromit's Anti-Pesto. Mrs. Mulch has a fixation on her gigantic pumpkin. Mrs. Mulch is a more prominent character than her husband, who talks little.
  • Edward Kelsey as Mr. Growbag, an elderly resident of Wallace and Gromit's neighbourhood and a founding member of the town's veg grower's council. He constantly recalls memories of incidents from previous Vegetable Competitions - comparing them to what may happen to the forthcoming one. Two of the "disasters" he mentions are The Great Slug Riot of `32, "when there were slugs the size of pigs", and the Great Duck Plague of `53.
  • Peter Sallis (with a sped-up voice) as Hutch, originally just another captive rabbit. He receives special treatment, and his name, after an attempt to brainwash him and his fellows goes wrong. He was the first to be suspected of being the Were-Rabbit. Everything that Hutch says is a quotation from Wallace (though, surprisingly, some of the lines were originally spoken by Wallace after the incident with the Mind-Manipulation-O-Matic). Hutch wears clothes like Wallace's, including his slippers and tank top.

Production

The directors, Nick Park and Steve Box, have often referred to the film as the world's "first vegetarian horror film". Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace) is joined in the film by Ralph Fiennes (as Lord Victor Quartermaine), Helena Bonham Carter (as Lady Campanula Tottington), Peter Kay (as PC Mackintosh), Nicholas Smith (as Rev. Clement Hedges), and Liz Smith (as Mrs. Mulch). Keeping with the tradition of the original short films, Gromit remains silent, communicating only through body language.

Park told an interviewer that after separate test screenings with British and American children, the film was altered to "tone down some of the British accents and make them speak more clearly so the American audiences could understand it all better."[1] Park was often sent notes from DreamWorks, which irritated him. He recalled one note that Wallace's car should be trendier, which he disagreed with because he felt making things look old-fashioned made it look more ironic.[2]

The vehicle Wallace drives in the film is an Austin A35 van. In collaboration with Aardman in the spring of 2005, a road-going replica of the model was created by brothers Mark and David Armé, founders of the International Austin A30/A35 Register, for promotional purposes. In a 500-man-hour customisation, an original 1964 van received a full body restoration before being dented and distressed to perfectly replicate the model van used in the film. The official colour of the van is Preston Green, named in honour of Nick Park's home town. The name was chosen by the Art Director and Mark Armé.

For the US edition of the film, the dialogue was changed to refer to Gromit's prize marrow as a "melon". Because the word "marrow" is not well known in the US, Jeffrey Katzenberg insisted it be changed. Park explained "Because it's the only appropriate word we could find that would fit with the mouth shape for 'marrow'. Melon apparently works over there. So we have Wallace saying, 'How's your prize melon?'". The US version is also heard in the UK bootleg DVD release.[3]

Release and acclaim

The film was released in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and the United States on 14 October 2005 to almost universally rave reviews, including "A" ratings from Roger Ebert and Ty Burr. The DVD edition of the film was released on 7 February 2006 (USA) and 20 February 2006 (UK). On the Rotten Tomatoes website, the film won 2 Golden Tomato awards for "Best Wide Overall Release" and "Best Animation" and the film also received a 95% "Certified Fresh" rating from the website. One of the film's few critics was Peter Sallis, the voice of Wallace, who said that he preferred the half-hour films to the big screen debut.[4] However, Richard Roeper gave a "thumbs down" to the film on At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper. Roeper said that, "It's slightly amusing and I'd say when it comes out on video or if you catch it on cable, but to rush out to theaters...". [5]

Box office performance

Wallace & Gromit grossed $US192,610,372 at the box office, of which $US56,110,897 was from the US.,[6] where it opened in 3,645 cinemas and had an opening weekend gross of $US16,025,987, putting it at number one for that weekend.[7] During its second weekend it came in at number two, $US200,000 behind The Fog.[8] It remained number one worldwide for three weeks in a row.[9] Despite the big difference between the production budget and the overall gross, DreamWorks considered its returns low in comparison to Chicken Run, which made a slightly larger amount ($US224,834,564) worldwide, but nearly twice as much ($US106,834,564) within the United States.[10] When it is factored in that Chicken Run also cost $US15 million more to make, the overall profits for both films end up looking very similar. Nevertheless, it was reported on 3 October 2006[11] and confirmed on 30 January 2007[12] that the partnership between DreamWorks and Aardman has ended due to "creative differences" about Aardman's CG feature, Flushed Away. But, given the film's $US30 million budget, Aardman have judged it successful enough for a new Wallace & Gromit film to be made.[13]

Awards

Group Award Recipients Result
78th Academy Awards Best Animated Feature Film Nick Park
Steve Box
Won
33rd Annie Awards Best Animated Effects Jason Wen Won
Best Animated Feature Won
Best Character Animation Claire Billet Won
Best Character Design in an Animated Feature Production Nick Park Won
Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production Nick Park
Steve Box
Won
Best Music in an Animated Feature Production Julian Nott Won
Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production Phil Lewis Won
Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production Bob Persichetti Won
Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Peter Sallis as the voice of Wallace Won
Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production Steve Box
Nick Park
Mark Burton
Won
Best Character Animation Jay Grace
Christopher Sadler
Nominated
Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production Michael Salter Nominated
Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Helena Bonham Carter as the voice of Lady Campanula Tottington Nominated
Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Ralph Fiennes as the voice of Victor Quartermaine Nominated
Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Nicholas Smith as the voice of Reverend Clement Hedges Nominated
Bodil Awards Best Non-American Film Nominated
59th British Academy Film Awards Best British Film Claire Jennings
David Sproxton
Nick Park
Steve Box
Mark Burton
Bob Baker
Won
British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Film Nick Park Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature Won
Cine Awards Best voice actress Helena Bonham Carter Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature Won
Empire Awards Best Director Nick Park
Steve Box
Won
Best British Film Nominated
Best Comedy Nominated
Scene of the Year Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Animated Film Won
50th Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form Nominated
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Animated Film Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Animated Film Won
London Film Critics Circle British Film of the Year Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Animated Film Won
53rd Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Feature Film - Animated Won
New York Film Critics Online Best Animated Film Won
Kids Choice Awards Best Animated Film Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Best Animated Feature Won
17th Producers Guild of America Awards Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Claire Jennings
Nick Park
Won
10th Satellite Awards Outstanding Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media Nominated
32nd Saturn Awards Best Animated Film Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Best Animated Film Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Best Animated Film Won
Ursa Major Awards[14] Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture Nominated
Visual Effects Society Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture Lloyd Price for "Gromit" Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Animated Film Won

Awards shown here are those detailed by the Internet Movie Database.[15]

Home media

In Region 2, the film was released in a two-disc special including Cracking Contraptions, plus a number of other extras. In Region 1, the film was released on DVD in Widescreen and Fullscreen versions on 7 February 2006. Wal-Mart stores carried a special version with an additional DVD, "Gromit's Tail-Waggin' DVD" which included the test shorts made for this production.

A companion game, also titled 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit', had a coinciding release with the film. A novelization, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: The Movie Novelization by Penny Worms (ISBN 0-8431-1667-6), was also produced.

This was the final DreamWorks Animation film released on VHS.

See also

References

  • The Art of Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit by Andy Lane & Paul Simpson. ISBN 1-84576-215-0

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Wallace Gromit: Auf der Jagd nach dem Riesenkaninchen Originaltitel: Wallace Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit Produktionsland: Großbritannien Erscheinungsjahr: 2005 Länge: 85 Minuten Originalsprache …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wallace and Gromit — Gromit, Wallace und Nick Park Wallace Gromit sind die Hauptfiguren in mehreren britischen Animationsfilmen von Nick Park und seiner Firma Aardman Animations. Die Figuren werden aus Plastilin auf Drahtgestellen modelliert und mit der Stop Motion… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wallace and gromit — Gromit, Wallace und Nick Park Wallace Gromit sind die Hauptfiguren in mehreren britischen Animationsfilmen von Nick Park und seiner Firma Aardman Animations. Die Figuren werden aus Plastilin auf Drahtgestellen modelliert und mit der Stop Motion… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wallace und Gromit — Gromit, Wallace und Nick Park Wallace Gromit sind die Hauptfiguren in mehreren britischen Animationsfilmen von Nick Park und seiner Firma Aardman Animations. Die Figuren werden aus Plastilin auf Drahtgestellen modelliert und mit der Stop Motion… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wallace et Gromit — Titre original Wallace and Gromit Créateur(s) Nick Park Production Aardman Animations Acteurs principaux …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wallace et Gromit : Le Mystère du lapin-garou — Le Mystère du lapin garou Données clés Titre original The Curse of the …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wallace y Gromit — Nick Park junto a sus creaciones. Wallace y Gromit son los personajes principales de una serie británica de cuatro cortos animados de treinta minutos y un largometraje creados por Nick Park, de Aardman Animations. Estos personajes son modelados… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Wallace & Gromit — Gromit, Wallace und Nick Park Wallace Gromit sind die Hauptfiguren in mehreren britischen Animationsfilmen von Nick Park und seiner Firma Aardman Animations. Die Figuren werden aus Plastilin auf Drahtgestellen modelliert und mit der Stop Motion… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wallace & Gromit: Auf der Jagd nach dem Riesenkaninchen — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Wallace Gromit: Auf der Jagd nach dem Riesenkaninchen Originaltitel: Wallace Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit Produktionsland: Großbritannien Erscheinungsjahr: 2005 Länge: 85 Minuten Originalsprache …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wallace & Gromit auf der Jagd nach dem Riesenkaninchen — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Wallace Gromit: Auf der Jagd nach dem Riesenkaninchen Originaltitel: Wallace Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit Produktionsland: Großbritannien Erscheinungsjahr: 2005 Länge: 85 Minuten Originalsprache …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Hurt Locker — Hurt Locker redirects here. For the song by American Rapper Xzibit, see Hurt Locker (song). The Hurt Locker …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”