Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Director Nick Park won an award for his quirky comedy duo, Wallace, the wacky inventor, and Gromit, his sarcastic dog.

He's created what are likely to be remembered as the best claymation titles on the market, with spectacular attention to detail into each film. Particularly impressive is the little things, the movement of Wallace's mouth, the roll of Gomits eye, and everything else that has been fluidly animated, even though this has taken the animators years to accomplish by hand.

Writing wise (first of all let me recommend my previous review for Wallace And Gromit's Cracking Contraptions for a more in depth explanation of the characters) these 3 features feature these 2 quirky characters getting into a number of different adventures, each one more cinematic than the last.

The first film on the disk, A Grand Day Out sees Wallace and Gromit planning a holiday. Suddenly Wallace makes the horrifying discovery that they are out of cheese, and so start researching different locations that are good for cheese. Suddenly it hits them, where else could they go but a place that is literally made of cheese, the moon. Building a quick space rocket in the garden shed Wallace And Gromit set off for the moon.

I like this one, but it's the weakest of the 3, being very simple in it's ability, and seeing less of the series atmospheric style. Nevertheless the episode remains worthwhile, purely as an introduction to the characters. Wallace's first idea is also one of his most hair brained, and the sight of him planning his spaceship by drawing a, badly drawn, spaceship give you an idea as to how organized he is. Gromit ends up the most expressive though, he doesn't say anything, but when he finds himself being used as a tool and whatnot, his eyebrows have a rapier wit than the even the most eloquent of speakers. Oh, and another character, exclusive to this film, is met on the moon and turns out to be hilarious in his tragedy. 4/5

The second film, The Wrong Trousers is a more cinematic feature. In it Wallace realizes that money is short, and so arranges for a new tenant to stay with them, his name is Mr Chicken, a black and white rooster with a mysterious manor. Wallace has also invented a pair of trousers capable of walking themselves, which seems irrelevant to the police investigation of a sinister penguin. However Gromit becomes suspicious of Mr Chicken, whom he discovers is a penguin with a rubber glove on his head, intent on reprogramming the trousers to frame Wallace.

This episode is my personal favorite of the 3, strong, atmospheric and plot driven. By comedy standards the plot has some good twists, though it is as predictable as a penguin bank robber could be. Visual gags about, best of all one shot where Gromit is hiding in a box with a picture of a dog, and his eye holes end up in the exact spot of the pics, it works when you see it, besides the chase sequences of the finale, on a model train track no less, are hilariously exhilarating. 5/5

The final film, A Close Shave, sees Wallace inventing an automatic knitting machine, but needs wool. When the 2 of them are hired to clean the windows of the wool shop he decides to pick some up, but, with a sheep rustler in town and a ration on wool, where is this shop getting it's merchandise from?

This finale makes for a terrific conclusion o the series, mainly because Wallace falls in love, everyone say "Ahhhh", with the woman in the wool shop. Their romance is backed up by another frame-up job, this time it's Gromit, by the woman's dog, who, fate would have it, turns out to be The Terminator. It's also worthy of mention that this episode is the introduction of my favorite character in the series, young Norman the sheep. 5/5

This has been my entry into the Lean-N-Mean write-off.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8