Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' (2008) (TV)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Nick Park

Writers:

Nick Park (written by) &
Bob Baker (written by)

Release Date:

3 December 2008 (Australia)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Family

Plot:

Wallace and his dog, Gromit, open a bakery and get tied up with a murder mystery. But, when Wallace falls in love Gromit is left to solve the case.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Wallace And Gromit | Dog | Baker | Bakery

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win

Cast

Peter Sallis	...	Wallace (voice)
Sally Lindsay	...	Piella (voice)
Melissa Collier	...	Fluffles (voice)
Sarah Laborde	...	Bake O Lite Singer (voice)

Also Known As:

Wallace and Gromit in Trouble At' Mill (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Bristol, England, UK

Company:

Aardman Animations

Trivia:

The Single vinyl cover seen in the front of the cardboard box given to Gromit by Fluffles is based on the actual singer Donny Osmond and his hit single "Puppy Love", and written by Paul Anka in 1960. Donny Osmond made it a personal best, in the U.K., as it reached Number One for five weeks in the summer of '72 and has been his "trademark" hit ever since. The words "...and they called it Puppy Love..." can also be heard sung at the end of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bake O Lite Singer leaves Wallace & Gromits Home, and cycles away. The scene pans to the hallway of their house and Bake O Lite Singer's hat and coat are hanging up, yet she has just left.

Quotes:

[Wallace and Gromit are in the baker's van]
Wallace: How's that breakfast coming on?
[Gromit presses a button on the car radio and a slice of cremated toast pops out from the cassette slot]
Wallace: Well done, lad.
[looks at the burnt toast]
Wallace: *Very* well done.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Technically impressive as the others, but I don't think he'll (Nick Park) ever beat The Wrong Trousers

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Wallace and Gromit have decided to set up their own baking business. One day, Wallace nearly has a traffic accident with the woman who used to be the 'bake-o-lite' girl. They warm to each other and romance starts to blossom-but Gromit, wary as ever (what with past experience!) suspects she's trouble, and what with the spate of serial killings involving local bakers that's been going on lately, maybe he's onto something.

After the success of 2005's film version The Curse of the Were Rabbit, Nick Park's plasticine heroes have become popular again and got enough publicity for a timely new episode last Christmas, that for one reason or another I didn't get to see all the way through. But now I have, and while the technical animation never ceases to impress me, it's now becoming quite clear that in my mind, Park'll never make as great an episode as The Wrong Trousers.

The serial killing theme of this new story might have been a bit too dark and adult to feature in a family film, but one of the trademarks of the franchise, the cheesy puns, are in abundance, from vinyl records Gromit owns by artists like Doggy Osmond and McFlea (as well as The Hound of Music!), to other clever (but not very subtle!) touches like advertisements for flights by Cheesy Jet. The stories in most of the short films revolve around Wallace warming to someone (or something) he's just met and Gromit suspecting (and being proved right!) that they're up to no good, and this is no exception but most of it is carried off with such technical expertise it's a minor quibble.

There's nothing really wrong here, it's just that nothing has (and I doubt ever will) live up to the standard of The Wrong Trousers for me. ***