In this episode of Vintage Animation Millennial, I give a ranking of every Wallace and Gromit film! The video originally appeared in January of 2025. Vintage Animation Millennial is a regular series in which I give my thoughts on classic animation. The subject of this video is a little newer than my usual fare, but I believe the content has some crossover with the older stuff.
Following the release of the marvellous Vengence Most Fowl (2024), I decided to do a countdown of every Wallace and Gromit film there has been, whether short or feature-length. This list did not include any of the films made for the Cracking Contraptions series or any similar things featuring the lovable pair!
The films to choose from were:
- A Grand Day Out (1989). The first film in the series sees the duo build a rocket ship and travel to the moon to look for cheese. While there, they come across a resident who is none too happy about their arrival. Its a little crude in the animation stakes, but we all have to start somewhere!
- The Wrong Trousers (1993). In one of the greatest shorts ever made, Wallace buys Gromit a pair of “techno trousers” for his birthday. Meanwhile, they take in a lodger to pay the bills, but is he more than he seems? This film contains the famous train chase sequence at the end, a marvel in stop-frame animation.
- A Close Shave (1995). The pair get entangled in a sheep rustling plot, and Wallace has an eye for a wool shop owner, played by Anne Reid. It featured the first appearance of Shaun the Sheep, who would go on to have his own series. Daft, impressive and incredibly cinematic!
- The Curse of the Were Rabbit (2005). In this feature-length collaboration with Dreamworks, Aardman made Wallace and Gromit the stars of their very own tribute to the horror genre. They run a business that helps rid the town of rabbits just in time for the village show. Everything is thwarted by a mysterious giant “were rabbit”. This film won the Oscar for the best animated feature film!
- A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008). Bakers are being murdered. Wallace, who is a baker, becomes romantically involved with the bake-a-lite girl, played by Sally Lyndsay. The final Wallace and Gromit film of Peter Sallis.
- Vengence Most Fowl (2024). Another feature-length film, this time in association with the BBC and Netflix. Wallace invents a smart gnome called Norbot. A former foe returns!
All films were made by Nick Park and Aardman Animations.
I have been a fan of the Wallace and Gromit series for as long as I can remember. The quirky but relatable characters drew me in, as did the humour, the latter of which often references things from popular culture. I have often found inspiration from the work of Nick Park and Aardman, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about them.
The late great Peter Sallis, who voiced Wallace in all films up to 2008. His distinctive vocal talents helped to shape the character of Wallace, and is someone I regularly try to badly imitate!
What do you think?
What is your favourite Wallace and Gromit film? Do you have an ideal ranking of the films? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below or via our social media!
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