“Wallace & Gromit: The

Curse of the Were-Rabbit”

Directed by: Nick Parks, Steve Box

Starring: (voices of) Peter Sallis, Ralph Feinnes and Helena Bonham Carter

Rating: G Running time: 86 minutes

Best suited for: claymation and animation fans—a fun, full-family film

Least suited for: only the hardest of hearts, the grumpiest of spirits, the coldest of souls, the . . . Acorn’s Rating Guide:

I can’t help myself, I love these guys. I first met Wallace & Gromit during an animation festival in La Jolla many years ago, when the duo’s entire professional career consisted of a single 23-minute short called “A Grand Day Out.” Even in a venue filled with artistic gems, Wallace & Gromit sparkled in the nonchalant adventures of a cheese-munching inventor and his silently suffering canine, a pair of charming, claymation creatures who seemed too blissfully self-absorbed not to be real.

Since then, Wallace & Gromit have evolved into a mini-kiddie-cult phenomenon, British creator and director Nick Parks having directed two additional W&G shorts, “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave.” Parks then gained much-deserved attention with the fulllength claymation marvel (but curiously W&G-free) “Chicken Run” in 2000.

Now Wallace & Gromit have scored their first feature film, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” Creator Parks has described the film as “the world’s first vegetarian horror movie.” Horror has seldom been this cute or cuddly. Despite the nod to a few classics in the genre, kids will find this one about as frightening as viewing a whipped-cream pie to the face.

Wallace & Gromit own a humane pest control business— “Anti-Pesto” by name—and they’re the bustling heroes of a village of avid gardeners plagued by bunnies. (The film is utterly British, you realize.)

Before the village’s highly anticipated Giant Vegetable Competition, a laboratory experiment goes horribly wrong and a giant rabbit begins ravaging prized gardens. The competition’s benefactor, the clayishly fetching Lady Tottington, hires Wallace & Gromit to stop the beast. Yet W&G’s attempts are thwarted by the distinctly inhumane intentions of Victor Quartermaine, a local hunter hoping to bag the creature himself, with the help of some gold (24-carrot—um, karat) bullets.

It’s that kind of eccentric silliness that drives the film. And for every child’s squeal of delight, there’s an equally clever adult moment as well.

For those unaware, Wallace & Gromit are the clay creations of stop-motion animation (remember Gumby?), a painstaking, hand-manipulated process that, in this era of computer-generated graphics, seems all the more impressive.

If there’s a flaw to the film— and it’s a nitpick—it’s that Wallace & Gromit’s escapades eventually approach hyper, hysterical levels. While there’s nothing wrong with a good dose of hysteria, one of the duo’s more enchanting attributes has always been a distinctly laissezfaire attitude toward impending danger. But director Parks (and co-director Steve Box) have managed to throw in a dog fight—simultaneously vintage aeronautical and canine—an avenging mob of angry villagers (vegetable gardeners, actually) and, of course, the rampaging 50-foot Oryctolagus cuniculus. Even amid such melee, there’s nothing on screen that would offend the senses of even a timid 2-year-old. Those viewers without children should be thoroughly entertained as well.

In a nutshell: This clever, whimsical animated treat is too benign to offend, too wellcrafted not to entertain. If you’re new to the escapades of Wallace & Gromit, “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” should indoctrinate you into a growing legion of fans. And, when you’re utterly hooked, W&G’s three equally enchanting, Oscar-winning short animations are available on a DVD compilation. For animation fans (or for those with children), it’s a must-have.