Wallace and Gromit: Most Birds’ Revenge sees the return of iconic villain, Feathers McGraw. Wallace and Gromit are the reason he was captured, and he’s been thinking about it for a while. Finally, he sees an opportunity for revenge and seizes it when Wallace invents a gnome robot helper called Norbot. Vengeance More Bird explores the idea that sometimes we rely too much on technology.
The first Wallace and Gromit film since the BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated 2008 A question of bread and death, Wallace and Gromit: Most Birds’ Revenge reunites four-time Oscar®-winning director Nick Park and Emmy nominee Merlin Crossingham for an all-new adventure. Bringing together characters old and new, this film is a wonderful addition to the legacy that is Wallace and Gromit.
SscreenRant interviewed directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, producers Richard Beek and Carla Shelley, and director of photography Dave Alex Riddett on Wallace and Gromit: The Dirtiest Revenge red carpet debut. They talk about what they think of this iconic pair that has made them resonate with so many audiences for so long. The filmmakers also reveal whether eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot Easter eggs from previous films and what makes claymation stop-motion animation so special.
Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham say Netflix was a great partner for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
“They really went with the flow and let us make the movie we dreamed of making.”
Screen Rant: What do you think it’s about Wallace and Gromit that allowed them to really resonate with people all over the world?
Nick Park: I have to pinch myself because I think back to my college days creating these characters and now how big it has become. I think it has to do with the charm of handmade, clay animation with fingerprints, that people can identify the artist behind the animation. And also, I think the world is a world of pet lovers and the way Wallace and Gromit relate to each other. Gromit appears to be even more human, which is the case with many pet lovers, by the way they see them.
Merlin Crossingham: As well as being great entertainment, we are unabashedly British and handmade, and we fly that flag with pride. I think that’s part of their charm.
Screen Rant: What has it been like working with Netflix?
Merlin Crossingham: They’ve been great partners and embraced that Britishness. They recognize that this is a really big part of who Wallace and Gromit is, and of Aardman as a studio. They embraced us and here we are.
Nick Park: They really respect the whole legacy of Wallace and Gromit. They gave us really good marks when we were having little problems with the story, but mostly they really went with the flow and let us make the film we dreamed of making.
Screen Rant: Why was it time to bring Feathers McGraw back?
Merlin Crossingham: It was actually a requirement of the story. It wasn’t let’s make a movie with Feathers. I think when you started to shape the idea, it needed a villain. And there he was, looking at us.
Nick Park: Yes, someone who needed more threat to Wallace and Gromit, someone who had a personal vendetta. And since the gnomes themselves were unable to do this, it was necessary for there to be someone behind the Norbots. And who better than Feathers, who has been languishing in prison or the zoo for 30 years.
Merlin Crossingham: And put there by Wallace and Gromit, so he wants revenge.
Source: Rant Plus Screen
Stop-Motion Animation Brings “Magic” to Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
“I think when people come to the studio, it’s basically being inside the doll workshop. Do you understand what I mean? That’s how it feels.”
Screen Rant: Will fans see any Easter eggs from previous films?
Dave Alex Riddett: Yes, there are some easter eggs in there, but I shouldn’t give any of them away at the moment. I mean, there’s a lot of film noir and a lot of dark films that we really reference. Right at the beginning, you will see one.
Carla Shelley: My lips are sealed.
Screen Rant: Can you talk about stop-motion animation as an art and why it’s so important to the world?
Dave Alex Riddett: It’s important because you can enter a world of complete make-believe and completely ridiculous notions and such. Everything is possible because each frame is handcrafted and created. So you can take it in all directions.
Carla Shelley: I think it’s that human touch in each frame, whether it’s the fingerprints on the plaster. Of course, we now use visual effects just to help us on our way, but it’s still that manual tapping on the screen for us. I think that shows in everything we do. There is real magic in that. And I think that when people come to the studio, it’s very much inside the doll workshop. Do you know what I mean? That’s how it looks.
Source: Rant Plus Screen
Richard Beek is happy the world knows Feathers McGraw is returning in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
“We’ve kept it a secret for a long time.”
Screen Rant: What do you think about Wallace and Gromit that has resonated with so many people over the years?
Richard Beek: I think it’s their Britishness. I think that’s what people love about it: it’s uniquely British, it’s uniquely Nick. I think people really like that, that sense of humor that they have and also their relationship. I think that’s what people love.
Screen Rant: I’m so excited to see that Feathers McGraw is back.
Richard Beek: Yes, people are. It’s really exciting, we’ve kept it a secret for so long, it was great to tell everyone and not have to keep it a secret.
Source: Rant Plus Screen
About Wallace and Gromit: The Most Fowl’s Revenge (2024)
Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified when Wallace invents an “intelligent” gnome that appears to develop a mind of its own. When it’s discovered that a vengeful figure from the past may be the mastermind, it’s up to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
Wallace and Gromit: Most Birds’ Revenge will be released on Netflix globally (except UK/IE) on January 3, 2025. It will also be released in select US cinemas on December 18.