Wallace and Gromit: movies, ratings, from A Close Shave to Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Is there a double act as beloved as Wallace and Gromit?

It should not be made of plasticine. Britain’s most British institution, the Northern inventor and his faithful dog have been a mainstay of culture for decades now – since the first film was released in 1989. Since then, creator Nick Park has won an Oscar, built the Shaun the Goat empire and sent couples to war thieving penguins, same-rabbits and Wallace’s own inventions.

With his latest (titled Vengence Most Fowl) set to debut on our screens this Christmas, what better time to rank the Wallace and Gromit oeuvre once and for all? Here, in descending order – and including the Shaun the Sheep spinoff, naturally.

Okay, it’s not a movie as much as an animated drama series, but it’s still pretty good. Released in the run-up to Curse of the Were-Rabbit, these ten shorts basically feature a series of Wallace’s misguided discoveries. There’s an automatic goal-scorer (complete with handsome old football boots), a malfunctioning Autochef and a ‘Bully-Proof Vest’ that boasts spring-loaded gloves for punching ne’er do wells. There’s no plot, but golly it’s fun to watch.

The Shaun franchise continues to thrive – and with these cute animals, who can blame Aardman for getting every last penny? The sequel to the movie Shaun (superior) sees a blue-and-purple alien rabbit named Lu-La crash at Soggy Bottom Farm. Of course, the Farmer creates a new theme park (Farmageddon) to capitalize on the new guest’s fame, and before long, the Feds get involved. It’s all harmless fun, if a little toothless.

The very first movie in the Wallace-verse, and hoo boy, it shows. Created by Nick Park fresh out of film school, it ultimately lost out to Aardman’s own Creature Comforts at the 1991 Oscars – but A Grand Day Out is only as good as its zoo-based partner. The plot is simple (the couple shoot the moon, and fight with a gas stove), but from the beginning, all the hallmarks are there. Wallace is an inventor, Gromit an obedient (and clever) hound; Cinematic references are subtle and know, and the Northern location and humor are built into the bones of the film. And if the figurines are a little rougher than the polished plasticine models of years past, it’s all a charm.

Although only 29 minutes long, this little gem packs a powerful punch. Once again, Wallace is looking for love – and his move to a bakery brings him to the door of Piella Bakewell, a former pin-up girl for the Bake-O-Lite company. Unfortunately, the romance that remains is from the beginning: it turns out that Piella is actually a serial killer who has eliminated all the other bakers in the area. With the new company, Wallace is on the list. The jokes don’t stop coming in this one – the scene featuring an unexploded bomb being stuffed into Wallace’s pants and packed with dough is a highlight. It’s Aardman’s take on the murder-mystery genre, and it’s absolutely delicious

After Shaun stole the hearts of the nation in A Close Shave – and became a star in his own spin-off TV show – is it any surprise that a movie will soon follow? Sweet and good-natured, see Shaun and the head of the herd go to The Big City to rescue the Farmer, who has a bump on the head and lost his memory. What’s even more amazing is that it manages to hold our attention for 90 minutes, despite only having one or two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Watch out for the baa-baa shop quartet.

Wallace and Gromit’s scariest offering? I definitely remember cowering behind the sofa when we watched this. The first film to introduce the concept of Wallace’s love life, A Close Shave also introduces us to Shaun, a cute lil sheep who steals the show and runs away. We also get a great sequence featuring a lorry, motorbike (and flying sidecar) and Preston’s terrifying robot dog. There’s still a lot of heart here, though, and the ending is tragic for such an upbeat animation. Naturally, it won an Oscar.

The best of Wallace’s older offerings – nothing different. But how can you argue with McGraw’s adorable Feathers: a diamond-stealing penguin wearing a rubber glove on his head? Or is Wallace stuck in a pair of pneumatic pants, much to Gromit’s annoyance? And the dream sequence is the final scene, with Gromit laying down the tracks during the model train chase sequence with the villain at the film’s climax. Pure cinematic perfection.

The best of the best. Aardman’s first full-length film took decades to make, and the result is 85 minutes of pure joy. A spoof of the classic monster movie, Were-Rabbit sees Wallace’s brain fuse with a rabbit when an experiment goes wrong. Suddenly, he has a taste for carrots and tends to become a huge monster bunny when the moon comes out. Of course, it’s up to Gromit to save the day, through some good inventive hunting scenes and some “24-carrot” bullets. The voice acting – featuring performances by Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham-Carter – is top notch. And the level of jokes is amazing: perfection.