Wallace and Gromit make a triumphant return in 'Vengeance Most Fowl'

Watching the new Wallace and Gromit feature Vengeance Most Fowl felt like a good blast of nostalgia. It gave a warm, comfortable, virtual hug while being hugely funny too. I will admit to having been slightly wary about their return to our TV screens after 16 years. Sometimes things are never as good after such a long gap. But there was no need for concern at all.

Wallace and Gromit are back with a bang, and plenty more sounds, under the guidance of Nick Park and Mark Burton. The animation series returned with Vengeance Most Fowl in a premiere at the American Film Institute in late October. It launches on Netflix worldwide on January 3, 2025 so everyone can get a chance to see it. But over here in the UK we had it served up earlier as a treat on BBC TV on Christmas Day. And what a treat that was.

Let's not worry too much about explaining the plot, not that there would be any spoilers in doing so. The main scenario was the return of arch-criminal and penguin Feathers McGraw with his cunning chicken disguise. As the film reveals McGraw has added more costume deflection since his debut in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers. The rest of the story involves the local police, smart Gnomes, and madcap technological inventions. 

Wallace and Gromit are back on Netflix

If you've not seen Wallace and Gromit before you may be wondering what this is all about. I can only urge you to watch and see. It’s a set of exceptional characters made from plasticine in a stop-motion film crammed with amazing stunts, a crazy storyline, and lots of humor. It is quite British in many of those aspects and its northern England accents and setting, but works well internationally too. 

It’s an all-family film with varying age levels of laughs and storylines in there. The simple characters display amazing levels of emotion and expression. Keep your eye out for Gromit, the dog, showing his exasperation at Wallace, not recognizing the disguised McGraw, and then again when the realization hits. The action scenes and some locations take strong hints from James Bond and even the latest Mission Impossible film. 

It’s a highly enjoyable and fun story that unfolds gently initially in front of us. There’s knockabout slapstick, in-jokes, broad laughs, and chase sequences all backed by a wonderful and familiar music score. We were so fortunate in the UK to get to see it early on, please do take your seat for a viewing when it’s available for you. 

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