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Review

After an Oscar-winning series of three short films, Wallace and Gromit gloriously expand to feature length while losing none of their handmade charm along the way. With the usual nods to vintage Universal Studios horror & noir, this breathless adventure starts out modestly enough, with tinkerer/Everyman Wallace and his loyal (and smarter) pooch Gromit preparing for the biggest event of the year: The town's vegetable-growing competition. With each niblet threatened by rabbits and other toothy creatures, they are making a mint with their "Anti-Pesto" business (and one among hundreds of love-em-or-hate-em puns). However, this animal-friendly duo can't bear to dispose of the bunnies; threatened with a cellarful of hares, Wallace creates a machine... and, well, things go as they usually go, and there's your were-rabbit. There are some slyly scary sequences leading up to a rousing action finale and an extended King Kong homage. But most important to the success is those lovably molded plasticine characters, complete with visible thumbprints. Without uttering a single bark Gromit steals the show, carrying a dog's lifetime of burden in his heavy eyes and doggedly saving the day. Well done lads!

 -- David Gorgos