The Wrong Trousers welcomes us back to Wallace, the eccentric, cheese-loving inventor and his faithful dog Gromit as they star in their second motion picture. The Wrong Trousers is about a penguin, called Feathers McGraw, that poses as a guest in Wallace's home but is really a fiendish criminal. He uses a pair of hi-tech trousers and also uses Wallace to steal a diamond from the museum, so it is up to Gromit to find out what's going on and save the day. The genre is a short, animation, family comedy for all ages as kids and adults can enjoy the hilarious predicaments of the two plasticine stars.
Claymation is the trademark for an animated film process using clay figurines that are moved and filmed so as to create lifelike imagery and motion. Nick Park was born in 1959 and is best known as the
...creator of Wallace and Gromit. Park uses stop-frame animation, which takes years to complete one feature length movie. The short feature film A Grand Day Out marked the first appearance of Park's best-loved characters Wallace and his quick-witted dog Gromit.
Nick Park is the Co-Director at Aardman Animation Studios, and he and his production team have worked on projects such as Creature Comforts, Cracking Contraptions, and the Box-Office smash hit Chicken Run. Wallace and Gromit add different types of comedy to The Wrong Trousers, such as visual humour when Gromit is looking through the Meetabix box at Feathers McGraw as Feathers prepares for his robbery, then as Feathers goes off he looks around and then stops, steps forward and looks at Gromit. This is dramatic as we think that Gromit has bee
caught spying but then Feathers walks on and we see the Meetabix box.
Adult humour is used when Gromit receives a collar and lead for his birthday. Wallace mentions something about Gromit's birthday and then Gromit gets excited as Wallace takes the present off the train. "Here you go Gromit," says Wallace and when Gromit opens the present to find a collar and lead he is disappointed. Wallace puts it on Gromit, taps his head and walks off. This is funny as Gromit acts more like a human than a dog. There is also slapstick comedy when Wallace uses the hairdryer and his ears flop about as he says, "Alright Gromit" in an unusual voice.
You can find humour when Wallace goes to the picture on the wall and behind it opens the safe to find only a few coppers in his piggy bank, and then Wallace says to Gromit, "Oh Gromit it looks like we need to stay off the pies for a bit eh", and subtle humour can be found when we see a close up of the penguin and he is just blinking through his small, black, beady eyes to the sound of dramatic music. The incident with the piggy bank is funny because there is hardly any money it in but Wallace safeguards it as if it there is heaps of cash.
The short film is also comical when Feathers puts the rubber glove on his head and rubs his fingers through it as if it is real hair whilst looking at a mirror. Wit is used when the three characters are on the train and Gromit realises that the track is running out.
He then gets the box and lays the track, as the train carriage is moving. There are lots of examples of personification in The Wrong Trousers mostly coming from Gromit. Right at the beginning when Wallace says, "Good morning Gromit" we see Gromit drinking tea and reading the newspaper.
He also gets the morning post and makes breakfast in his apron. All this makes it look as if Gromit is the responsible one that looks after Wallace instead of vice versa. Gromit is the one who does the chores around the house while Wallace tries to invent new stuff, and we even see Gromit knitting. The personification shows what it is like in an ordinary English household. Many aspects of British culture are depicted throughout The Wrong Trousers, such as when Wallace and Gromit have a cup of tea and a slice of toast at breakfast and Wallace says to his dog," Nice toast don't you agree Gromit? Wallace's love of his dog Gromit, and his adoration of cheese, which is common in places such as Yorkshire also portray British culture.
Wallace also wears his slippers and robe in the morning, and has garden gnomes. Gromit personifies a lot of the British culture when he knits and makes English breakfast, and also by the fact that he is a pet dog. When Feathers makes himself at home in Gromit's room he sits on the bed and turns on his radio to the sound of fairground music, and Wallace's Yorkshire accent also depicts British culture. He uses phrases such as "Crikey" and "Good grief" which are common in the North-East of England.
The Wrong Trousers matches up with different
genres such as comedy with the gags between Wallace and Gromit mainly in the morning around the breakfast table, and action/adventure when the penguin is trying to steal the diamond from the museum via Wallace. There is suspense when Wallace is in the museum hovering above the jewel and then Feathers accidentally pushes the joystick to make Wallace almost touch the laser and sound the alarm. A detective element is added to the movie when Gromit realises what the penguin is doing and tracks his steps.
It is like a heist film when Wallace, Gromit and the penguin are on the train as they try to stop Feathers from escaping with the stolen diamond. Wallace says, "Get him Gromit," and leaves it up to him to catch Feathers. Sound effects are a common feature in this film and are mostly used when the mechanical trousers are moving. The SFX also enhances what is happening such as the whooshing noise when Wallace slides out of the bed into his clothes. Also when Gromit sees the trousers for the first time there is dramatic music as he slowly backs away, and there is a close up shot where we see the scared expression on his face.
We also see a close up of Feathers McGraw with a bead of sweat running down his face when he almost makes Wallace touch the lasers and sound off the alarm in the museum. During dramatic moments in the film a close up of Wallace is portrayed and we can tell his emotions from that. Low-angle shots are not commonly used in The Wrong Trousers but it does make an appearance when Gromit
sees the "techno-trousers" for the first time and the LAS makes the trousers seem sinister, and the dark shadow in the room also adds to this effect.
Gromit doesn't speak in the film and the only way we know what he is feeling or thinking is through the expressions on his face. His brow moves up or down which helps to communicate his thoughts such as when he leaves home and as is walking down the street he sees a wanted poster of Feathers McGraw, but is not completely sure if it is him because in the poster Feathers is wearing a rubber glove on his head, and his brow moves to give him a puzzled look. Gromit's ears pop up when he gets excited about his birthday present, but when he opens it to find a collar and lead his ears droop down.
Again this is another way in which Gromit is able to show his emotions. In the opening sequences of the movie there is bright lighting partly due to the fact that it is morning, which shows that it is a happy and content environment. There is evidence of this because of the way the characters act; "Good morning Gromit," declares Wallace in a friendly attitude. When the penguin robs the jewel it takes place at night where it is dark and this gives the action an ominous feel to it. Also all is not well as Gromit tries to rescue the situation.
There is fade when Wallace and Gromit capture Feathers in the bottle as Wallace triumphantly states, "Look Gromit we've finally got him. " Medium shots are used a lot and an example
of one is when Wallace is in bed and suddenly he slides out and falls right into the trousers reprogrammed by the evil Feathers. Long shots appear when the penguin puts Wallace in the "techno trousers" and toys with him where we see Wallace go high in the air shouting, "Gromit help me! " The pace increases when the three characters are on the train, which makes it exhilarating, and there is also background music.
There is a close up to make it look as if the heist is going on in a large area but it is actually taking place on a toy train set in the living room. There is slow motion when the penguin is in the air and falls into the bottle. The Wrong Trousers is a great movie for all ages and Wallace and Gromit have now become part of British culture. Who would've thought that a man and his dog could have so much accomplishment? Their antics in every movie and their appeal have made them loved the world over, and the plasticine duo keep going from strength to strength.
They appeal to all ages because anyone can relate to the different themes entwined in their episodes, and the nation just love the chemistry between the two icons. It will be no surprise if their success carries on for many years to come, as they are great to watch. People love the humour between the two stars, the British culture depicted on screen and the different genres, which work together to provide great moments of British film. This is why they are so popular and are a great achievement from the
hard work of Nick Park and all the people at the Aardman studios.
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