Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
A stop-motion parody of classic monster films.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 stop-motion animated comedy film. It was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Burton and Bob Baker. The film is the fourth entry in the Wallace & Gromit series and the first feature-length installment. DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features produced it.
The story parodies classic monster films. It follows inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit, who run a humane pest control business called Anti-Pesto. Their town is overrun with rabbits just before the annual giant vegetable competition. The duo soon faces a rabbit-like monster. The voice cast includes Peter Sallis as Wallace, along with Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, and Peter Kay.
After Aardman’s first feature, *Chicken Run* (2000), DreamWorks and Aardman announced two new co-productions: *The Tortoise and the Hare* and a feature-length Wallace & Gromit film. The former was abandoned due to script problems. The latter began production in September 2003. During filming, DreamWorks sent Park notes asking for changes to appeal more to contemporary American audiences. This included changing the original subtitle, *The Great Vegetable Plot*, to *The Curse of the Were-Rabbit*. Julian Nott, who composed music for earlier Wallace & Gromit shorts, returned to score this film.
The film premiered in Sydney, Australia, on 4 September 2005. It was released in US theaters on 7 October 2005 and in the UK on 14 October 2005. DreamWorks Animation considered it a box-office disappointment in the US, but it performed better internationally. It received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature—the first stop-motion film to be nominated for that award—and the BAFTA Award for Best British Film.
A fifth installment and fourth short, *A Matter of Loaf and Death*, was released in 2008. A sixth installment and second feature-length film, *Vengeance Most Fowl*, followed in 2024.
**Plot**
Tottington Hall’s annual giant vegetable competition is approaching. Wallace and Gromit run Anti-Pesto, a humane pest control business protecting townspeople’s vegetables from rabbits. Lady Campanula Tottington, the hall’s owner, hires them to capture rabbits from her garden.
- Release year
- 2005
- Directors
- Nick Park and Steve Box
- Studio
- DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features
- Genre
- Stop-motion animated comedy
- Runtime
- Feature-length
- Awards
- Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, BAFTA Award for Best British Film
Lore & Background
The film centers on inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit, who run a humane pest control business called Anti-Pesto. They are hired to protect the town's giant vegetable competition from rabbits. Wallace's invention, the Mind Manipulation-O-Matic, accidentally fuses his brain with a rabbit's, creating a creature called Hutch. A Were-Rabbit then terrorizes the town, and Gromit discovers that Wallace himself is the Were-Rabbit. The plot follows their efforts to stop the monster and the hunter Lord Victor Quartermaine.
Reader's Guide
The film premiered in Sydney, Australia, on 4 September 2005, and was released in the US on 7 October 2005 and the UK on 14 October 2005. It was considered a box-office disappointment in the US by DreamWorks Animation but was more commercially successful internationally. It received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first stop-motion film nominated for that award. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. The film's subtitle was changed from The Great Vegetable Plot due to market research. A fifth installment, A Matter of Loaf and Death, was released in 2008, and a sixth, Vengeance Most Fowl, in 2024.
Did You Know?
- The film was originally titled Wallace & Gromit: The Great Vegetable Plot.
- Peter Sallis voiced both Wallace and Hutch, with Hutch's voice digitally accelerated.
- It is the first stop-motion film to be nominated for an Academy Award.
- The film was described by its directors as the world's 'first vegetarian horror film'.
More in Children's horror films 1-24
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