Wallace and Gromit: Loaf and Death [Review]

This quaint little Brittish clay-mation import hearkens to days of animation using only clay figures. Other clay mation films are most popular around Christmas time with the likes of Rudolph, Frosty, Jack Frost, and The Little Drummer boy. The painstaking detail of capturing each movement as a still and then stringing them together in an animated sequence is remarkable to say the least. This installment within the series, Wallace and Gromit: Loaf and Death, stars the voice talents of Peter Sallis and is directed by Nick Park.

The basic plot of this film is following the mysterious murders of 12 local bakers, Gromit (Wallace's Dog) finds himself suspicious of the new love interest known previously as the Bake-O-Lite Girl and seeks to investigate her. Wallace being the ever naive and unassuming baker/inventor knows only that he is in love.

When watching any film one has certain assumptions and aspirations of what will happen. This film, though totally different from what I normally watch, still left me thinking "What do I want to happen?" My answer was one of a happy ending. All to often films seek out shocking endings that leave audience members ultimately dissatisfied. This film did not. The pudgy figures march their way right along the simple plot filled with some dramatic moments and a few iconic British tongue in cheek periods.

As mentioned before clay-mation is a remarkable style of film making. It requires the film creators to be concise and not have unnecessary scenes that don't serve the plot. It demands that only movements that are crucial to the story being told should be done. Though, film making now is more easily completed using computers, it is still painstaking work.  I actually noticed a few times when I could see finger prints in the clay and they seemed to move along with the figure.

If rating this film on a 5 star system I would definitely give it a 4.5 at least. It's a cute little story with an endearing style of telling it. It is family friendly and not long at all clocking in at 29minutes. Though it is a film in a series, I didn't feel as though I was missing out on anything by not viewing the other films in the series.