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"WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT" (2005) (voices of Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor None Moderate *Moderate Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Mild Heavy None *Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence *Moderate Mild None Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Animated Comedy: In their efforts to control a problem with rabbits, a proper English inventor and his faithful dog unwittingly create a bunny-based monster that then terrorizes the local community. PLOT: In a quaint British town, inventor Wallace (voice of PETER SALLIS) and his faithful dog Gromit lead a happy existence, although Wallace certainly wishes he could eat more cheese, but his silent yet expressive dog tries to keep him from doing so. Their latest enterprise is Anti-Pesto, a humane pest control service that's found a great deal of business due to the town being overwhelmed by rabbits. And with the eagerly anticipated Giant Vegetable Competition approaching, the townsfolk couldn't be happier that the duo is hard at work. That includes wealthy socialite Lady Tottington (voice of HELENA BONHAM CARTER) whose estate is literally hopping with bunnies, thus endangering her prized veggies she plans to enter into the competition. Her snooty suitor, Lord Victor Quartermaine (voice of RALPH FIENNES), would just as soon shoot the bunnies, but Wallace has invented a giant vacuum system that sucks the rabbits from their burrows after which the pests are stored in the inventor's basement. Wallace has also created a lunar-powered brain manipulator device that he hopes will transform the bunnies into vegetable friendly beings. Unfortunately, things go terribly wrong during a test of the device, leaving Wallace with increasing rabbit traits and a test bunny with the apparent tendency to metamorphose into the giant and ravenous, veggie consuming Were-Rabbit. With Wallace otherwise incapacitated by his new state and the gargantuan bunny now on the loose and eating up the townsfolk's veggies, it's up to Gromit to save the day and all of the vegetables as the Giant Vegetable Competition arrives. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Yes, especially younger ones. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G For not containing material to warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: WALLACE is the daffy inventor with good intentions but the inability to see the potential hazards of his creations. As he finds himself falling for Lady Tottington, he must deal with the aftereffects of such as he finds himself developing rabbit traits. GROMIT is his silent but expressive dog and partner who must fix all of the problems that Wallace manages to generate. LADY TOTTINGTON is a wealthy socialite who employs the services of Anti-Pesto to take care of her rabbit problem in a humane fashion. LORD VICTOR QUARTERMAINE is her snooty suitor who's after her and her money and would just as soon shoot the rabbits and the giant Were-Rabbit to deal with that problem. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this animated comedy that's been rated G. Despite the rating, the film may push that in some parents' eyes. That includes one bit of brief, British-based profanity (while various colorful phrases are also uttered) and some relatively benign innuendo and other sexually related visual gags, implied nudity and the brief view of an animated man's bare butt (as he spins around on a pole with his pants coming down). A big game hunter tries to shoot the gargantuan Were-Rabbit, while various characters strike or otherwise hit others and some property damage occurs (all played for comedy or action and adventure). Those scenes, other moments of peril (including a major character briefly appearing to be dead with others reacting to that) and some playful, scary/spooky scenes might be unsettling, suspenseful or frightening to very young kids, but everyone else likely won't have that much of a similar reaction, if at all. Some potentially imitative behavior is present, the villain has bad attitudes, and various characters hold unlit pipes while one may drink something alcoholic in celebration (but that's never clarified either way). Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there are flashes of lightning late in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Hearing the priest's story about the Were-Rabbit, Victor jokes that the vicar has been in the communion wine again. A townsperson drinks something in celebration that may or may not be alcoholic in nature. BLOOD/GORE None. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Hearing the priest's story about the Were-Rabbit, Victor jokes that the vicar has been in the communion wine again. Victor has a condescending attitude toward Wallace & Gromit. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here as well as under "Violence" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers, but probably not to anyone else. As a constable walks his beat at night down a deserted street, we see glimpses of a figure passing by. We see a hand picking out and then sharpening a large kitchen knife (and think it might be used on a troublesome bunny that's just been captured), but it's just Gromit using it to slice up some veggies for that and other rabbits. Victor aims his rifle barrel at a bunny on Lady Tottington's land (and the bunny puts up his paws in surrender), but as Victor shoots his gun, Wallace's giant vacuum machine sucks the bunny out of harm's way. Various bunnies look scared as they watch a cage shaking and thumping about from something inside it. A vicar makes his way near a graveyard at night and thinks he hears something. The same occurs inside his church and we see then see the POV of the Were-Rabbit approaching him. He looks terrified, holds up two cucumbers as a cross to ward off the evil and then faints when the creature takes bites out of the veggies. We see shadows of the Were-Rabbit moving through the town. We see an underground "wave" of dirt formed by the Were-Rabbit tunneling just below the surface and it races toward a woman who's scared (but all that occurs is her veggies being yanked down into the ground). As Wallace & Gromit head down the road, they're diverted into the woods near dusk and then find their road blocked by a downed tree. Victor has a menacing dog that barks and acts vicious toward Gromit (who's in a car). As Wallace transforms into the Were-Rabbit (growing bigger, his hands and feet turning into paws, etc.) that might be somewhat unsettling or maybe even scary to very young kids (but others will probably enjoy it, especially seeing the result of a big, lumpy rabbit wearing a small bowtie). We hear large, booming footsteps approaching Wallace & Gromit from a large, dark cage, but it turns out to be a normal-sized, non-intimidating bunny. We see Victor approaching Wallace & Gromit's house with a rifle (and the intent to kill the Were-Rabbit) as Wallace is changing into the Were-Rabbit. Victor fires a shot at the Were-Rabbit that's bounding away, off in the distance. He seems to have hit him, but we later see it was just a large bunny costume that's now empty. We again see an underground "wave" of dirt formed by the Were-Rabbit tunneling just below the surface as it races toward a woman who's scared. Gromit and a rival dog fly through the air in carnival type airplanes in a dogfight type fashion. The rival's plane crashes to the ground and explodes, but we later see that dog okay and then trying to attack Gromit up on a building's ledge where he tries to get him with a shovel and more. Victor fires a large, fake carrot at the Were-Rabbit (we see it in slow motion). Gromit takes his small airplane and deflects the "bullet" to save the Were-Rabbit's life. The plane runs out of time, however, and falls, with Were-Rabbit catching it and him but landing hard on the ground (cushioning the impact for Gromit). The Were-Rabbit and then Wallace (when transformed back) appear to be dead after a bad fall (we see Gromit, Lady Tottington and various bunnies crying over that). Younger kids may think he's dead, but Gromit revives Wallace with a hunk of cheese. GUNS/WEAPONS Rifle/Elephant gun: Carried and/or used by Victor to shoot an attention-getting shot (and later a crowd silencing one) into the air, during target practice, and in an attempt to kill the Were-Rabbit and another bunny. Various people shoot rifles at target-style rabbits in a carnival game. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I'm just crackers about cheese," "Little boo-boo," "What the..?" "You idiot," "Veg-bad" (repeated many times), "Flippin,'" "Tiny-minded buffoons," "It's gone mad around here," "He's never shown any interest in my produce," "Puddle-headed peasant," "Pipsqueak," "What the dickens?" "Where the devil is he?" "Spare me the sermon," "What's up, dog?" "The bounce is gone from his bungee," "Kiss my artichoke," "Get your hairy mitts off my future wife, you big brute," "Blithering idiot," "I can still bag your bunny," "Beware the moon" and "Eat carrots, bunny boy." A rabbit blows a raspberry. Later, Wallace (as the Were-Rabbit) blows a raspberry at Lady Tottington. The Were-Rabbit lets out several loud and exaggerated belches in several scenes. A man states that he thinks the veggie culprit is "arson." He then explains that as "someone arsing around." Victor fires his rifle into the air to get everyone's attention. Victor fires a rifle shot into the air to silence a crowd. JUMP SCENES As Wallace looks through a fence's eye-hole, a figure suddenly passes by. A large fake carrot suddenly lands on a vehicle hood. An ax suddenly lands in a large, downed tree near Wallace. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of playfully suspenseful/dramatic music plays in various scenes. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY A man states that he thinks the veggie culprit is "arson." He then explains that as "someone arsing around." SEX/NUDITY Some parents may have issues with some of the playfully "naughty" material and innuendo listed below, while others may not (and much of it will go over younger kids' heads). We briefly see Wallace in his boxers as he's getting dressed. Trying to lure the Were-Rabbit, Wallace & Gromit have a fake and not very sexy looking female bunny figure on top of their vehicle (that Gromit controls by strings like a reverse marionette). Wallace has Gromit step it up, so Gromit does with some kicks like a cancan dancer (all as old-fashioned stripper music plays). Wallace is impressed and says "Very kinky" (or "very cheeky"). As Lady Tottington shows Wallace her vegetables, she says that Victor has never shown any interest in her produce (all as the camera shot has some veggies in front of her chest like breasts -- but nothing explicit). She then says that she's going to show him something no man has ever seen before. Wallace is somewhat taken aback by that comment, but she's talking about her giant carrot (although she comments on its "silken flesh," etc.). As Wallace changes into the Were-Rabbit, we see his buttons from his ripped clothing hitting Victor, followed by Wallace's underwear landing on Victor's face. Commenting on the Were-Rabbit's vegetable eating rampage, a man says "Look at my wife's brassicaceae" as he holds up two vegetables in front of her chest (that make them look like breasts -- in location only, nothing explicit or realistic). Gromit tries to lead the Were-Rabbit away from harm's way by dressing in the fake looking female rabbit costume. The Were-Rabbit gets frisky and playfully pinches the female costume's bunny tale, prompting Gromit in that costume to smack the Were-Rabbit across the face. As a person warns, "Beware the moon," we see a man's bare butt as he's stuck and spinning around on a pole of some sort with his pants riding down. After Wallace has changed back into himself from the Were-Rabbit, he's apparently nude in front of Lady Tottington (we don't see anything and she doesn't react as if she saw anything). We then see Gromit holding up a large cardboard box around Wallace with the wording "May contain nuts" written on the box at his crotch area (again, nothing explicit is seen). SMOKING We see several characters holding unlit pipes, with one taking a drag from a watering can by accident (while holding his pipe in his other hand). TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Humane ways of dealing with pests. The cautionary style theme of tampering with nature and the potentially bad results of doing that. Inventions. The potentially scary parts of the film. VIOLENCE All of the following is played for comedy and/or action. As Wallace holds a rabbit with a neck collar on a long pole, the bunny tries to hit a man whose garden he's just pilfered. A bunch of bunnies jump on Gromit from a fridge door but the ruckus goes below the camera shot (although we hear the bunnies giggling). Gromit then gains control of all of them, but one hits him on the head with a large wooden spoon. When Wallace gets stuck in the floor due to his girth, Gromit activates an enormous hammer of sorts that bops Wallace and knocks him loose. We hear a mousetrap snap down onto Wallace's fingers (when he reached for some cheese) and then see his reddened fingers. Victor aims his rifle barrel at a bunny on Lady Tottington's land (and the bunny puts up his paws in surrender), but as Victor shoots his gun, Wallace's giant vacuum machine sucks the bunny out of harm's way. Victor is sucked through Wallace's powerful vacuum system and lands hard when he comes out. A mind wave zaps a bunny floating around in Wallace's powerful vacuum system (but it's not otherwise physically harmed). A bunny is sent through a powerful vacuum tube where it gets stuck in the contraption on top of Wallace's head. Gromit then uses something to break the glass around both to free both of them. The unseen Were-Rabbit blasts out through a church's stained glass window as it escapes. Gromit lassos the Were-Rabbit (the rope is tied to his vehicle) but is then pulled through the town by it. His car slams into a sign post, blasts through a hedge and is then pulled into a hole and dragged through an underground dirt tunnel. We see that a rogue rabbit has been captured with a tight neck collar on a long stick. Victor wants to fight Wallace like a boxer and throws a punch, but then acts shocked as Wallace (turning into the Were-Rabbit) throws him back onto a vehicle's windshield. Gromit suddenly drives off, causing Victor to fall off the vehicle and hit the ground. Gromit tries to lead the Were-Rabbit away from harm's way by dressing in the fake looking female rabbit costume. The Were-Rabbit gets frisky and playfully pinches the female costume's bunny tale, prompting Gromit in that costume to smack the Were-Rabbit across the face. Victor fires a shot at the Were-Rabbit that's bounding away, off in the distance. He seems to have hit him, but we later see it was just the female bunny costume that's now empty. Needing to escape from a cage, Gromit activates a chain reaction sequence that eventually sends a vehicle crashing into the cage, knocking Gromit from it (he's okay). A vehicle crashes into a tent, a large vegetable crashes into it, and Gromit crashes into that huge vegetable. The Were-Rabbit bashes Victor's head down into his outfit (in standard cartoon fashion) and then kicks him aside. The Were-Rabbit pushes a downspout off a tall building, causing Victor to drop and fall onto/into a carnival machine (he's okay). The Were-Rabbit blasts through a glass atrium while carrying Lady Tottington. Lady Tottington sprays something into Victor's eyes, while he pins her large hair back against something to keep her in place. Gromit and a rival dog fly through the air in carnival type airplanes in a dogfight type fashion. The rival's plane crashes to the ground and explodes, but we later see that dog okay and then trying to attack Gromit up on a building's ledge where he tries to get him with a shovel and more. Victor fires a large, fake carrot at the Were-Rabbit (we see it in slow motion). Gromit takes his small airplane and deflects the "bullet" to save the Were-Rabbit's life. The plane runs out of time, however, and falls, with Were-Rabbit catching it and him but landing hard on the ground (cushioning the impact for Gromit). Lady Tottington hits Victor over the back of the head with a large vegetable, sending him falling onto a car. With Victor in the fake bunny costume, his dog bites the bunny tale on it, causing Victor to yelp. Reviewed September 6, 2005 / Posted October 7, 2005

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