To anyone reading this from the United Kingdom, happy Wrong Trousers Day! What better way to celebrate with the short film that began it the holiday - The Wrong Trousers?
In the film, Gromit obtains a pair of Techno Trousers for his birthday from Wallace, and later on, a penguin called Feathers McGraw shows up at 62 West Wallaby Street, leaving Gromit feeling ignored. However, he soon learns that Feathers is using Wallace to steal a precious diamond from the museum, and once back home, the pair (and the trousers) stop Feathers from getting away with his crime.
I wonder - how does a 30 minute claymation film engage me more than a 44 minute episode about rushed character redemption or a 60 minute episode with talking trains with racist implications? Simple; the writers for the film - Nick Park and Bob Baker - actually knew what they were doing, and told a solid story with visuals.
Speaking of which, one of the film's subplots is that Wallace and Gromit are in debt when Wallace receives bills in the mail, but he doesn't have the money due to spending it on Gromit's birthday presents. In connection, Feathers McGraw is wanted for a thousand quid as reward money, and since Wallace and Gromit caught Feathers, the pair are given the reward money and use it to pay their bills.
There's lots of moments where the visuals and the music (composed by Julian Nott) come together as one. For example, when Gromit spies on Feathers McGraw from a box, no dialogue is required to set the scene - just let the visuals do the talking! It makes it feel like a movie.
The suspense and emotions are done fantastically as well; you feel sorrow for Gromit when he thinks Wallace prefers Feathers to him, especially when it rains while he leaves. Then after he leaves, Feathers pulls out a drill in front of the Techno Trousers, and it fades to black, briefly leaving us to wonder what he's going to do, and then the following morning, it's become clear to us (and Gromit) that he's modified the Trousers to take control of Wallace, against his will, and use him as a tool to steal the diamond.
I can't review The Wrong Trousers without mentioning the iconic train chase now, can I? The way it was shot is absolutely amazing, especially since it was produced in the 1990s! It was filmed with go motion, using motion blur in each frame (this was also used for A Close Shave and Curse of the Were-Rabbit). The chase is unrealistic, granted, but do I care? No; it's meant to be silly! Besides, isn't Wallace and Gromit meant to be a comedy series?
Considering he's the only voice actor for the film, as well as in A Grand Day Out, Peter Sallis put forth his best effort as Wallace. It's a shame he's no longer voicing our favorite Yorkshire cheese-loving inventor, but then, Peter's well into his 90s and deserves a break. I just hope that this doesn't mean the end for Wallace and Gromit.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love this film. The action is silly yet exciting, and the script shows that dialogue isn't always needed to tell the story. It might be 30 minutes long, but it feels like a movie. The Wrong Trousers is a movie I'd love to watch again and again. A pity I can't say the same for The Cutie Re-Mark or Day of the Diesels...
Rating: 10 out of 10
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