Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations. It is the second feature-length film by Aardman, after Chicken Run (2000). The fourth installment in the Wallace & Gromit series and the first to be feature-length, it was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box and written by Park, Box, Mark Burton and Bob Baker. A parody of classic monster movies, the film centres on good-natured yet eccentric inventor Wallace and his intelligent but mute dog, Gromit, in their latest venture as pest control agents. They come to the rescue of their town, which is plagued by rabbits, before the annual Giant Vegetable competition. However, the duo soon find themselves battling a giant rabbit which is consuming the town's crops. The cast includes Peter Sallis (as the voice of Wallace), Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Peter Kay. Following the release of Chicken Run in 2000, DreamWorks and Aardman announced their next co-productions: The Tortoise and the Hare and a feature-length Wallace & Gromit film. The former was abandoned due to script issues, while the latter officially began production in September 2003. During production, Park was sent several notes by DreamWorks requesting to make changes to the film to appeal more to contemporary American audiences. This included changing the film's initial subtitle, The Great Vegetable Plot, to The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Julian Nott, who composed the score for the prior Wallace & Gromit shorts, returned for the film. The film premiered in Sydney, Australia on 4 September 2005, before being released in theaters in the United States on 7 October 2005 and in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2005. While the film was considered a box-office disappointment in the US by DreamWorks Animation, it was more commercially successful internationally. It also received critical acclaim and won a number of awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and BAFTA Award for Best British Film. A second feature film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, was released in 2024.