A Close Shave (1995) and A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008), two half-hour stop-motion classics from Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit franchise, offer a cracking double bill of family entertainment. Both films pack action, romantic subplots, and visual gags into their short runtime, now screening in UK cinemas from 17 July.
A Close Shave: Sheep, wool, and romance
In A Close Shave, Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) invents a giant machine that shears sheep and knits jumpers. He and Gromit run a window-cleaning business, meeting Wendolene Ramsbottom (Anne Reid), a wool seller unaffected by a wool shortage. Wallace falls for her, but her dog Preston forces her into sheep-rustling. A runaway sheep leads to a romp with nods to Indiana Jones, Thunderbirds, and The Terminator. Gromit reads the Daily Lamp-Post, whose theatre column is by Charles Spencer—possibly the former Daily Telegraph critic or Princess Diana's brother, according to the review.
A Matter of Loaf and Death: Bakers under threat
A Matter of Loaf and Death, co-written with Bob Baker, is a Hitchcockian thriller. Wallace and Gromit run a bakery called Top Bun, powered by a windmill. Wallace falls for Piella Bakewell (Sally Lindsay), former Bake-O-Lite poster girl, while Gromit suspects her. The film nods to Ghost, Batman: The Movie, and The Silence of the Lambs. A serial killer targets bakers, and Gromit fears Piella's control over Wallace. The review calls it "very silly and uniquely entertaining."
Impact and availability
Both films showcase Park's ability to deliver feature-length entertainment in 30 minutes. A Close Shave and A Matter of Loaf and Death are in UK cinemas from 17 July.
