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Wallace and Gromit (short film essay)


Wallace and Gromit (short film essay)
The main genres of this film could be said to be comedic, family and crime. The film medium is clearly animation, more specifically Claymation, the genre that Wallace and Gromit are well known for. This short film (made in 1993) was the second Wallace and Gromit short film ever made, eventually inspiring a full-length film in 2000. By having the film family friendly film, it can be advertised to a larger audience, and by using comedy and crime within the film it can make appeal to more adults rather than just children. Another benefit of the merge of the comedy and crime is that you can uses aspects of one to emphasize and use the other, creating a better film. For example, by using crime within the short film, it allows the writers to create original jokes that would not have been possible if they had chosen to stick to one genre, this is also benefited by using Claymation as the mode, as it allows the film makers to play with reality with an overall much cheaper budget than would be needed if they had actual actors rather than clay.

The film uses binary opposites to create an interesting storyline within the film, Gromit and the evil penguin are shown to be binary opposites from basically the first scene in the film, right up to the end of the film, where Gromit is victorious over the penguin. One way the film presents the battle is through Gromit’s need for approval from Wallace, and his want for love, (like any normal dog would), and he feels threatened by the penguins presents within his home, and this fear is proven valid when the penguin takes his room and Wallace doesn’t stop him. This behaviour continues when the penguin begins to take his jobs, for example collecting the newspaper for Wallace and making breakfast in the mornings, eventually the tension builds up resulting in Gromit feeling like he needs to run away, giving the penguin the freedom he needs to finish his evil plan (using Gromit to rob a bank). Neither of these characters have any actual lines within the film, but through the use of visuals the film makers still portray the tension between them.

Another interesting part of this short film is narrative resolution. The end of the film the main problem, the evil penguin, is caught and sent to jail. Although, one of the very ending scenes is the pants, (one of the key props that helps to further the evil penguins plot) walking away by themselves, suggesting to us as an audience that although the characters believe that the main issues what had been causing the issues within the story have been solved, (the evil penguin is in jail, and therefore can not use Gromit to rob anymore banks, however it leaves the real ending up to interpretation, as well as making sure their could be a sequel If the movies are particularly successful. The film not only has a resolution to the main problems, but it also has a resolution to the smaller issues throughout the film, such as the issues within Wallace and Gromit’s friendship.

Use of film form within the film is useful. Film form is anything that the viewer can see within the film, for example mis en scene. Everything within this movie was planned, unlike in non-cartoon movies every last prop, background and character is meant to be there, there are no mistakes because everything within this movie had to be made and animated by hand. An example of a good use of this is when it is raining while Gromit is moving out, and the evil penguin is lit up looking out as Gromit leaves. This allows the film to suggest the penguins bad intention to most audiences, even younger children, without using dialog, as we feel aligned with Gromit over the penguin, and we feel as though it is the penguins fault that he has put Gromit out of his home.

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