It’s been *checks notes* wait what!? Nineteen years after the release of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit we’re finally getting a second feature-length film. After a Chicken Run’ sequel last Christmas, Aardman Animations will release Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl around a similar time this winter – with some old faces and new voices.
The cheese-obsessed inventor and his superiorly intelligent yet loyal dog first appeared on our screens with A Grand Day Out in 1989 (doesn’t that make you feel old?) Nick Park is still at the helm 35 years later (co-writing and co-directing) and delved into the stop-motion animation’s history to bring back a fan favourite for the sequel.
Don’t worry, it’s not Shaun the Sheep, but Feathers McGraw – the evil penguin that first appeared in 1993’s Oscar-winning short film The Wrong Trousers as Wallace’s new museum-robbing lodger. In a new teaser trailer, released yesterday (June 6), we see the iconic duo’s nemesis leaving prison.
An official synopsis reads:
Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified when Wallace invents a ‘smart gnome’ that seems to develop an evil mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will be 70 minutes long and will feature a new voice actor for Wallace. Ben Whitehead – who has voiced the character in video games and commercials – is stepping into the role following Peter Sallis’ death in 2017. Peter Kay reprises his role as Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh, while Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Muzz Khan and Lenny Henry are all confirmed.
‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ will be released first on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in Winter 2024, before its released on Netflix at a later date.