Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' (2008) (TV)

Director:

Nick Park

Writers:

Nick Park (written by) &
Bob Baker (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Family

Plot:

Wallace and his dog, Gromit, open a bakery and get tied up with a murder mystery. But, when Wallace falls in love Gromit is left to solve the case.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Baker | Dog | Wallace And Gromit | Bakery

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins

Cast

Peter Sallis	...	Wallace (voice)
Sally Lindsay	...	Piella (voice)
Melissa Collier	...	Fluffles (voice)
Sarah Laborde	...	Bake O Lite Singer (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geraldine McEwan	...	Miss Thripp (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Nick Park

Writing credits
Nick Park		(written by) &
Bob Baker		(written by)

Produced by
Miles Bullough	....	executive producer
Peter Lord	....	executive producer
Steve Pegram	....	producer
David Sproxton	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Julian Nott

Cinematography by
Dave Alex Riddett		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David McCormick

Art Direction by
Matt Perry

Production Management
Richard Beek	....	production manager (as Richard 'Beeky' Beek)
Jacqueline White	....	head of production

Art Department
Arlene Arrell	....	puppet maker
Chris Booth	....	puppet maker
Rachel Bowen	....	set dress / prop maker
Andy Brown	....	set dress / prop maker
Sophie Brown	....	set dress / prop maker
Paul Bryant	....	set dress / prop maker
Claire Cohen	....	senior puppet maker
Claire Drewett	....	senior puppet maker
Jon Frier	....	senior puppet maker
Fred Gray	....	scenic artist
Will Harding	....	puppet maker
Mathew Healey	....	carpenter / prop maker (as Matthew Healey)
Helen Javes	....	set dress / prop maker
Nancy Jones	....	puppet maker
Anne King	....	senior puppet maker
Jane Kite	....	prop supervisor
Sarah Laborde	....	assistant art director
Phil Lewis	....	set production designer
Gavin Lines	....	graphic designer
Stuart Mallaber	....	set dress / prop maker
Gary Roberts	....	puppet maker
Michael Salter	....	storyboard artist
Jay Anfield Smart	....	puppet maker
Debbie Smith	....	senior puppet maker
Andy Spradbery	....	senior puppet maker
Jo Symanowski	....	draughtsperson
Harriet Thomas	....	senior puppet maker
David Vinicombe	....	storyboard artist
Cathryn Webber	....	carpenter / prop maker
Ellie Weston	....	senior puppet maker
Manon Wright	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Will Norie	....	additional dubbing editor
David Peacock	....	adr recordist (as Dave Peacock)
Adrian Rhodes	....	sound designer
Chris Stock	....	voice track breakdown
Dafydd Archard	....	sound mix technician (uncredited)
Tony Curran	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Nick Del-Molino	....	mix assistant (uncredited)
Nick Kray	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Will Norie	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Tim Brade	....	visual effects
Hugh Brazier	....	visual effects
George Milburn	....	motion control
Lizzie Spivey	....	puppet production manager
Zoe Starzak	....	puppet production manager
Bram Ttwheam	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Barrett	....	rigger
Charles Copping	....	lighting camera
Richard Hosken	....	gaffer
Richard Modlen	....	rigger
Sam Morris	....	camera assistant
Clive Scott	....	lighting
Alan Scrase	....	rigger
Churton Season	....	camera assistant
Paul Smith	....	lighting camera
Ben Stradling	....	camera assistant

Animation Department
Sara Barbas	....	assistant animator
Will Becher	....	character animator
Dug Calder	....	character animator
Joanne Chalkley	....	character animator (as Jo Chalkley)
Merlin Crossingham	....	supervising animator
Steve Edge	....	assistant animator
Alison Evans	....	character animator
Jo Fenton	....	character animator
Jay Grace	....	character animator
Wendy Griffiths	....	character animator
Seamus Malone	....	character animator
Dave Osmand	....	character animator
Suzy Parr	....	character animator
Elodie Poncon	....	assistant animator
Loyd Price	....	character animator
Dan Ramsey	....	character animator (as Dan Ramsay)
Claire Rolls	....	character animator
Christopher Sadler	....	character animator
Jan Sanger	....	puppet production designer
Justin Smith	....	assistant animator
Andy Symanowski	....	character animator
Darren Thomson	....	character animator
Dean Watson	....	assistant animator
Ian Whitlock	....	character animator
Lee Wilton	....	character animator

Editorial Department
Angharad Owen	....	additional editor
Andrew Ward	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Lewis Jones	....	assistant music engineer
Simon Rhodes	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Tom Barnes	....	production technology
Ben Barrowman	....	production runner
Richard Bowen	....	production runner
Mark Burton	....	creative consultant
David Button	....	assistant floor manager
Richard Crocombe	....	production technology
Ian Fleming	....	production technology
Pete Forde	....	production technology
Lew Gardiner	....	production technology
Richard Goleszowski	....	creative consultant
Alan Gregory	....	production technology
Bob Gregory	....	production technology
Richard Hansom	....	development executive
Guy Holme	....	production technology
Sam Horton	....	production runner
Stef Ingram	....	production assistant
Angie Last	....	assistant: Nick Park
Suzi Little	....	production technology
John Morrissey	....	production technology
Kate Munkenbeck	....	production coordinator
Sarah Powell	....	production assistant
Paul Reeves	....	production technology
Morgan Roe	....	production technology
Nathan Sale Sr.	....	production technology
Luke Smith	....	production technology
Ben Whitehead	....	read in artist
Andy Woodland	....	production technology

Production Companies

• Aardman Animations (as Aardman)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2008) (UK) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2008) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Jeff Cliff Models (specialist props and vehicles) (as Jeff Cliff Model Effects)

Other Companies

• Cod Steaks  set construction
• John Wright Modelmaking  specialist props and vehicles (as John Wright Model Making)

Also Known As:

Wallace and Gromit in Trouble At' Mill (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Bristol, England, UK

Company:

Aardman Animations

Trivia:

Homage: Towards the end of the film, Fluffles uses the yellow fork-lift truck to restrain an attacking Piella. This pays homage to the scene in Aliens (1986) where Ripley uses the yellow cargo loader robot to restrain an attacking Alien.

Goofs:

Continuity: At one point when Piella picks Gromit off the chair, just before she accuses him of biting her, you see him from the back and his tail is missing - yet later in the film it has reappeared.

Quotes:

[Wallace and Gromit are in the baker's van]
Wallace: How's that breakfast coming on?
[Gromit presses a button on the car radio and a slice of cremated toast pops out from the cassette slot]
Wallace: Well done, lad.
[looks at the burnt toast]
Wallace: *Very* well done.

Movie Connections:

References The Sound of Music (1965)

Not their best but still great fun

Wallace and Gromit have a new business venture and it is going down a storm. Having carried out some renovation on their house, they are now an operating bakery who deliver bread to your door. Of course, paranoid Gromit is concerned about the recent murders of twelve bakers in the town but it barely registers to Wallace. Pat of the reason for this is that he has a new focal point in his life as the Piella, the former Bake O Light bread girl is in town and seems just as enamoured by Wallace as he is by her. The romance begins while Gromit smells a rat.

The Wallace & Gromit films are mostly famous for the couple of big Christmas episodes they did that made them famous across the world and I was fine with the BBC holding this special back till Christmas Day because it did seem like their natural home. This film has a plot structure similar to A Close Shave in that the twosome are running a business which has some sinister activity by others associated with it. The fact that it happens to be murder in this case is perhaps a little dark for Christmas Day but it didn't matter because it does not stop it being fun. The plot goes where you expect and I really enjoyed it even though I didn't particularly like Piella or Fluffles as characters – but for me it will be a while before I enjoy any character as much as I did Feathers McGraw. The plot allows for plenty of movie references, some of which you need to "get" to find it funny but mostly you don't. Aliens and Batman are the obvious two but there are others.

The comedy also works in the detail, whether it be the inventive intricacies of the many devices that make up the house or the expressions on the faces of the characters. Yet again Gromit comes out as my favourite character and yet again I am amazed how they manage to get such expression onto his face. Sallis brings harmless charm to Wallace and it is hard to imagine that anyone could ever have done it as well as him. Lindsay is OK but I didn't like her character myself. If the film does have specific weaknesses the they are in two areas, both of which can be seen when you compare this to the mastery of The Wrong Trousers. Firstly, the pace is a bit too quick. I know it is 30 minutes but there did seem to be little in the way of build before it was into the meat and then over. The second weakness is that the closing set piece, while being a good Aliens reference, is not in the same league as the end of The Wrong Trousers or even A Close Shave. It is a shame but it doesn't have the thrill or creativity of that.

That said, it is still a very good piece of entertainment and it does feel right to have them as part of Christmas Day again. English charm, almost no jokes that would offend, inventive writing and animation and a solid plot – perhaps not as good as they have been but it is really hard to complain because it still delivers.