Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Wallace has invented a robotic garden gnome called Norbot and opens a business hiring it out to work in gardensy. Gromit feels left out and is concerned about Wallace's reliance on technology. Annoyed at Norbot's loud recharging, Gromit plugs it into a computer in their basement.

The criminal penguin Feathers McGraw hears about Norbot on television. He hacks into a computer and reprograms Norbot to serve him and mass-produce an army of gnomes as part of a plot for revenge against Wallace and Gromit.{{efn|As depicted in The Wrong Trousers (1993)}} While working at homes around the city, the gnomes steal several objects. Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh and his new recruit, PC Mukherjee, conclude that Wallace is responsible and confiscate his inventions, but do not find the gnomes.

Gromit reclaims Wallace's tracking device from the police station and tracks the gnomes to a zoo where Feathers is imprisoned. He discovers they have used their contraband to build a submarine for Feathers to escape in through the sewers. Feathers spots Gromit and has Norbot cut him from the tree he is hiding in. They fall into an enclosure and the impact resets Norbot.

Gromit goes to the museum, where the Blue Diamond is being put back on display, but Mackintosh discovers it was replaced with a turnip. Feathers hid the real diamond in Wallace's house prior to his arrest. Wallace and Gromit are captured by the gnomes. Feathers recovers the diamond and locks the duo in a wardrobe.

Wallace and Gromit use a leaf blower to escape with Norbot. They pursue Feathers down a canal on narrowboats while Mackintosh and Mukherjee pursue on a bicycle. Wallace invents a machine that launches boots at the gnomes, resetting them. Gromit jumps aboard Feathers' narrowboat, but when Feathers sees that the police have blocked the canal, he steers off an aqueduct. With the boat teetering over the edge, Wallace convinces Gromit to surrender the bag containing the diamond to Feathers. Feathers jumps off the narrowboat, which falls, but Gromit is rescued by Norbot and the other gnomes.

Feathers escapes to Yorkshire on a train, but discovers that Gromit gave him a turnip instead of the diamond. Mackintosh praises Mukherjee for trusting her instincts and retires, passing his position to her. Wallace returns to inventing, admitting that machinery cannot replace the human touch, and Gromit gains a new respect for Norbot.

{{see also|List of Wallace & Gromit characters{{!}}List of Wallace & Gromit characters}}

• Ben Whitehead as Wallace, an eccentric inventor and Gromit's owner. Vengeance Most Fowl was Whitehead's first full film performance as Wallace following Peter Sallis' retirement in 2010 and death in 2017. Whitehead has voiced Wallace in video games and commercials since 2008.
• Peter Kay as Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh, former police constable having been promoted to chief inspector. Kay reprises his role from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/7930/wallace-gromit-2024-special-vengeance-most-fowl/|quote=Peter Kay will return to voice PC Mackintosh, the character who previously appeared in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit. Mackintosh has now been promoted to Chief Inspector.|archive-date=7 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607124446/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/7930/wallace-gromit-2024-special-vengeance-most-fowl/|url-status=live|title=Wallace & Gromit return with Vengeance Most Fowl|publisher=British Comedy Guide|date=6 June 2024|access-date=7 June 2024}}
• Reece Shearsmith as Norbot, Wallace's latest invention designed to do jobs around the house, but whose personality setting is altered by Feathers McGraw{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/wallace-and-gromit-norbot-first-look|title=BBC unveils first look at Norbot the smart gnome, coming this Christmas in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl|publisher=BBC|date=29 August 2024|access-date=29 August 2024}}
• Shearsmith also voices Norbot's fellow robotic gnomes, who act as minions for Feathers McGraw.
• Lauren Patel as PC Mukherjee, Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh's plucky and young protégée.{{cite web |last1=Goodfellow |first1=Melanie |title="Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' Creators Promise Emotional Comeback: "We're Going To Make Everybody Cry And Laugh" — Contenders London |url=https://deadline.com/2024/10/wallace-and-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-makers-emotional-comeback-1236114116/ |website=Deadline |date=12 October 2024 |access-date=16 October 2024}}
• Diane Morgan as Onya Doorstep, a news reporter for Up North News.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/wallace-and-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-review-netflix-aardman-1236042701/|title=Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Review: Aardman's Beloved Duo Return With a Zippy, Gorgeously Animated Netflix Caper|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=27 October 2024}}
• Muzz Khan as Anton Deck, a newsreader for Up North News; the character's name is a pun on the television duo, Ant & Dec.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/wallace-and-gromit-bbc-christmas-idents-2024/|title=BBC unveils exclusive Wallace & Gromit themed Christmas idents|publisher=BBC|date=30 November 2024}}

The Farmer from the Wallace & Gromit spin-off series Shaun the Sheep makes a cameo, voiced by John Sparkes.{{citation needed|reason=This is true, as evident in the film, but still needs a citation nonetheless.|date=December 2024}} Adjoa Andoh and Lenny Henry have cameo roles as a judge and Mr. Convenience. TV presenter and radio DJ Roman Kemp also made a brief appearance as part of an angry mob.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

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During production of A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008), Nick Park remarked on difficulties with working with DreamWorks Animation during the production of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), such as the constant production notes and demands to alter the material to appeal more to American children.{{cite news|first=Nigel|last=Farndale|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3831833/Wallace-and-Gromit-one-man-and-his-dog.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3831833/Wallace-and-Gromit-one-man-and-his-dog.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Wallace and Gromit: one man and his dog|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK|date=18 December 2008|access-date=18 December 2008}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite news|title=Wallace and Gromit return to TV|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7024834.stm|publisher=BBC News|date=2 October 2007|access-date=14 December 2015|archive-date=5 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105195543/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7024834.stm|url-status=live}} This discouraged him from producing another feature film for years, with Peter Lord noting that Park preferred the "half hour format",{{cite web|url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/aardmans-peter-lord-absolutely-assumes-more-wallace-gromit-161712308.html|title=Aardman's Peter Lord "Absolutely Assumes" There Will Be More 'Wallace & Gromit'|last=Giardina|first=Carolyn|date=4 May 2017|website=Yahoo! UK|access-date=21 January 2022|archive-date=21 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121170150/https://uk.news.yahoo.com/aardmans-peter-lord-absolutely-assumes-more-wallace-gromit-161712308.html|url-status=live}} as well as the end of the partnership after the poor box office performance of Flushed Away (2006).

A new Wallace & Gromit film was announced in January 2022, with Park and Merlin Crossingham as directors, from a screenplay by Mark Burton, while Claire Jennings was announced to produce. Park conceived the film as another 30-minute short, which expanded into a feature film.{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Robert |date=2025-01-07 |title=‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’: Read The Screenplay That Returns Aardman’s Dynamic Duo To The Big Screen |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/wallace-and-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-script-read-the-screenplay-1236249511/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} The factory that made Lewis Newplast, the modelling clay used by Aardman, shut down in March 2023; Aardman purchased enough remaining clay to cover the new film.{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=William |title=Chicken Run studio Aardman is apparently running out of clay |url=https://www.avclub.com/chicken-run-studio-aardman-is-apparently-running-out-of-1851033934 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=19 November 2023 |language=en}} The Daily Telegraph reported that the studio may not be able to produce further films, but Aardman released a statement clarifying that it would find a new supplier.{{Cite news |last=Collin |first=Robbie |date=17 November 2023 |title=Aardman is about to run out of clay – now the Chicken Run creators face a crisis |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2023/11/17/crisis-looms-for-chicken-run-aardman-clay-shortage/ |access-date=17 December 2023 |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite web |last=Kanter |first=Jake |date=20 November 2023 |title='Wallace & Gromit' Studio Aardman Forced To Deny That It's Running Out Of Clay |url=https://deadline.com/2023/11/wallace-and-gromit-aardman-denies-clay-running-out-1235628760/ |access-date=17 December 2023 |website=Deadline}}

The title was announced on 6 June 2024, alongside the reveal that Feathers McGraw, the villain of The Wrong Trousers (1993), would return. At that time, Richard Beek was announced to have replaced Claire Jennings as the producer, although Jennings would remain credited as a consulting producer.{{cite web |title=BBC reveals exciting new details of Wallace and Gromit's Christmas 2024 feature film return |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/wallace-and-gromit-casting-announcement |website=BBC |access-date=6 June 2024}}

The score was composed by Lorne Balfe and series composer Julian Nott, with the themes composed by Nott. Balfe previously provided additional music for Nott's score in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).{{cite web |last1=Reporter |first1=Film Music |title=Aardman Animations' 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' to Feature Music by Lorne Balfe |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/08/01/aardman-animations-wallace-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-to-feature-music-by-lorne-balfe/#google_vignette |website=Film Music Reporter |access-date=2 August 2024 |language=en-US |date=1 August 2024}} Gromit listens to Eric Coates' By the Sleepy Lagoon before being interrupted by Norbot. "Born Free" by Matt Monro is also briefly in the film, played by Feathers McGraw during the escape scene. McGraw at one point plays J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on the organ mounted in his submarine, a reference to the piece's use in the 1954 movie 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, as played by Captain Nemo.

Vengeance Most Fowl premiered worldwide on the closing day of the AFI Fest on 27 October at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with a limited theatrical release on 18 December 2024.{{Cite web |last=Debruge |first=Peter |date=2024-10-27 |title='Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' Review: Feathers Returns in What Could Have Been a Perfectly Charming Short |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/wallace-amp-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-review-1236191733/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} It aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 25 December 2024, and was released worldwide on Netflix on 3 January 2025.{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Greg |title=First trailer for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl sees old enemy return |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/wallace-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-feathers-mcgraw-b2630152.html |website=The Independent |access-date=16 October 2024}}{{Cite web |date=2024-09-05 |title=World Premiere of WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL to Debut at AFI FEST presented by Canva |url=https://www.afi.com/news/world-premiere-of-wallace-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-to-debut-at-afi-fest-presented-by-canva/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=American Film Institute |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl: What we know about release date, plot, voice cast and creative team |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/wallace-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-what-we-know-about-release-date-plot-voice-cast-and-creative-team/articleshow/110854274.cms?from=mdr |website=The Economic Times |publisher=The Feed |access-date=11 August 2024 |date=10 June 2024}}{{cite web|title=New {{'}}Wallace and Gromit{{'}} Movie to Premiere On Netflix In 2024 and Here's the First Synopsis|url=https://collider.com/new-wallace-and-gromit-movie-netflix-2024-nick-park|website=Collider|first=Jack|last=King|date=20 January 2022|access-date=1 December 2022}}{{cite web |last=Ritman |first=Alex |date=20 January 2022 |title=New Wallace & Gromit Film in Works From Aardman/Netflix; Chicken Run 2 Cast and Title Unveiled |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/wallace-gromit-new-film-chicken-run-2-cast-title-aardman-netflix-1235077972/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=25 June 2023 |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205032600/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/wallace-gromit-new-film-chicken-run-2-cast-title-aardman-netflix-1235077972/ |url-status=live}} To promote the film, the BBC also commissioned three Wallace & Gromit-themed idents for BBC One, which were aired through the Christmas season.{{Cite web |title=BBC announces Christmas Day air date and releases trailer for the return of Wallace and Gromit |url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2024/wallace-and-gromit-trailer-christmas-release-date |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=BBC unveils exclusive Wallace & Gromit themed Christmas idents |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/wallace-and-gromit-bbc-christmas-idents-2024 |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}} Vengeance Most Fowl was viewed by 9.38 million BBC One viewers on Christmas Day. It was the second-most-watched broadcast in the UK since 2022, after the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, also broadcast that day.{{Cite news |last=Gecsoyler |first=Sammy |date=2024-12-26 |title=Gavin and Stacey finale tops Christmas television ratings |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/26/gavin-and-stacey-finale-tops-christmas-television-ratings |access-date=2024-12-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} After 28 days of catch up viewing, that figure increased to 21.6 million, becoming the BBC's most-watched scripted show since 2002.{{cite web |title=BBC does the double as two of the UK’s best loved shows Gavin and Stacey & Wallace and Gromit break through the 20 million mark |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/gavin-and-stacey-wallace-and-gromit-20-million-mark |website=bbc.co.uk |access-date=3 March 2025}} Park said Vengeance Most Fowl would not be the final Wallace & Gromit film, and that "there's always ideas worth kicking about".{{Cite web |last=Sarrubba |first=Stefania |date=2024-12-26 |title=Wallace & Gromit creator addresses future of the series |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a63282173/wallace-and-gromit-creator-future-series/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=100|count=132|average=8.3|consensus=Comforting as cheese and crackers, with some gentle ribbing of modern technology sprinkled on top, Vengeance Most Fowl revives this lovable pair with all their charm intact. |ref=yes |access-date=2 March 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose |score=83 |count=31 |ref=yes |access-date=4 January 2025}}

Writing in The Guardian, Stuart Heritage called it "a triumphant return". He felt the film "does end up suffering a little, in part because of an extended runtime that renders it less densely packed with jokes and invention than we've become used to. It's also a bit too talky, robbing the pair of the easy international appeal they had when their dialogue was kept spare."{{Cite news |last=Heritage |first=Stuart |date=2024-12-25 |title=The best Christmas companions possible: Wallace & Gromit's triumphant TV return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/25/wallace-and-gromit-triumphant-tv-return |access-date=2024-12-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In the Irish Independent, Vicky Jessop praised the subplot and tone.{{Cite web |last=Jessop |first=Vicky |date=2024-12-25 |title=Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl review – Chuckles rather than belly laughs from Aardman |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-news/wallace-and-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-review-chuckles-rather-than-belly-laughs-from-aardman/a1848183367.html |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Irish Independent |language=en}}

Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England, criticised the BBC and Aardman for not including a ‘Made in Bristol’ line to the film's closing credits, as with other successful global hits like the David Attenborough nature documentaries that are produced in the city.{{cite news|url=https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/new-wallace--gromit-film-9821722|title=New Wallace & Gromit film missing 'one key element' says Metro Mayor|last=Cork|first=Tristan|date=27 December 2024|work=BristolLive|accessdate=23 January 2024}}

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• {{Official website|https://www.wallaceandgromit.com/films/vengeance-most-fowl/}}
• {{IMDb title|17163970}}
• {{Rotten tomatoes|m/wallace_and_gromit_vengeance_most_fowl}}
• {{British Comedy Guide|film|wallace-and-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl}}

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