Aardman’s newest stop-motion film finds our hapless inventor and faithful canine companion wrestling with a 21st-century issue that is making headlines around the globe - the rise of AI - before concluding that there are some things a machine just can’t do; now streaming on Netflix.
In Netflix and Aardman’s , hapless inventor Wallace (Ben Whitehead) creates Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), a robotic smart gnome designed to help Wallace’s faithful canine companion Gromit with the gardening.But Wallace’s arch-enemy, the evil penguin Feathers McGraw, reprograms Norbot to help him escape from custody and resume his former life of crime.
Only Gromit’s tenacity and Wallace’s eccentric creativity can save the world from a malevolent army of gnomes and recover the missing Blue Diamond.Directed by four-time Oscar winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, this is the second feature-length movie featuring Wallace and Gromit, who first appeared in Park’s 1989 student short film .The film has racked up multiple nominations this awards season, including five Annie Awards nods and 3 BAFTAs. In , the unlikely heroes flew their home-made rocket to the Moon in search of cheese.
In , they wrestle with a 21st-century issue that is making headlines around the globe – the rise of machine intelligence.The implications of AI are far-reaching and profound.The wonder of is that it tackles them in a non-didactic way, and with an incredibly light touch.
Early in the film, we are treated to a laugh-out-loud sequence showing all the crazy inventions Wallace uses in his morning routine – a chute to slide him out of bed, a gadget that spreads jam on his toast, even a mechanical arm to pat Gromit’s head.The laughs continue when Wallace unveils his new smart gnome, but now the comedy is edging into darker territory.Norbot’s unveiling occurs while Gromit is lovingly tending his beautiful garden, a magical Earthly Paradise filled with luscious natural beauty.
Wallace brings out a large wooden crate that casts a shadow – both literal and symbolic – across Gromit’s painstaking work.Inside the crate is Norbot.Relentlessly cheerful, the smart gnome gives Gromit’s garden a complete makeover, transforming the organic flowing hedges into regimented topiary, carelessly beheading a newly planted sapling, and reducing the cutout heart in the gate into a soulless square aperture.
The result is a geometric garden that is the polar opposite of Gromit’s organic idyll.This whimsical action sequence foreshadows everything that follows.Blind to the perils of technology, Wallace cheerfully asserts: “All we have to do is sit back and let the machines take the strain.” When Feathers McGraw reprograms the gnomes, however, he learns what happens if you let the algorithm take over completely.
This cautionary tale triumphs thanks to the film’s extraordinary character work, especially with Gromit and Feathers.Their success is all the more remarkable when we consider the fact that neither of these characters speak.When Norbot’s arrival drops a metaphorical bomb on Gromit’s world, Gromit’s expressive eyes communicate his anguish better than any dialogue, creating a powerful empathetic connection between the audience and what would otherwise be a lifeless lump of clay.
Meanwhile, the simplest head-tilt transforms Feathers – who is otherwise almost expressionless – into a villain more chilling than Hannibal Lecter.Eyes are everything in .While Gromit’s eyes are truly the windows to his soul, the eyes of supervillain Feathers are featureless black beads.
When Norbot becomes evil, his eyes turn equally blank.Such eyes are incapable of producing tears, as those of our heroes do at the film’s climax, when Gromit’s life is on the line and Wallace seems unable to save him.The message is clear – to weep is to be human … or canine! Of the film’s supporting characters, the most memorable is PC Mukherjee (Lauren Patel), the bright young police recruit trying to solve the mystery of the missing Blue Diamond.
The dynamic between Mukherjee and Chief Inspector Mackintosh (Peter Kay) is particularly effective.Surrounded by old photographs and immersed in distant memories, Mackintosh’s life is defined by his relationship with the past, a place where everything that matters has already been done.In contrast, the ever-curious Mukherjee represents a human-centric future where anything is possible.
Just as the characters drive the story, so the animation drives the characters.Aardman is famous for producing films with beautiful, handcrafted qualities.With , the team has truly surpassed all that has come before, effortlessly combining traditional stop-motion techniques with the latest technological advancements.
Every tiny movement advances the story, or reveals character, or raises a laugh.Broad action is balanced with small moments of stillness, achieving an overall rhythm that is close to perfection. Dig deeper, and we realize that is not simply by movement.Like the best mime performances, it is entirely movement.
During the climactic narrowboat chase, the camera intercuts rapidly between the frenzied actions of Feathers as he tries to escape, and Gromit in hot pursuit.With an abrupt change of viewpoint that is both unexpected and hilarious, we see a wide shot showing the reality of the situation – chugging at a mere snail’s pace, the two boats are effortlessly overtaken by an old lady walking her dog.This is just one example of the film’s extraordinary use of both camera and lighting.
Through gorgeous cinematography, artful camera placement, careful composition, delicious lighting and clever camera moves, director of photography Dave Alex Riddett and the rest of the Aardman team prove themselves masters of the craft of cinema.Just as evident is a profound love of film, with many amusing references to movies including , , , , countless James Bond films and even, in the dramatic sequence where an army of evil gnomes marches out of Wallace’s cellar accompanied by a Russian military orchestration of the theme, the films of Sergei Eisenstein.Such in-jokes are just one example part of the humor that pervades the entire film.
Packed with gags large and small, relies on humor as a fundamental structuring element.The comedy is skillfully balanced not only to entertain and delight, but also to drive the story forward.Big slapstick moments sit alongside endless smaller gags, from Feathers pushing a gnome bagpiper off his submarine, to Gromit reading by Virginia Woof and by John Stilton, surrounded by wallpaper decorated with dog bones.
The dialogue is packed with wordplay, from the ‘Gnome Improvements’ branding on the side of Wallace’s van to the revelation that the rogue gnomes can be rebooted using … you guessed it, wellington boots.At all times the humor is warm.It is frequently silly.
Can we imagine a more delightful gift than a “Wallace Onesie,” knitted by Norbot and perfectly replicating Wallace’s trademark tank top outfit… in wool? Repeat viewings will surely yield an endless stream of comedy details that we failed to spot the first time around.One detail that nobody spots until the film’s climax is Wallace’s teapot.Old, cracked, covered in dust, it spends much of the time hiding in plain sight on top of a cupboard.
Yet there is more to this proud British icon than meets the eye.Not only does it end up playing a pivotal role in the story, but it also symbolizes the degree to which Wallace has been seduced by technology.When his inventions begin to malfunction, Wallace is forced to abandon his marvelous tea-making machine and resort to old-fashioned means.
He jabs his finger repeatedly on the teapot’s lid, expecting it to open automatically, before casting it aside with the frustrated cry: “It’s broken.” By the end of the film, Wallace and Gromit are enjoying fresh cups of tea brewed the traditional way… in the teapot.This simple act of redemption reassures the audience that Wallace has seen the error of his ways.Wallace has also repurposed the “Pat-o-Matic” to help Norbot with the garden, which has now been restored to its former glory.
This leaves him free to perform the act that symbolizes his spiritual rebirth – he pats the dog with his own hand.What a perfect way for to end.Having watched the villainous Feathers McGraw disappear into a classic cinematic sunset, we experience pure delight as our animated heroes are redeemed and rewarded.
Everything about this conclusion is deeply satisfying – as deeply satisfying as the entirety of the film we have just enjoyed.Nothing is wasted in an Aardman movie, and this is among Aardman’s very best.It is a joyous symphony of light, sound and movement, all the more miraculous for its perfect blend of dedicated human endeavor and the kind of cutting-edge technology that only sensitive humans can conceive and deploy.
As Wallace says in celebration of that irreplaceable human touch: “There are some things a machine just can’t do.”
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#savethedate 12-17 October 2025 | Turin, Italy
Dr.Maria Elena Gutierrez is the CEO and executive director of VIEW Conference, Italy’s premiere annual digital media conference: http://viewconference.it.
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