A Pilgrim’s Digression

One benefit of being a parent is that one becomes quite familiar with the range of children’s animated and educational programming on film and on television. Oddly, contrary to what one might think, the purely educational programming is typically pretty dreadful (”Barney” and “Dora the Explorer”) while the lighthearted, animated programs are actually quite good (”Spongebob Squarepants,” “Wallace & Gromit,” and the Pixar films).

Perhaps the key to this counter-rational phenomenon is that programs such as “Wallace & Gromit” are written to entertain both children and adults, while programs like “Dora the Explorer” are created to fill a dubiously necessary function of “educating” children via the television.

I am not the kind of parent who believes television is all bad for children. It would be hypocritical of me to believe that, since I watch so much TV myself, and have done so ever since I was a child. I monitor what my child watches, but mostly for quality of content, not for educational value. Therefore, Wallace & Gromit: the Curse of the Were-Rabbit perfectly meets my standard for excellence in childrens’ programming.

The film is first and fore-most a lighthearted children’s story about two characters, Wallace & Gromit, who run a pest-removal service called Anti-Pesto. The name Anti-Pesto is just one of many higher-level gags pulled throughout the movie. The brilliance of Nick Parks is that children don’t have to get these jokes in order to enjoy the movie.

In fact, as a parent, you may not want your five year old to get all the jokes. The “seduction” scene in which Lady Tottington turns to Wallace with two large melons at breast-level and says “Victor was never interested in my produce” is a hilarious bit of risqué comedy meant for the PG-13 and above crowd.

Lest one think that this film is merely meant to entertain children with cute slapstick and adults with high sexual humor, there is a serious subtext to the film, which I won’t dwell on too much, since seriousness is quite boring. The theme of the film, inasmuch as it has one, is about cruelty to animals and, more generally, violence to the “other” who dares invade our perfect garden space.

Lady Tottington is having a vegetable competition in which the largest vegetable will win a prize; an admirably capitalist competition, which has apparently led to problems in the past between citizens of the town. Standing in the way are the “pests”–rabbits, which insist on doing what rabbits do best: eat vegetables. Er, maybe that’s what rabbits do second-best. Wallace and Grommit are hired by the villagers to secure their gardens through elaborate, technologically advanced burglar alarms; and additionally, they are hired to remove the rabbits humanely. The nemesis of the film is Victor Quartermaine, who carries a rifle and dresses in British imperial-era safari garb, and who is named after a great fictional hero of the British imperial era, Alan Quartermain. Quartermaine simply wants to kill the rabbits, while Lady Tottington and Wallace want to remove them from the village and release them somewhere else, alive.

In one of the funniest scenes in the film, Victor Quartermaine is preparing to shoot his first rabbit. Lady Tottington is trying to convince him not to shoot.

Lady Tottington: Victor, hadn’t we agreed, no more thoughtless killing?

Victor Quartermaine: Quite right, my dear, so I’ve thought this one through very carefully.

If one views history as merely a succession of wars, in these two lines in ostensibly a children’s film is a complete summary of world history and political theory. On one side are those urging restraint from violence, while on the other are the confident belligerants, advising us that this time they have thought things through very carefully.

Lest I become bogged down in an overly scholarly analysis of this film, let me conclude by pointing out a few of my favorite moments from the film. Those who have seen the movie may have missed the following tidbits. In particular, there are references to other animated and fictional icons sprinkled liberally throughout the film.

• During the opening credits, the camera rolls across a picture of Grommit accepting a diploma from “Dog Warts University.”

• When Lady Tottington tries to defend the Were-Rabbit from Victor Quartermaine, she sprays Victor with “Pansy Spray.” When the Were-Rabbit breaks out of the greenhouse, she yells, “Run, Rabbit, Run!”

• In the scene in which Gromit reveals that Wallace is the Were-Rabbit, Wallace asks, “What’s up, Dog?” while holding a carrot.

• In the “panic” scene, when the policeman inadvertantly reveals that the Were-Rabbit is still alive, a boy dressed suspiciously like Kenny from South Park faints. The de rigueuer Wilhelm Scream also occurs in this scene.

• During the “Dogfight” scene, Victor Quartermain’s cotton-candy wig looks suspiciously like Sideshow Bob’s dreadlocks from the Simpsons.