Classic Entertainment For The Children: Wallace And Gromit

People who have been reading this blog for a bit might have noticed that I link to the Onion's AV Club from time to time. I like them, and they like lists. Recently, they dedicated one to children's pop culture that adults could love, and it's really made me question my positive relationship with that site - How could I respect any place that would leave Wallace and Gromit off the list? Well, let me make up for their oversight, and in their own format too.

Marty Q. Protagitron: I don't know you guys personally, AV writers, but y'all suck. I'm sorry to use such vulgar Americanisms within the quaint British hearing of Wallace And Gromit, but there it is. No animated duo can bring joy to the hearts of both child and man like this hapless inventor and his much cleverer dog. Wallace and the mute Gromit wander through an eccentric, imaginary England that has kept all of its old charm - lace doilies on the furniture, three channels on the telly, and everything closed for a bank holiday - while opening itself to the fantastic. The moon is made of a Stilton-like cheese and penguins rob museums, but Wallace and Gromit still always make it home for tea.

My introduction to Wallace and Gromit came with the short The Wrong Trousers. It wasn't their first (that would be 1989's Oscar-nominated A Grand Day Out) but it's certainly their best. I was about eight, and I loved it then because it was a cracking good story. Gromit, with his prominent brow and resourceful nature, was also my Platonic ideal of dogdom. Now I appreciate its clever film allusions, from Hitchcock to silent classics. 2009's A Matter Of Loaf And Death even had a shout out to Aliens, but unlike some other flicks (ahem, Shrek), the jokes never get in the way of the story. Watching Wallace and Gromit in claymation action is like eating a big bowl of homemade oatmeal. It's hearty and comforting, without the regret that comes with indulging in the sugary pop candy of lesser kiddie fare.