Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures (NR, 1990)

common sense media says

Witty claymation shorts with whole-family appeal.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a compilation of three shorts: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave. Preschoolers will enjoy lovable-looking Wallace and Gromit, but may find certain scenes too scary. Grammar school kids will be riveted by the special effects and will replay their favorite scenes over and over again. Tweens, teens, and adults appreciate the brilliant humor, special effects, and the action-adventure sequences.

Positive messages: There's no diversity among human characters, but the focus of these shorts is less on humans and more on interspecies humor, conflict, and camaraderie.
Violence & scariness: Mild comic violence, Some scenes achieve a sinister tone, with creaking doors, dark basements, and chilling music.
Sexy stuff: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the role of technology in their lives, or use the series as a way to encourage creative children to come up with their own inventions or outlandish stories.

What's the story?

What's the story?
Inventor and proper Englishman Wallace and his silent, wise dog Gromit brave a moon appliance, mechanical trousers, and a robotic dog in this trilogy of Nick Park's award-winning shorts. In A Grand Day Out, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit build a spaceship so they can travel to the moon for the ultimate "Cheese Holiday." On the moon they encounter a stove-like robot who causes the duo trouble. In The Wrong Trousers, Wallace invents mechanical trousers that can take Gromit for walks. But the invention sets Wallace back, and he's forced to rent a room to a shifty penguin who gains Wallace's trust, then rewires the trousers to commit a jewel heist. In A Close Shave, window washers Wallace and Gromit meet the dazzling Wendolene, and note that, despite a wool shortage, her shop is unusually full of wool. Wendolene's evil dog Preston frames Gromit for recent sheep murders, and Wallace, Gromit, and new friend Shorn must outwit Preston and his "mutton-o-matic" dog food machine.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures plays on themes (and theme music) from 1940s sci-fi thrillers, action-adventures, and noir classics. This trilogy appeals to everyone from preschoolers to seniors. The plots are complex and suspenseful, the characters are comical, and the claymation is as detailed as it is whimsical. All three shorts depict technology gone horribly and hilariously wrong, as Wallace's faulty and complicated inventions are a continual source of slapstick humor. Adults enjoy the comic timing and children delight in the action-adventure.

Heroes Wallace and Gromit are an ingenious team, lovable if laughable. It's never quite clear who is a sidekick to whom as Gromit often seems to out-think his human counterpart. Younger children can identify with intelligent, yet put-upon Gromit, who sees the villains before Wallace every time. Quirky Park also has a particular talent for creating unlikely villains -- a penguin, an appliance abandoned on the moon, and an evil robot dog.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Director: Nick Park
Cast: Anne Reid, Peter Sallis, Tristan Oliver
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release: March 8, 1990
DVD release: September 20, 2005
MPAA Rating: NR

This review was written by Nancy Warren
 
 

Review It

 

Review Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

arudek805
parent of 4 and 7 year old
 

 
The Wrong Trousers and Close Shave are both a little scary but not much. Otherwise completely unobjectionable, and really really fun.

MarioMii
teen, 15 years old
 
A really great thing to watch
A great thing to watch for all ages, but sometimes a little bit violent.

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you see Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age