Animation feature film “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”, the latest work from Aardman Animations which will be released on Netflix on next Friday in South Korea, is as funny and delightful as we can possibly expect. Although it may not surpass those inspired moments of the first three Wallace & Gromit films, it shows that Aardman Animations does not lose any of its skills and touches yet, and that is certainly a good news for any fan of Wallace & Gromit films.

The film opens with another usual day a goofy inventor dude named Wallace (voiced by Ben Whitehead) and his loyal dog Gromit, and we accordingly get a witty scene showing how they start their morning while Wallace goes through a rather complex preparation process handled by a series of his invented machines. Because he has spent too much money on his inventions again, Wallace needs some money to take care of this financial problem, and then there comes an unexpected solution. A garden norm robot he invented just for helping Gromit’s garden work, which is called “Norbot” (voiced by Reece Shearsmith), actually turns out to be quite useful and efficient compared to many of Wallace’s inventions, and many people in the neighborhood come to show a lot of interest in Norbot.

Delighted by this opportunity, Wallace embarks on doing some gardening business via Norbot, but, alas, there is one big problem. As already shown from the trailer of the film, Feathers McGraw, a villainous penguin who previously appeared in “The Wrong Trousers” (1993), has been waiting for a moment of revenge in a local zoo where he has been incarcerated since his devious criminal plan was foiled by Wallace and Gromit, and he instantly sees a golden chance when he happens to watch a TV new report on Wallace and his latest invention.

What follows next is another delightful comic moment to cherish. Via his own little creative (and sneaky) scheme, McGraw succeeds in getting online access to Wallace’s personal computer, which happens to be connected with Norbot at that time. He does some hacking on the Artificial intelligence control system of Norbot, and, what do you know, Norbot is re-programmed to be quite evil while being under his control (The film surely does not mince any word on the dark sides of advancing computer technology).

It goes without saying that Gromit soon notices that something fishy is going on with Norbot, especially when Norbot quickly manufactures a bunch of other Norbots supposedly ready to serve under Wallace’s latest business. Not so surprisingly, Wallace remains rather oblivious to the growing possibility of trouble and danger, and this certainly frustrates Gromit more than once.

Meanwhile, the film also pays attention to what is going on at a local police station. While Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh (voiced by Peter Kay) is mostly occupied with a certain upcoming ceremony which will distinguish the last days of his public service, Constable Mukherjee (voiced by Lauren Patel) comes to discern that something bad is happening around their neighborhood, and her attention is soon drawn to Wallace and his Norbots.

In the end, there comes a moment when McGraw finally reveals his diabolic plan (He even does a bit of homage to a certain infamous James Bond movie villain, by the way), and it is naturally followed by a series of comic action scenes as expected. They may not reach to the sublime comic perfection of the climatic chase scene of “The Wrong Trousers” (If you have not seen yet this very special animation short film which also won an Oscar, please check it out as soon as possible), but directors Nick Park, who won no less than three Oscars thanks to some of his Wallace & Gromit films, Merlin Crossingham and their crew present one hilarious moment after another to the end, and you will certainly cheer when Wallace and Gromit save the day again (Is this a spoiler?)

Above all, the film also depends a lot on its style and personality, and that is one of the main reasons why Aardman Animations has been as distinguished as Pixar Animation Studios or Studio Ghibli. Its stop-motion clay animation may look rather rough and broad at first, but it is constantly filled with numerous loving details to observe and cherish, and we come to admire more of those painstaking efforts put behind and in front of the camera.

Furthermore, just like all of Wallace & Gromit films, the film is supported well by one of the most endearing duos in the history of cinema. While you may want to shake your head due to his frequent obtuseness, Wallace comes to us a likable dude you can gladly tolerate for his good nature and irrepressible enthusiasm toward invention, and Gromit surely earns our esteem as sincerely trying to help and support his master as much as possible – even though he does not speak at all throughout the film just like he and his master’s very dangerous opponent.

In conclusion, “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” shows Aardman Animations back in element after being relatively less stellar during last several years as shown from “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” (2023), which is incidentally also available on Netflix. Although that animation film is fairly enjoyable, it is also rather forgettable compared to the better works of Aardman Animations including, yes, “Chicken Run” (2000), and that is why “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” is quite welcoming to say the least. In short, this is one of more enjoyable animation films of 2024, and I assure you that you will not regret at all.