A Beloved Animation Institution Is Heading To Netflix, And Here's The Trailer To Prove It

Dog lovers, cheese enthusiasts, and claymation fans, rejoice! For decades, Aardman Animations has delivered some of the funniest, most visually dazzling movies and short films, including those centered on its signature characters, "Wallace & Gromit." Over the years, the lovable British pair have taken on uncontrollable robotic trousers, rival dogs, and even the laws of gravity itself as they rocketed to the moon and back. And that's not even mentioning their battle with the most fearsome villain to ever grace the silver screen, the dastardly Feathers McGraw. Almost 20 years after the last movie, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," hit theaters, the studio is finally ready to unleash the next long-awaited chapter of this franchise, featuring the return of the penguin we love to hate.

"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" was first announced back in January of 2022, which means we've been twiddling our thumbs for quite some time waiting for any footage at all from the upcoming animated movie. The wait is officially over, as Aardman has released the first official trailer. The good news? Longtime director Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham's latest feature looks just like the "Wallace & Gromit" we all came to know and love. The slightly less good news? "Vengeance Most Fowl" might feel like the biggest cinematic event of the year, but it's scheduled to hit Netflix in just a few months. At least it's receiving a limited theatrical run in December to qualify for awards, so a small number of people will have the chance to see it on the big screen. Still, we'll take as much claymation antics and hijinks we can get at this point. Check out the new trailer at the link above!

There's trouble in claymation paradise, and a familiar face is behind the conspiracy. Wallace (and his loyal canine Gromit, arguably the brains behind the whole operation) may be the quirky, creative, and utterly cheese-obsessed tinkerer to you and me. But the rest of the UK sees our favorite busybody as an "evil inventor" responsible for a crime wave sweeping the nation. That might have something to do with those aforementioned robotic trousers, that monstrous Knit-o-Matic device from 1995's "A Close Shave," and all sorts of other inventions gone haywire throughout the various movies, shorts, and cartoons in this series. Of course, we all know the one responsible for this setup could only be the face of evil itself: Feather McGraw.

The most pernicious penguin in all of fiction (with apologies to that other Penguin, Oz Cobb) is back and badder than ever, as the trailer for "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" wastes no time establishing. The new movie comes from directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and brings back the fan-favorite bumbling twosome we simply can't get enough of. While the late Peter Sallis served as the quintessential voice of Wallace from the character's inception all the way to his passing in 2017, his stand-in Ben Whitehead has now taken over the role full time. While Gromit remains silent as ever, they're joined by Peter Kay (reprising his role as Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh from "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit") and Reece Shearsmith as Norbot, Wallace's new gnome invention in their latest adventure. The movie will hit Netflix just after the new year on January 3, 2025, and you can check out the full synopsis below.

In this next installment, Gromit's concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a "smart" gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master ... or Wallace may never be able to invent again!