TV Review: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Wallace and Gromit made their long awaited return this Christmas with the brilliantly titled A Matter of Loaf and Death. After the phenomenally successful Curse of the Were Rabbit, this latest outing of the plasticine duo was very highly anticipated. Could Wallace and Gromit succeed where another great British series, Doctor Who, had failed earlier in the evening?

As usual, Wallace and Gromit have opted for a different career path this time around. Now the pair are bakers, running a "dough-to-door" delivery service for their company, Top Bun. It's not long before Wallace, in his usual fashion, finds himself a love interest, Piella Bakewell. But, as the couple romance, Gromit investigates the suspicious Piella, revealing the deadly intentions behind her loving acts. It's clever, it's original, and it's damn good fun; all typical of Wallace and Gromit, and as usual kids and adults alike are going to love it.

Loaf and Death is littered with ingenious puns and references. As well as the aforementioned "dough to door" and "Top Bun", there are references to iconic films such as Citizen Kane, Pulp Fiction, and The Sound of Music. They're superbly worked in, and despite their subtlety really add to the laughs the show provides.

This visuals of Wallace and Gromit have remained largely unchanged since the late 80s, when the plasticine figures first showed up. It's the same case in Loaf or Death; the characters are still meticulously modelled by hand from plasticine, and they look better than ever. The animation is nothing short of brilliant, and still have the rustic charm that the features did when they began almost twenty years ago.

Loaf and Death brings a darkness to Wallace and Gromit that it didn't really have before. As well as murder being the driving force behind the plot, the feature also touches on animal abuse, but again does it so subtly that it doesn't detract from the comedic elements of the show, seamlessly alternating between slapstick and seriousness, which is something very few shows are capable of.

It seems Nick Park and Aardman can do no wrong when it comes to Wallace and Gromit, and A Matter of Loaf and Death certainly isn't going to buck the trend. Ingeniously written, brilliantly animated and with more puns and references than you can shake a bread stick at (frankly if I hadn't made a bad bread related joke at some point in this review I would have failed myself as a writer), it's plain to see that the duo are still on top form.

5/5

Thank god I managed to avoid using the term "Christmas Cracker" in the Christmas reviews.

Thinks cheddar is better than Wensleydale anyway - tomdoodle16@live.co.uk