Title:  The Art of Wallace and Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl 

Author:   Richard Hanson

Reviewer: Natalie Lincoln

Audience:  Secondary

I have to confess to being an absolute fan of Wallace and Gromit so anything I write will be biased! The film to which the book primarily refers -  Vengeance Most Fowl - is out in cinemas and this read has surely cemented myself a seat at a screening. Who doesn’t love the return of villainous penguin, Feathers McGraw, set on revenge via a robot gnome named Norbot? The coffee table book provides deep insight into the creative genius behind the scenes of stop motion animation.

The world of claymation is explored and for all the explanations of the detail required to bring it all together, it remains for me, at least, still a form of magic. Coupled with anecdotes from creator, Nick Park, are tidbits of information, statistics and stories from a wide variety of staff who work alongside him to flesh out the joy that is Wallace and Gromit. Complementing the commentary are wonderful concept illustrations, original sketches, and on set photography. The overall feeling is one of camaraderie and cohesion, with egos set aside in the quest for the perfect way to bring to life the various characters.

Honest in its appraisal of the challenges of combining shifts in technology with keeping true to the authenticity of the original claymation ‘feel’ and the quintessential charm of the British, this book could be utilised in a number of different settings and I’m definitely looking forward to having it in my school library. The artistry would appeal to creative arts staff, the IT crew would enjoy the ingenuity of technological advancements and as an English teacher, I could see myself using it to demonstrate the depth of storyboarding that goes into creating a film (students often seem to think that you just take a camera out and film away).

Perhaps it’s my bias but this book works for both the pictures and the detail. I would love to randomly come across this somewhere and pick it up just to flick through and be reminded of when I taught Chicken Run to year 8, laughed uproariously with my mum at The Wrong Trousers, and spent many an evening viewing Shawn the Sheep on ABC Kids with my daughter just before bed time.