It?s difficult to watch an animated movie these days and not compare it to Pixar?s recent efforts. I?ve all but given up on Dreamworks?they?ve drawn their line in the sand and are making unchallenging, cheesy movies full of passe pop culture references that are guaranteed to make money at the box office and on DVD (until audiences catch on, like when Disney did the same thing back in the late 80s/early 90s).

Luckily, although they distributed the film in the US, Dreamworks doesn?t seem to have had anything to do with the making of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The film is pure Aardman entertainment, full of dry humor, slapstick, Rube Goldbergian gadgets, and, of course, a patented W&G chase scene in which Gromit races to the rescue of a flailing Wallace. Aside from the briefest hint of a lesson regarding the dangers of genetic manipulation and a couple of jokes for adults (?may contain nuts?), W&G doesn?t have the depth or broad appeal across all ages of a Pixar film ? no one?s going to be comparing it with the ideas of Ayn Rand ? but it hardly matters because the film is enjoyable enough at the level on which it chooses to operate. Plus, there?s cheeeeeese!