Wallace & Gromit In Three Amazing Adventures (DVD, 2005)

Before the Were-Rabbit were three Academy Award winning shorts revolving around the adventures of Wallace & Gromit, the cheese-loving inventor and his faithful dog.

The DVD includes half-hour shorts "A Grand Day Out," "The Wrong Trousers," and "A Close Shave." Special features include a behind the scenes look at the clay-mation factory and ten "Cracking Contraptions" snipets.

"A Grand Day Out" is an early Wallace & Gromit animated film that introduces the pair on a holiday adventure. Wallace is searching for the perfect vacation spot and decides there is only one place that'll do: the moon. Why the moon? Because it's made of cheese, of course. And Wallace cannot resist cheese. They build a homey rocket in their basement and take off to mine the moon for new cheese. Their adventure takes some surprising turns that end in a way only a Wallace & Gromit story could.

"The Wrong Trousers" is my favorite. The plot involves a birthday present for Gromit, financial problems for Wallace, and a sinister penguin. This is one of the best penguins ever outside of an Antarctica documentary. That the penguin can evoke menace with a slight turn of the head and a glint in the eye is both a marvel of animation and film making. The action evolves into a crime caper that is capped with a hilarious finale on the kitchen floor.

"A Close Shave" is another crime story that twists around some sheep rustling, a knitting machine that creates a sweater from the sheep up, an evil dog and a shortage of yarn. The same creators that put together "Chicken Run" again display their love for convoluted contraptions here. Wallace also meets a love interest and is forced to choose between her and cheese; and what's not to love about that.

The Wallace & Gromit world is sweet and totally lovable. Everytime I watch these films I am charmed, giggling and amazed at the creative and accomplished film making achieved with some lumps of clay. The DVD is a lovely activity for a grand day in. And don't forget to put out the Wensleydale cheese.