Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

A Matter of Loaf and Death is the fifth film starring the cheese-loving, energetically eccentric entrepreneur Wallace, and his silent but astute canine companion Gromit—popular standard bearers for the art of stop-motion animation. Fans of the plasticine pair—whose earlier shorts won Oscars for writer-director Nick Park—will be eager to see the comic duo in their first screen appearance since the 2005 feature-length Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. In this half-hour “bread-based murder mystery,” W&G are bakers whose shop in an urban windmill features a magnificent collection of mechanical devices and Rube Goldberg contraptions. After Wallace falls in love with a seductive bread-industry former pin-up girl named Piella Bakewell, the town's other bakers suddenly begin to disappear. Gromit has a pretty good idea who the culprit might be…but infatuated goof Wallace naturally pays him no heed. DVD extras include an audio commentary by director Park and editor David McCormick, a “making-of” featurette, a bonus Shaun the Sheep short, and a video game demo for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (S. Axmaker)