Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit MPAA Rating: G Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: +4

Goofy, lovable characters Wallace (voice of Peter Sallis), an inventor, and his pet dog, Gromit, operate the Anti-Pesto Security Co. in a small English village, protecting vegetable gardens from rabbits. Wallaces Bun-Vac 6000 sucks up the bunnies into a clear bubble and then drops them in the country, where they become his pets. As the village prepares for the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, contestants watch, pamper and protect their melons, tomatoes, carrots and pumpkins. Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter) calls Anti-Pesto to her castle when she spots a rabbit in her garden. Smitten by her kindness and beauty, Wallace assures her that her vegetables are safe. But when the rabbit population becomes unmanageable, Wallace tries to remove the rabbits appetite for veggies with his Mind-O-Matic brain-altering machine. The machine malfunctions, creating a mutant giant were-rabbit.

In this familiar clay-animation cartoon, the characters big mouths, thick lips and prominent teeth add to the fun without being offensive. Gromit never says a word, but his expressions and common-sense actions reveal that hes more practical and probably smarter than the creative Wallace. The were-rabbit is huge and frightens the village without anyone being hurt. Hilarious chases, inventive attempts to control the rabbits and were-rabbit create more laughs than fear. The theme of solving problems without violence, illustrated by Wallaces no-kill policy, is challenged when Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes) steps in with plans to shoot the destructive rabbits. But bullets dont solve the problem, and peaceful efforts win over violent solutions. There is no sexual content, except a double entendre of two big melons placed strategically in front of Lady Tottington. Very young children may find some of the action and humor hard to follow and become restless.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: DreamWorks