A Matter of Loaf and Death (2010)

"A Matter of Loaf and Death" is another quality entry to the Wallace&Gromit franchise and we should be thankful to Nick Park that he added another chapter to their story, even if it was the first time that he lost at the Oscars (to Logorama). He won the BAFTA and Annie though, so it's not all bad awards-wise. When this one came out it had already been 13 years since the last Wallace&Gromit-short film. Of course, in-between was the full feature. Thankfully Peter Sallis, in his late 80s then, in his early 90s now, is reaching a Methusalem age and could once more lend his unique voice to Wallace.This film is mostly about a series of murders and the victims are all bakers. Now the problem is Wallace and Gromit have opened a bakery not too long too and when Wallace falls in love with a feisty lady (and Gromit with her posh poodle), complications arise pretty quickly. It's the usual formula of the well-written main characters accidentally being sucked into the world of crime and the outcome is a good one. The animation is tops as well, although that's pretty much a given with Park and Aardman. I think this may be my second favorite from the series. Wrong Trousers is unreached, but it's about the same league quality-wise like Grand Day out and superior to Close Shave, which I'm not really a fan of."A Matter of Loaf and Death" was Nick Park's last directorial effort to this day, but he's still at an age where we can hopefully expect a couple more chapters to the story. He's easily one of the most defining animation artists of the last 25 years and this is another excellent example.

Wallace and Gromit are back with another adventure. This time the Rube Goldberg-style inventor and his silent but faithful dog have converted their house into a bread factory, and Wallace falls for a woman who used to be the spokeswoman for a bread company...all amid a series of murders of bakers.As always, there's a lot of pop culture references and clever camera angles. I've liked everything that Nick Park has directed (along with the Wallace and Gromit series, he also did "Creature Comforts" and "Chicken Run"), and "Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death'" is no exception. Every part of it is really fun. You're sure to love it.

while i enjoyed this latest animated Wallace and Gromit feature,a few things disappointed me.the biggest thing,(and i'm sure others have mentioned this)is the running time.both the the artwork on the DVD and the case list it as being 87 minutes.however,the actual running time is around the 30 minute mark.not sure why the discrepancy.the other thing that disappointed me was the lack of humour compared to Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Wererabbit.there were some humorous moments,but not as many as i expected,and what humour there was,was much more subtle.although there many amusing moments,there were no real laugh out loud moments here for me,i did however like the story,but because the film was so short,i don't feel they developed it enough.still,overall,it was a pleasant watch.for me,Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death is a 6/10

I do agree with the other commentators that it isn't quite as good as Wrong Trousers or Close Shave, but there is still plenty to enjoy here. I can see completely why it was the most watched Christmas programme on British Television. Technically, it is a wonder. Even after thirteen years, the claymation is so good. And there are plenty of visual jokes to delight even the fussiest adult or child, like Puppy Love by Doggy Osmond. I just have to mention the ending, it was hilarious, with Wallace shouting "Gromit I've got a bomb in my pants". It was so silly I couldn't help laughing, so much so my sides were really sore. Sally Lindsey was impressive as Piella Bakewell, and Peter Sallis still proves that at 87 he could still do a competent job as ever as Wallace. Gromit still delights with his priceless facial expressions, and the little dog was enough to make you go "awww!" The storyline was quite dark in tone, even more so than the predecessors, but the constant visual jokes kept my family entertained. If I had one quibble, it would be that the pace of the episode was a bit too fast, but overall this was hugely enjoyable. 9/10 Bethany Cox.