Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard February 28, 2025

Wallace & Gromit is one of the most enduring and charming animation series in the history of the medium. The lovable Claymation characters became a staple of British television with the unique specials created by Aardman Animations (Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run) winning over the hearts, minds, and cheese-craving bellies of audiences worldwide. (After all, Wallace loves cheese – every bit of it).

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection features the complete run of animated shorts and the first Wallace & Gromit theatrical feature – spanning Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and the mini-episodes comprised in Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions. The box-set comes in lavish collectable packaging and is sure to be a fun centerpiece of any Wallace & Gromit collection. “It's like no cheese I've ever tasted.” – Wallace

A fun, thrilling, and must-own collection for Wallace & Gromit's fans, Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection is a (ironically) nearly-complete box-set – the release is missing the recently produced & Netflix distributed Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (which may receive a standalone physical media release at a future date to be determined – pending the rights of BBC and Aardman). That’s a lot of cheesy adventures for fans to look forward to. Wallace & Gromit continues to be one of the most entertaining animated works and this outstanding box-set is a joy.

Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out is the first of the shorts. The first animated Wallace & Gromit adventure, the short film features Wallace and his lovable dog Gromit traveling by rocket to the moon in order to get more cheese (after running out of cheese at home). The whimsical animated short film may be the best of the bunch and is arguably one of the greatest achievements in the history of animation – it set the stage for what would follow in the development of Aardman Animation. The short film has incredible animation and the Claymation style instantly became iconic as one of the most beautiful productions in film history. The charming short film is a delight from start to finish and it features remarkable space-age vistas and the animated moon is a sight to behold – the Claymation moon beautiful and mesmerizing.

Wallace & Gromit are back in another exciting adventure in Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. The characters experience even more thrills when Wallace goes up against the diabolical and scheming evil penguin. The penguin has his own plans and decides to reprogram special Techno Trousers for his own purposes.

Wallace had developed his own use of the “Techno Trousers” (the trousers considered as a high-tech option developed by NASA). Yet with the scheming penguin entering the equation, things escalate quickly. Can Wallace and Gromit defeat the dastardly plans of the penguin and course-correct an overarching scheme involving the Techno Trousers?

Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave brings romance into the equation. The beloved Wallace & Gromit series takes a lover’s detour as Wallace meets a wool shop owner who puts his heart through the motions. Cheese or no cheese, Wallace has his heart in a dizzy and wonders if romance will be something on the horizon. Meanwhile, Gromit finds himself framed for a crime that he did not commit and he ends up imprisoned. Can Gromit get out of jail and return to his heroics while proving that he is innocent?

A new mystery. A new romance. Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death offers Wallace a new chance at romance. Could the new romantic partner in his life be the one? Meanwhile, Gromit is as helpful as always – things are busy with the two working together on a new bakery. Yet Gromit is discovering that there is something sinister and foreboding to Wallace’s new romantic partner. Determined to protect Wallace, Gromit sets forth to solve a new mystery – a murder mystery.

The four animated short films in the Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection box-set are each wonderful and charming. There is so much heart and wonder to each short film. It is a joy to be able to sit back and marvel at the Claymation animation and the heartfelt stories of a boy and his dog. Audiences with a love for hand made animation, British comedy, cheese, and wonderful storytelling will be thrilled with this box-set. Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection is outstanding.

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original aspect ratios of each short feature-film in the collection. Each of the original Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection short films is presented with new remasters. The new 4K remasters offer a new viewing experience of the animated shorts.

Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 widescreen. Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen.

It is interesting to see the change of aspect ratios as the series of Wallace & Gromit short films progresses. Over time, the Wallace & Gromit short films went from standard full frame to widescreen. The widescreen aspect ratio was interesting and unique with both 1.66:1 (a favorite ratio of the French New Wave) to the more traditional modern 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio.

The short films vary in presentation quality. Each film in the box-set seems to have a different aesthetic to some degree. The original Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out is perhaps the best looking of all four shorts, with decent clarity and detail in the 4K version. The 4K master looks solid overall and the nice Claymation animation is well reproduced. A solid 4K presentation even if has some slight imperfections.

Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers is not quite as robust looking a presentation. The 4K scan looks decent enough and is certainly watchable but the short has more DNR (digital noise reduction) and is somewhat problematic looking in some scenes. The transfer isn't perfect and looks like it could have looked better with less digital tinkering to the 4K presentation. Even so, colors look reasonably good, and it is still watchable, despite some imperfections.

Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave is a bit more robust in terms of color reproduction and visual fidelity. Nonetheless, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave also has some more obvious scenes with DNR (digital noise reduction). Not a perfect presentation but it's not too bad, either. A decent looking transfer.

Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death is the second-best looking short in the box-set after the first. The last of the four has the most modern visual sensibility and the presentation provides a more crisp, clear, and well-defined presentation. The transfer is arguably going to please more than any of the other three for some viewers – even though I give an edge to the original Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out as that is the oldest short film and arguably the one with the most to gain from the 4K UHD.

The release has no HDR (high dynamic range) on the 4K UHD. The release is a SDR 4K UHD presentation. More often than not, well mastered 4K UHD discs have HDR. HDR isn't a selling point for the box-set and the standard dynamic range means the colors cannot "pop" with as much depth as a HDR presentation can provide. HDR is supposed to provide even deeper blacks and brighter whites – as well as a wider color spectrum – but no HDR is present on the 4K UHD disc.

These presentations do have some visual inconsistencies and aren't perfect looking by any stretch of the imagination. Worth the double dip if you own prior releases? The four films arguably look improved on the new 4K edition despite some quibbles and complaints of DNR and digital tinkering to the 4K scan. Worthwhile, with reservations and considerations made of the picture-quality. Keep expectations in check.

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The main audio selection on the release is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless audio track sounds crisp, clear, and engaging. The track might not have the most impressive bass or LFE output and the surrounds aren't as actively engaged as full-length theatrical features are. Nonetheless, solid if somewhat unspectacular 5.1 mixes are provided on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced and that is one of the most important elements. The score is also a nice highlight of these audio presentations. The new remastered audio sounds reasonably good throughout the box-set on the shorts.

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The set comes packaged with a gorgeous oversized art-box and premium collectable packaging design. A nice-looking box- set and one that will look great on display if one has the room to put the box art front and center – arguably enough reason to even buy the box-set if you are a huge fan of the Wallace & Gromit animated films. It is a marvel in hand and will be a treasured release for fans. The set also provides a nice 24-page booklet and a cling-style character sheet.

4K UHD & Blu-ray Disc:

Audio Commentary on Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out

Audio Commentary on Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers

Audio Commentary on Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave

Audio Commentary on Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Bonus Blu-ray Disc:

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (HD, 1:25:00) presented with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.

Wallace & Gromit: Cracking Contraptions:

Shopper 13 (HD, 3:48)

The Autochef (HD, 1:52)

A Christmas Cardomatic (HD, 2:03)

The Tellyscope (HD, 2:08)

The Snowmanotron (HD, 2:07)

The Bully Proof Vest (HD, 1:59)

The 525 Crackervac (HD, 2:03)

The Turbo Diner (HD, 2:04)

The Snoozatron (HD, 2:26)

The Soccamatic (HD, 1:58)

Featurettes:

Peter Lord & Nick Park Interview (HD, 4:13)

The Amazing World of Wallace & Gromit (SD, 15:23)

Inside The Wrong Trousers (SD, 24:19)

A Close Shave – How They Did It (SD, 5:04)

The Making Of A Matter of Loaf and Death – How They Donut (SD, 20:20)

When Wallace Met Harvey (SD, 5:07)

Picture Gallery (SD, 1:50)

Invention Blueprints (SD, 00:43)

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection is a must-own collection of animated shorts. Wallace & Gromit is one of the greatest of all animated film series. For fans young and old alike, audiences will cherish the heartfelt adventures of Wallace & Gromit.

Wallace & Gromit and the animated short films have been dear to my heart since I was a young boy and it has been great to experience the film series continuing adventures – just as it is a joy to revisit the animated films that made it one of my favorites since I was a child. The 4K box set is excellent even though the transfers are inconsistent and have some quibbles. Even so, it is nice to revisit the films. Outstanding packaging and an assortment of bonus features make the set even more special and worthwhile. The release is well worth owning. Highly recommended.