8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The comedic adventures of the eccentric, absent-minded inventor Wallace and his loyal, anthropomorphic dog Gromit.
Family | 100% |
Animation | 95% |
Comedy | 66% |
Adventure | 60% |
Short | 40% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1, 1.66:1, 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Cracking Contraptions is DTS MSTR 2.0 Stereo only
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In "The Wrong Trousers", the second humbly infectious, delightfully deadpan animated short film in The Complete Cracking Collection, amateur Rube Goldbergian inventor Wallace says to his faithful canine Gromit, with a perfectly British blend of utmost sincerity and enthusiasm: "I think you'll find this present a valuable addition to our modern lifestyle. They're techno-trousers! Ex-NASA. Fantastic for walkies." Wallace beams. Gromit grimaces. He's played this game with his human pal one too many times, and while the robo-futurism that piques his best friend's claymation mind is always a visual treat and funny-bone favorite, it also always seems to land the pair in trouble. On the moon. At home. In a shop, or a bakery. Everywhere is a minefield when you're as optimistic and likeable as Wallace. Love proves to be a constant trap too for Wallace, luring him closer to danger than he belongs. Thankfully, good ol' Gromit -- at risk of life, limb or incarceration -- is ever there to save the day. Or at least to keep Wallace a literal hair's breadth away from a nasty fate at the hands of villains like a duplicitous penguin, a vicious serial killer, a rogue moon-bot, or a con- woman eager to make a few hundred pounds or so.
The 2009 Lionsgate release of Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection was impressive in its day, but infrequent (relatively minor) issues like aliasing, shimmering, and a bit of occasional pixelation have since rendered it outdated. Ladies and lads, introducing Shout Factory's similarly titled Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection, featuring the same four specials but with a new 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that doesn't seem to suffer from any of the previous visual anomalies. (I'll get to the audio problems in a moment.) Colors are strong and vibrant across all four specials, as is contrast, black levels and detail. There are differences from special to special -- the oldest of the four, "Grand Day Out", has a more pronounced grain structure, while the freshest of the four, "A Matter of Loaf and Death", is slicker, smoother and cleaner -- but it's all in keeping with the original elements and analog or digital stop-motion photography that was utilized. Edges are nicely defined, textures are apparent (love the quaint fingerprints in the clay of the characters), every little divet and dent in skin is resolved with perfect imperfection, and fabric, strands of wool, frayed yarn, and other subtle touches are there for the admiring. (Again, minus the aliasing and what not that crept into the previous release.) For my money -- literally, no screener on this one -- this is the best Wallace & Gromit has looked.
And so we come to the audio. Sigh. Our previous review of the 2009 Lionsgate release circled, but never quite nailed down, an issue with the four
animated specials' audio. Later, forum detectives here and elsewhere would crack the case: audio pitch issues that affected both the fidelity of the
collection's voices and music. Unfortunately, and let me emphasize unfortunately, the new Shout Factory edition doesn't solve the problem. Efforts were
clearly made to address things, as there portions of the sound design have been restored/improved/corrected (pick your poison), but in every instance,
the full problem hasn't been resolved. (To take a quick, uber-detailed crash course on the various audio issues and a discussion about what likely
caused such a derailment, click here and begin reading
our forum members' ongoing analysis.) For brevity's sake, though, allow me to simplify: sometimes voices or music are pitched too low, sometimes
altered songs haven't been restored, and sometimes conversion mistakes between PAL and NTSC (possibly) come into play and cause a ruckus. Bottom
line? The audio has problems all around; in
one special it will be the 5.1 track that suffers, in others the stereo mix, in another it's both. Double sigh.
Do the specials still sound decent? Yeah, yeah. I suppose. Chances are most people won't notice anything's amiss. They'll adjust the volume as they see
fit and not give any of it a second thought. Admittedly, unless it really grinds your gears, the quality of the audio doesn't exactly fully spoil the
minimalistic brilliance of Wallace & Gromit. That said, it sure is a disappointment (particularly since it was a known issue on a previous release
and, fifteen years later, should have been spotted a mile away), it isn't faithful to intent and original presentation standards, and it shouldn't sit well
with fans. Here's hoping Shout Factory will course correct and issue a disc replacement program (which currently seems less and less likely as the
months tick by), or if that isn't in the cards, that a future distributor will release a U.S. collection of the four featured specials with a proper audio
treatment.
The 2009 Lionsgate Blu-ray release included a number of additional features that aren't a part of Shout Factory's collection. However, the 10-episode,
25-minute "Cracking Contraptions", which originally aired on the BBC and the Wallace & Gromit website, is included. Each episode/short revels
in one of Wallace's Rube Goldberg inventions, among them the Crackervac, the Tellyscope, the Turbo Diner, the Snowmantron, the Soccamatic, Shopper
13, the Christmas Cardomatic, the Snoozatron, the Bully Proof Vest, and the Autochef. All good fun.
The aforementioned 2009 Lionsgate release contains quite a bit more: audio commentaries on all four short films (with filmmaker Nick Park and various
members of his animation and voiceover team), three making-of documentaries that focus on all but the first special (clocking in at 50 minutes
altogether), a history of Wallace & Gromit featurette, an episode of Shaun the Sheep, invention "scrapbook" blueprints and
instructions, and more. Suffice to say, a lot has been left behind in the creation of this release. Paired with the audio issues, it verges on waving people
away and issuing a strong warning against purchasing The Complete Cracking Collection.
Want the best picture? This collection is for you. Looking for the best audio? Turn to the UK. Neither the 2009 Lionsgate nor 2023 Shout Factory editions feature issue-free audio; both are plagued by numerous problems. Looking for the biggest supplemental punch? Go with the Lionsgate release. In other words, there's no ideal edition (as far as I know) that offers the best of all three worlds. Wallace & Gromit deserves better. Here's hoping someone comes along and delivers a release fans of all stripes can be excited to watch -- distraction free -- and delighted to own.
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