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Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl had some jokes rejected for being too British, but I want to know about the gag cut for ‘family viewing’

Umito November 22, 2024

As we eagerly await the upcoming movies in 2025 in theaters and streaming, I can’t wait for the world to see the Netflix film Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most Birds. Aardman Animation’s world of comedy that straddles the line between punny humor that adults will love and visual gags that kids will go crazy for, the legendary franchise has always been an example of crowd-pleasing entertainment that is particularly wide.

This beautiful contraction has its limits, however, and directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham shared an instance where that line was firmly drawn by the powers that be. Which leaves us with a new mystery that I need to know more about.

How Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl balanced its British humor for a global audience

I guess that’s when I’d flip my swivel chair around and gesture like a real bad guy; a bit like one of our favorite series villain thieves McGraw Feathers. I haven’t been able to admit it yet, but I haven’t just seen Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most Birds in advance… I was actually able to visit the set. So today’s latest trailer wasn’t the only information I had from a recent conversation with Mr. Park and Mr. Crossingham.

Feathers McGraw sits calmly with a cup of coffee in hand in Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. — (Image credit: Aardman Animations / Netflix)

With an early press day for this Netflix/BBC winter release, many of Aardman’s finest were on hand to discuss everything from the wonders of stop-motion animation to why Feathers McGraw is coming back in the first place. Earlier today, a virtual press conference discussed some jokes that might not play well to international audiences.

In the case of this particular topic, I asked Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham if they should fight to keep some friendly jokes about Britain aside. Revenge most birds. Addressing this concern allowed the administrators of the last Wallace and Gromit photo to share the following story with CinemaBlend. As Park says:

Sometimes dialogue is something that is not understandable “across the Atlantic”. And Chief Inspector Macintosh says: It’s a common phrase in the UK, it’s not rude, but he just says: “Flipping Nora!” “And we don’t know where that comes from, but it’s just in the lexicon of British (expressions). Yeah. And I don’t know if people understand this or not, but we’ve kind of been asked whether to remove this or not. But Netflix has been very respectful of the Wallace and Gromit brand and how it works. They let us do it.
Nick Park, CinemaBlend

Merlin Crossingham also contributed to the same challenge associated with the introduction of the new Wallace and Gromit movie to life. As he shared:

We were talking about the bog chain earlier, because a bog chain is like a toilet flush. And we say: “Someone stole my bog chain!” » Actually, this didn’t happen because of the language. It went away because the joke no longer fit into the sequence. Sometimes there are other reasons why a joke like that doesn’t make it into the sequence. But I mean, during the development of (Vengeance Most Fowl), so many jokes came and went. It is quite difficult to remember the details, but it always somehow remains in our consciousness.
Merlin Crossingham, CinemaBlend

Wallace & Gromit: The Revenge of Most Birds first trailer showed the balance between old-fashioned English humor and Hollywood action/adventure, and the new look we’ve just acquired continues to strengthen that case. See Feathers McGraw do his best Max Cady impression from Cape Fear is one of the intersections where adults and children can laugh out loud at something that definitely translates across cultures.

At the same time, creating something that is self-sustaining on the ground is also difficult. Which leads to a moment where Nick Park and Merling Crossingham accidentally crossed the line with a gag, only to be politely asked to go back.

Wallace sits worriedly at his kitchen table in Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

(Image credit: Aardman Animations / Netflix)

Why a mysterious Wallace and Gromit joke was cut for ‘family viewing’

“Family Viewing” is an expression that could make some adults shudder, as censorship has ruined many projects in the past. But Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most Birds is a film that thrives in this type of ecosystem, because the goal is always to have something that everyone can watch together comfortably. So I was quite surprised, and very Intrigued, to learn from Nick Park the following story involving the BBC having specific concerns over content:

The BBC actually questioned several things, didn’t they? Only because of family viewing. There was a phrase, I won’t even repeat it, but we thought it was innocent and apparently (it) has other connotations than Mrs. Mulch (says) at the door, when Wallace opens the door to the crowd in anger. But it happened and we don’t regret it.
Nick Park, CinemaBlend

I have absolutely no idea what the offensive joke was that was deleted, even after I was able to admit that I was on the set of Revenge most birds last July. Ms. Mulch’s allegedly nasty remarks will therefore remain a mystery to be buried in the sands of time. However, thanks to the scheduled visit in question, I can tell you about another funny gag that you won’t hear in the next one Wallace and Gromit film, but for completely different reasons.

The Naughty Lass sits in a zoo pond while Feathers sits and watches in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

(Image credit: Aardman Animations)

Another naughty slightly Wallace & Gromit gag that you can see, but not hear

Traveling to Aardman Animations headquarters in Bristol this summer was a dream come true for me, as I remember watching “A Grand Day Out” when it aired on PBS in the 90s. As one of a handful of journalists personally invited by Netflix to discover the work in progress on Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most BirdsI was able to see many moving pieces that were assembled to form the comedy that awaits us in the months to come.

And my presence that day allowed me, as well as my fellow journalists, to meet, among others, production designer Matt Perry. Our meeting couldn’t have been better, because when we entered his section of the maze of individual sets in the warehouse, we were greeted by a submarine that looked like something out of the ordinary. James Bond films. Which makes Mr. Perry tell us all the more about his cheeky name:

This is a massive nod to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Nautilus. We call it the “Naughty Lass”. It’s not a reference here, but internally we call it that. …(Feathers) is going to play this organ in his chair, in an evil way. An extraordinary amount of work has gone into this.
Matt Perry, CinemaBlend

I admit that this organ scene is one of the moments that made me want to spit coffee out of my mouth while laughing. And that was even after seeing this impressive miniature interior for myself, being prepared for the gag months in advance.

Returning to the subject of humor in Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most BirdsMatt Perry continued to discuss the art department’s contribution to the laughs and adventure that spawned this upcoming pic:

One of the little things our art department does is constantly try to help the story, with all the little nods. And you have the background graphics, all these other little layers that we kind of add to the film. In this particular case, when Feathers is sitting in his lawn chair, because whatever created this sub has been pecked into every garden in town.
Matt Perry, CinemaBlend

Yes my friends, that’s why we tried to warn you Revenge most birds Norbotand the new trailer shows even more reasons why that trepidation was earned. The tiny little threats are under Feather’s control, and as you can see in the scene showing the Naughty Lass, our enemy is looking to establish a decades-old score.

And in a moment of brilliant (almost) silent humor, Mr. McGraw is seen poking a bagpipe gnome as he boards his ship of mischief. Which you can watch for yourself thanks to the latest trailer for Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most Birdsshown below:

Come up with another joke that kids and adults will probably laugh at, whether you like that particular instrument or not. Whether it’s cheeky gags or puns giving people names that sound like British TV icons, the Aardman family know how to tell a joke. They also know when to cut it back in the name of decency, and leave a good mystery in the process.

Wallace & Gromit: Revenge Most Birds is a quintessential Aardman laugh riot, and you’ll be able to see it soon enough! If you’re in the UK or Ireland, the film will be shown on the BBC on Christmas Day. As for the rest of us, this exciting new adventure will be available to stream on January 3, via whatever crack rig you use to access your Netflix subscription!

Forgot there was an Elder Scrolls card game? Me too, but it’s not a good reminder because it will definitely be offline next year.

Umito November 4, 2024

Apre-salomemanzo

Apre-salomemanzo

Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl had some jokes rejected for being too British, but I want to know about the gag cut for ‘family viewing’

How Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl balanced its British humor for a global audience

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Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl had some jokes rejected for being too British, but I want to know about the gag cut for ‘family viewing’

How Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl balanced its British humor for a global audience

Umito

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