Wallace & Gromit
Feature-Film Figures

The bumbling inventor and his long-suffering sidekick team up again for two sets of miniature sculptures

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Feature-Film Figures By McFarlane Toys MSRP: approx. $16

ick Park and Aardman Animation became household names in the 1990s with a trio of short films featuring a bumbling and not-too-bright inventor named Wallace and his far brighter but silent and long-suffering dog named Gromit. All three films, "A Grand Day Out," "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave," were nominated for Oscars, and the last two won that honor. An amazing feat.

So it is with great anticipation Park and Aardman released their new feature-length Wallace & Gromit film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, in which Wallace and Gromit run a pest-relief business (Anti-Pesto) assigned to protect the town's vegetables from pesky rabbits that threaten these hopefully prize-winning giant peppers, pumpkins, carrots and other produce as the town prepares for the local Giant Vegetable Competition at Tottington Hall.

And with such a highly anticipated film, McFarlane Toys has released two sets of miniature figures to capitalize on the excitement. These are not articulated figures. They are miniature sculptures with decorative bases, and are intended mainly for display purposes.

In two box sets (the Carrot Collector Set and the Cauliflower Collector Set) come eight (or so) figures, each on its own display base, with accessories. The figures measure from just over 2 to nearly 4 inches in height and are excellently detailed and painted.

The Carrot Collector Set includes Wallace in his Anti-Pesto uniform lassoing a huge carrot, Gromit with capture net, Hutch (a rabbit who is the source of a mystery) dressed in Wallace's sweater and Police Constable MacIntosh with notepad and pencil.

The Cauliflower Set includes Wallace in his finest visiting vest, Lady Tottington (Wallace's new love interest voiced gorgeously by Helena Bonham Carter), Victor Quartermaine (voiced in the film by Ralph Fiennes) with his snarling dog, and Gromit, lovingly measuring his growth-enhanced melon.

Rabbit-hunting season

The Carrot Collector Set:

Wallace in his blue Anti-Pesto uniform is sculpted to perfection and painted quite accurately from his characteristic mouth to his oversized hands. He can hold in one hand a stick with a noose, which is wrapped around a carrot larger than he is. In his other hand is a flashlight. He stands on a base of grass.

Gromit in his Anti-Pesto hat holds a capture net and stands on a grass base that fits together with Wallace's display base to make them a pair, as they should be. This set comes with three small rabbits for Gromit to capture.

Hutch holds Wallace's uniform cap in one hand and a plate of cheese in the other as he stands near some tools on Wallace's floor. He comes with a small cup of coffee.

The humorously named PC MacIntosh (playing on the names of the two major competing computer systems since the 1980s) is your typical English bobby with huge moustache, black uniform, truncheon, notepad and pencil.

The Cauliflower Collector Set:

Wallace with his regular clothing stands on a brick base with a box of cauliflower, as well as other produce, at his feet. His vest is not his normal green, tatty one. This is his best vest, for visiting the sophisticated Lady Tottington.

Lady Tottington, the socialite hostess of the county's giant vegetable competition, is excellently portrayed. This is a quirky character who resembles nothing less than a carrot herself, tall, thin, with red hair sticking out like a leafy growth. She comes on a base with a box of cauliflower and a watering can.

Victor Quartermaine, betrothed to Lady Tottington, appears here on a muddy base, covered in mud (after being dragged through a lengthy rabbit warren by Wallace's Bun-Vac 3000) with a rabbit sitting atop his head and his trusty dog by his side.

Gromit holds a measuring tape as he tends to his massive watermelon on a base that includes a tomato-vine-covered trellis and a watering can.

The three brick bases intertwine together, but they are not intended to snap in place, so you can arrange them next to each other in various ways to your liking.

The characters in the film are lovingly created and are a delight to behold. The same can be said of this miniature set of figures from the film.

This is the film Wallace & Gromit fans have been waiting for, and these figures will be a source of excitement for them as well. Note that McFarlane is also making 6-inch action figures from the film, some almost exactly like these miniatures. And the back of the box tantalizes us with the promise of the Were-Rabbit himself—COMING SOON! — Sean