Why is the short film "Wallace and Gromit" engaging?

 

Why is the short film "Wallace and Gromit" engaging?



The short film of Wallace and Gromit is engaging, mostly because of the action scene that takes place in the main character's house. It is a chase scene, where Gromit and Wallace are trying to get the penguin before he escapes with the diamond. It is a story told in a very exciting way as there is always something that interrupts the character's objective and makes it more complicated to achieve. Every time it looks like either the penguin is going to escape or that he is going to get caught, something gets in the way and the characters have to find a solution to accomplish their goal.

The chase is focused mainly on the train tracks, where the evil penguin is on the train with Gromit stepping on his heels and Wallace trying to catch him with a net. But this net gets stuck and Wallace is left behind. Gromit is about to catch the penguin, but he unhooks the train cars and goes in a separate way. As we think that Gromit is about to crash, he picks the spare tracks and makes a new one, catching up with the penguin again. This whole action scene is full of reversals, where it seems like a character is going to achieve their goal when something gets in their way and they have to solve it. It keeps the story clear and exciting. A new problem and a solution that then creates another problem and so on. 

This specific sequence or scene builds an interest for the audience as it is the climax of the short film. They use the proairetic or action code many times, one of them being when the penguin takes out a gun and shoots Gromit. Luckily, he is protected by the lamp that lays in his head. This moment leaves a suspension to what is going to happen next and it boosts the reason why the spectator is watching: to see the turn of events and how it is going to happen. 

In the end, this scene can be structured in three parts: the penguin trying to leave with the diamond, Wallace and Gromit going after him and the penguin getting caught. A simple story line for an action scene that is brought up to life with the constant reversals that leaves the audience wondering “what is he going to do now?” or “how is he going to fix it?”.









Comments

  1. Unknown20 January 2021 at 05:07

    Good analysis, Santina!

    Can you edit this, including more language of film theories (proairectic codes, binary oppositions, Todorov's narratives)?

    ReplyDelete

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