Animated Scene Analysis – Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers Pt. 2

The Wrong Trousers is the second film in the Wallace and Gromit series, and this is where the trademark and formula associated with these shorts are firmly established. The first film A Grand Day Out introduced the characters: Wallace is an inventor with a particular obsession for cheese, and Gromit is his silent dog that is always dragged into his hair-brained schemes no matter how unwillingly. However, it is an unusual short in that the animation and character design are comparatively rudimentary and the story is extremely surreal, which is saying a lot considering how bizarre the world of Wallace and Gromit is.

By the time The Wrong Trousers was released, the animation was refined, both characters had their classic look, their relationship was far better defined, the visual style was very cinematic, and a template was set for all their future outings. Each film would start with Wallace getting up for a new day accompanied by Gromit and a bunch of intricate gadgets. Then the audience would be shown that Wallace has a new set of inventions for a particular purpose, which would either malfunction or a villain would take advantage of it. The inventor would very foolishly get into trouble, either by the villain and/or by his own cluelessness, and Gromit would have to use his smarts to save the day in a plot that spoofs classic horror and thriller films. To this effect, the lighting, the camera work, and the storytelling go as far as to imitate the styles of the films that are being parodied. The title card above alone is reminiscent of those of the Universal monster movies. But I digress, moving on…

This is literally the first shot of the film, with no explanation of the world Wallace and Gromit inhabit.

Pouring tea, how British…

This medium shot of Gromit pouring tea and making toast communicates several things. First, this is the world where dogs and presumably other animals can behave as humans, and it is all presented with complete straightforwardness. We are to accept this absurdity, no questions asked. Second, this shot further establishes Gromit’s character following A Grand Day Out. He is an intelligent dog and a dutiful early bird (the toast is for Wallace) who takes time to enjoy the simple things of life.

I love the little hand motion he makes before he jumps off the table.

Because Gromit is a silent character, everything must be conveyed visually. So when it comes something like his birthday, how should the filmmakers handle that? This close-up of the marked calendar, followed by the next shot of Gromit staring intently at it, communicates that information with great simplicity.

His eyes move upward, indicating something upstairs, then…

…Cut to the shot of Wallace in his bedroom. The service device next to Wallace subtly reminds us that this world is different from ours.

Going back to Gromit, he is a very unusual character in that despite being a dog, he almost never makes a noise, not even so much as a bark or a yelp (although he does make some occasionally). In fact, we don’t even know where his mouth is or if he has one. Yet, Gromit is every bit as compelling as any talking cartoon character because of how visually expressive he is with his body language. Just look at his eyebrows! This is the kind of performance that takes advantage of the plasticine's malleability and can only be done with stop motion.

Also, we see that Gromit’s head turns and reactions show where he is in relation to the rest of the house. For instance, the earlier shot of him looking upwards and then a cut of sleeping Wallace show that Wallace’s bedroom is upstairs and that Gromit's schedule revolves around his master's. Then look at this shot where Gromit turns his head and raises his left ear responding to the noise of a bell.

Gromit’s reaction creates a lead room* between him and the right end of the frame.

The off-screen door is toward the direction where Gromit turned his head earlier, and that is where he will go, creating a progression of events and shots. The next shot will be…

…a close-up of the mail that dropped in through the door. We also get a glimpse of Wallace and Gromit’s home address (but not Wallace’s last name!), a continuity nod from the end of A Grand Day Out.

So why this medium shot of Gromit’s looking through the mail with his back turned to us? Oh wait…

Gromit finds a birthday card! He pauses to look at it over all the mail. Clearly, we know his priorities.

Part of me wonders why is Gromit looking around? What does he feel the need to look around for?

But in any case, this seemingly random shot of Gromit walking by a model train in the middle of the house further indicates the eccentricity of this place that this canine is perfectly used to. If you’ve watched the film, of course, the train becomes an important plot point several times so this is a great way to introduce it.

Ah, so that’s where his mouth must be…

Since this is a long continuous shot identical to the very first shot, I really don’t have much to say for a while. But this is an amusing gag that is especially effective by Gromit’s beautifully animated reaction.

Eager anticipation…

But what’s this?

Please don’t tell me it’s that stupid musical greeting…

Oh wait, it is…

Oh well, I’ll just sit this one out.

Since there is no audio here, I’ll just explain for those who have not watched this film. Gromit is reading his birthday card, which happens to be a musical greeting card. Judging by the cover and the music, the inside content must be equally sickeningly sweet. This joke gets a gentle laugh while revealing more insight into Gromit’s no-nonsense but longsuffering character.

Funny thing is that when I first watched The Wrong Trousers back in elementary school, the tune was a loud shrill “Happy Birthday to You”. In the versions that I’ve watched recently, the tune is “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. The latter song may be more British (or so I’ve heard), but I personally prefer the former version because the song is so much more painfully obnoxious that it compliments the card’s saccharine quality that would make Gromit roll his eyes.

One major aspect of Wallace and Gromit’s humor I enjoy is the fact that the films do not always pause for a joke. Instead, the jokes unfold as the story progresses, almost as if the filmmakers are inviting the audience to suspend their disbelief and accept the absurdity at face value. Then when the big laugh-out-loud moment happens, it becomes that much funnier because we were not expecting it – or we were so intrigued by the story that we were not noticing the build-up to the gag. In the later films (The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Matter of Loaf and Death), however, the subtle jokes are largely set aside in favor of the much more obvious and self-aware ones (Remember the bullet exchange?). That is not to say that is a bad thing, but it does lose the distinct feel of Wallace and Gromit’s earlier outings.

But wait, an interruption!

Gromit’s reaction to the beep off-screen in front of him toward his left once again creates a lead room between him and the right end of the frame that helps transition to the next shot.

Another close-up; the beep is coming from this set of bulbs. Unfortunately, I could not get the frame where the Breakfast bulb is shining.

Cut to Wallace now awake pressing the red button. There are no beeps within the bedroom, but placing this shot immediately after that of the bulbs shows that the noises were coming from him. A very basic editing technique.

And that was the opening scene of The Wrong Trousers. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you wish, I could analyze the rest of the scene.

* Lead room: In photography and film, a lead room is an open space toward the direction that the subject is moving or facing. In case of Gromit, whenever he is looking at something off-screen, there is a space between him and the end of the frame toward his direction.