Top 10 Wallace & Gromit Moments

We get off the ground with Wallace & Gromit’s first adventure, “A Grand Day Out”. With Wallace in desperate need of some cheese to complement his crackers, he hatches a plan to holiday to the moon – but how to get there? With some careful planning and after drawing up some detailed blueprints, the determined inventor builds a bona-fide spaceship – with Gromit’s help, of course. And in a lovely shade of orange, too.

It’s always an eagerly awaited event whenever Wallace & Gromit grace our screens, but every so often the odd couple surprise us with an unexpected short. Their VisitEngland campaign was choc-a-bloc with charm, and those Npower ads sure brightened up the breaks. But our favourite standalone scene has to be the “Jubilee Bunt-a-thon”, released for the royal celebrations in 2012. The National Trust clip sees Gromit do all the grafting while Wallace takes it easy – no change there, then.

Released in 2002, the “Cracking Contraptions” series saw Wallace in his inventing element – with some seriously out-there ideas. The one-to-three minute clips centre on Wallace’s attempts to improve everyday tasks, while Gromit watches with increasing apprehension. We might’ve chosen any of these marvellous machines, but given that the shorts are usually shown around Christmas, “The Christmas Cardomatic” earns a spot in today’s countdown. If only to see Gromit rocking a robin outfit.

To a pivotal scene in the duo’s third short film, as a fresh-out-of-jail Gromit reunites with Wallace to bring the ruthless Preston to justice. Only this race through sprawling, rural countryside might’ve ended very differently had Gromit’s sidecar not also doubled up as an airplane. And while he soars through the skies armed only with porridge mix, Wallace arranges the sheep into a teetering formation. It’s nail-biting stuff, with every lamb trying to escape their dog food fate.

A moment taken from Wallace & Gromit’s first foray into feature-length cinema, here’s where the Were-Rabbit riddle begins to unravel – and it’s all eyes on Wallace. With the full moon rising, the inventor transforms into the film’s fluffy antagonist, just when Lord Victor looks to have him cornered. It’s not quite the stuff of nightmares, but the scene does carry a certain kind of creepiness. And the film found favour with the critics, bagging an Oscar, a BAFTA and 10 Annie Awards.

Mystery, intrigue, love, death and doughy goodness – this intro has it all. “A Matter of Loaf and Death” debuted on Christmas Day 2008, and we’re thrown right into the action when a baker’s attacked by an unknown assailant. Next, Gromit steals the show with his longwinded efforts to wake Wallace up – that man can sleep through anything. And finally, Wallace falls head-over-heels via a runaway bicycle. Has there ever been a finer first five minutes to any TV show, ever? We think not.

Aside from the titular twosome, Shaun the Sheep is easily the most well-known “Wallace & Gromit” character, scoring his own feature-length film in 2015. But here’s where it all began for the woolly renegade, who makes a break from Preston’s truck in search of somewhere safer. The little guy causes quite a commotion when he nibbles though a power cord, which disrupts Wallace’s otherwise well-coordinated breakfast. Pinned to the wall by porridge – it could only happen to these two.

As we’ve already seen, Wallace and Gromit’s first adventure has them embark into outer space – and here’s what happens when they make it to the moon. First things first, a picnic with some cheese, but not as they’ve ever tasted before. Then there’s time for a spot of exploring, and a first encounter with The Cooker – a coin-operated oven which holds high standards for tidiness, as well as an unusual desire to go skiing. It’s an out of this world moment, even if Gromit seems unimpressed.

This film raised the bar for stop-motion animation when it was released in the early ‘90s, with standout scenes including Wallace’s jam-on-toast breakfast routine and Gromit’s heart-breaking decision to leave home. But Feathers McGraw plays villain of the piece, and he takes control for this sequence. A sleeping Wallace is locked into the Techno Trousers, and Feathers rocks his full-chicken disguise. Now to steer his victim into stealing the diamond; it’s enough to make even a super-criminal penguin sweat.

Of course, Feathers comes a cropper in the end – and in some style. “The Wrong Trousers” winds up with an intense final chase aboard a toy train set with limited track to play with. Luckily, Gromit’s on hand with super-speedy spare track skills, and he’s determined to catch the crook. The gun-toting, rubber-gloved gangster sure looks the part, but at the fast-paced finale he bottles it. Talk about a big finish.