The Wrong Trousers

Infobox Film
name = The Wrong Trousers


caption = Wallace in the Techno-Trousers, controlled by Feathers McGraw.
director = Nick Park
producer = Peter Lord
David Sproxton | writer = Nick Park
Bob Baker
starring = Peter Sallis
music = Julian Nott
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = BBC
Aardman Animations
released = December 31 1993
runtime = 30 min.
country = United Kingdom
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = "A Grand Day Out" (1989)
followed_by = "A Close Shave" (1995)
imdb_id = 0108598

"The Wrong Trousers" is a 1993 animated film directed by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol, featuring his characters Wallace and Gromit. It was his second half-hour short featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but intelligent dog Gromit, following 1989's "A Grand Day Out" and preceding 1995's "A Close Shave".

As in "A Grand Day Out", the 30 minute film uses sight gags and exaggerated physical comedy, as well as a few subtle film parodies. Voice acting is the sole duty of Peter Sallis as the voice of Wallace, as both Gromit and Feathers McGraw remain silent throughout.

The film premiered in the UK on 31 December 1993 and won the 1993 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.

Summary

The film begins at 62 West Wallaby Street on Gromit's birthday. After falling downstairs from his bed via a trapdoor in the ceiling (which also dresses him at the same time), Wallace is greeted with a large pile of bills. Meanwhile, Gromit subtly attempts to remind Wallace that it is his birthday. After surveying their depleted funds, Wallace lets slip that he has not forgotten Gromit's birthday after all and presents Gromit with a somewhat unwelcome gift of a dog collar, and a second present of a pair of ex-NASA robotic "Techno Trousers", designed to alleviate the burden of taking him for walks.

While Gromit is out on a "walk", Wallace decides that the only solution to their financial problems is to let the spare bedroom out. Thus, a lodger, a malevolent-looking penguin, comes to stay in the house, pushing Gromit out of his comfortable bedroom and winning Wallace's favour. Upset that the penguin has intruded on his relationship with his master, Gromit leaves home in the rain. Viewing his departure, the penguin goes to work on altering the Techno Trousers for his own means.

After sleeping rough, Gromit hunts for suitable lodgings, noticing a police poster depicting the penguin with a rubber glove on his head and the caption "Have you seen this chicken?". Meanwhile, Wallace's normal morning routine is interrupted by the replacement of his expected trousers with the modified Techno Trousers. Trapped inside the robotic garments, Wallace is sent on an extended test, driven by remote control, although he is unaware of the penguin's involvement. Gromit, seeing this spectacle, and having observed the penguin suspiciously measuring-up the exterior of the town museum, decides to sneak back into his old bedroom, uncovering the penguin's plans to steal a giant diamond from the museum using the trousers and Wallace as tools.

However, Gromit is too late to foil the plan and is forced to hide inside Wallace's bed, where he observes the penguin in his "chicken" disguise (a large red rubber glove on his head). Wallace, in a deep sleep after the day's misadventures, is unwittingly brought into the robbery by the penguin, and by nightfall breaks into the museum using the suction feet on the trousers to scale the wall and hang from the ceiling, avoiding the laser alarm system. Having successfully hooked the diamond, a loose ceiling tile puts the trousers off balance, causing the hook to set off the alarm. This wakes Wallace, who has no idea where he is. After escaping back to West Wallaby Street, the penguin reveals his identity to Wallace and locks him in a wardrobe.

Making for the door with the diamond, the penguin is confronted by Gromit with a rolling pin. The penguin then pulls out a pistol and forces Gromit into the wardrobe with Wallace, locking them inside. Being an expert with electronics, Gromit is able to override the Trousers' circuits and break open the doors. There then follows a fast chase aboard a train set, as Gromit attempts to stop the penguin escaping with the diamond, aided unsuccessfully by Wallace.

After the penguin's train is abruptly stopped by the trousers, he is caught and handed in to the police station. In his final scene, he has returned home to the zoo and is clinging furiously to the prison-like window bars. For catching Feathers McGraw, the pair are given a substantial reward, which pays off their debts.

Meanwhile, the trousers, unceremoniously consigned to the dustbin, walk off by themselves into the sunset.

Alternate versions of music

In the original BBC version of the film Gromit's birthday card plays 'Happy Birthday to You' which is associated with birthdays in Britain and North America. When the film was released on BBC DVD in 2000 this was replaced with 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' for copyright reasons. Also removed for the DVD (again for reasons of copyright) are certain specific tunes from the penguin's radio replaced with generic Hammond organ music. Amongst the pieces removed are (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window? - along with Wallace's singing of it the subsequent morning - and Happy Talk from the film "South Pacific"; Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree was left intact. In the latest DVD release the original soundtrack can be heard in the background of the commentary track. Also in the latest Region 1 DVD release the entire short is low pitched instead of being normal pitched, unlike previous releases.

Band

The San Diego based band of the same name (The Wrong Trousers) was named after this film.

Reception

In a recent poll, The Wrong Trousers was voted as the 18th best British Film, it also got an outstanding score on Rotten Tomatoes with 22 reviews, all of them positive and an average score of 9.2/10.

References

External links

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