Entertainment

11:27 AM CST on Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Wallace & Gromit:

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

A-

Starring the voices of Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter. Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. G. 84 mins. $19.95.

PESTO PERFECT: It isn't easy to come up with a plot quirky enough to match the delights of the Wallace & Gromit Academy Award-winning shorts. But co-directors Nick Park and Steve Box pulled it off with a G-rated horror story kicked off by Wallace's new Anti-Pesto invention, which saves vegetables without hurting the bunnies that are after them.

SAY CHEESE, PLEASE: Wallace has his faults (thank goodness), but his love for cheese always saves the day.

IN FIENNES FORM: It was a trifecta year for Ralph Fiennes, who pulled off the voice of pompous, gun-toting Victor Quartermaine, enemy of Wallace and rabbits everywhere. He was also the fearsome Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and a vulnerable diplomat in The Constant Gardener. Corpse Bride Helena Bonham Carter amps up the fun as veggie-loving Lady Tottington.

BEST EXTRA: Adult fans will be amazed by "How Wallace & Gromit Went to Hollywood," the tale of how these two cracking characters sprang from Nick Park's brain. For the kids, check out "How to Build a Bunny," which shows how to make one of these clay cuties at home. It's sobering to think that more than 500 of these labor-intensive creatures were made for the film.

BOTTOM LINE: What are you waiting for? G-rated gems that tickle all ages don't come around every day.

Nancy Churnin