We are now ready to take a deep dive into the secrets and hidden details in The Curse of the Were Rabbit. It was the first time Wallace and Gromit appeared on the big screen, and the film certainly didn’t disappoint. So without further ado let’s see what we can spot.
The first thing we can see is right there in the opening credits. You might recognise the three flying rockets that we also saw in Wrong Trousers, which obviously are of the rocket that took the dynamic duo to the moon in A Grand Day Out
The next hidden detail is the name of this green grocers whose name alludes to the 1950 film Harvey which stars an invisible giant rabbit.
In the Anti-Pesto van we can see an A-Z of Wigan showing us where the film is supposed to be based.
Just like in a Close Shave we see another cameo from the tortoise from Creature Comforts. This time he is represented as a stone statue protecting the garden for Anti-Pesto.
I’m not 100% sure, but I feel like this newspaper article is referencing the British girl’s comic Bunty that ran from 1958 – 2001.
This is one I’m definite about. The barber’s shop seen in the street is named a Close Shave in reference to Wallace and Gromit’s earlier outing.
The next detail in an audible one. When Gromit is in the van alone he puts the radio on and hears the song Bright Eyes. This song was also featured in the very rabbit-centric film, Watership Down.
Could this be Del and Rodney’s famous van from Only Fools and Horses nestled into a background scene?
In all 3 of the last posts I’ve pointed out the sheep pictures dotted around the films. We can see another two in this film too. This could be seen as a nod to A Close Shave or also to the Shaun the Sheep TV show.
It’s not just sheep pictures we can see. Directors Nick park and Steve Box also snuck images of themselves as priests into the film in the Reverend’s vicarage.
This is one of my favourite hidden details in the film. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was distributed by Dreamworks, which was owned by Jeffrey Katzenberg. I think some of the Aardman staff have said that they felt he was very heavy handed in criticism and pointers for the film and didn’t really let them get on with it. So this cheeky Cats ‘N’ Burgers is a subtle nod to the man who helped with the film, paid for some of it, but also annoyed them too.
Matt Groening, creator the Simpsons, is a friend of Nick Park and has visited the Aardman studios. So perhaps this book entitled Springfield is a nod to the fictional setting of the animated sitcom.
Our final hidden detail reveals the 3rd film appearance of the villainous penguin, Feathers McGraw. We can just about see him hiding in an urn on top of Tottington Hall.
So there we go, that’s Wallace and Gromit’s theatrical debut all sown up. There were some great little added details. I love the fact that film makers were able to hide things in the movie. Were there any details we missed? If so, let us know. In the meantime why not take a look at our range of Wallace and Gromit t-shirts.