It feels a little silly to explain a metaphor when it comes to a 79-minute Wallace & Gromit film, but Revenge on the most fowl laid one out like cheese in a mousetrap. The triumphant return of two icons of the North – the cheddar-obsessed, genius inventor Wallace (Ben Whitehead, who succeeded Peter Sallis after his death in 2017) and his mute, repressed canine companion Gromit – pits the pair against their most current enemies: an AI gnome or Norbot (voiced by Reece Shearsmith) invented by Wallace to further automate his life.

The lesson here is that while technology has its place and benefits, there are “some things a machine just can’t do.” That might as well be the motto of Aardman Animations, makers of Wallace and Gromit, who have stuck to stop-motion in an industry obsessed with the latest gadgets and gizmos.

Of course, Wallace should already know how easily machines can turn against him – after all, this is a direct sequel to the 1993 short film The wrong pantswhich was about a renegade pair of steampunk pantaloons (although it is the second feature film for the pair since 2005). The Curse of the Wererabbit). Yet he’s so hopelessly addicted to finding shortcuts to life’s basic tasks that he invented the “Pat-o-matic” to save him the trouble of petting his own dog. Unfortunately, this deadly determination to take every shortcut possible makes Wallace a prime target for the AI.

When the Norbot turns evil and is manipulated by a returning Feathers McGraw, a villain of quiet malevolence on par with Hannibal Lecter, Wallace becomes suspect number one. He not only has to bring Norbot back under his control, but also convince Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh (Peter Kay) and the zealous police recruit PC Mukherjee (Lauren Patel) of his innocence. Gromit, as always, shrugs his shoulders at the audience and then reluctantly saves the day.

Revenge on the most fowl sees Aardman return to its tried and tested formula. Yet it is also the source of the studio’s enduring brilliance – somehow the familiar always feels new and the craft never tires. If their new feature preaches that we can embrace technology without becoming dependent on it, then Aardman is definitely putting its money where its mouth is.

Certain scenes here have clearly benefited from a little computer wizardry to broaden the world’s horizons, be it a splash of water during a hilariously unexciting canal boat chase or a climactic explosion that turns Gromit into… Mission: ImpossibleIt’s Ethan Hunt, but the beauty of it all is in the balance.

Revenge on the most fowl is proof that the traditional can still thrive – not just in the look of a film, but also in the barrage of puns (one magazine calls it “Gardens of the Galaxy”) and corny dad jokes. There are some recent updates, including an absolutely perfect gag about online captcha verification tests. But I’m not sure any other studio could get away with cutting one so cleanly Shawshank Redemption Prison gag in 2024. That’s how you know Aardman deserves a privileged place in British culture.

Director: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham. Cast: Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith, 79 min.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will air on the BBC in the UK on Christmas Day and will be released internationally on Netflix on January 3rd