A Close Shave

Nick Park, UK 1994, 30 minutes

Paired with Apocalypse Now because of their shared theme of a long, mysterious unravelling of a dark, disturbing riddle (and because they both contain spectacular aerial attack scenes), Nick Park's most recent claymation bonanza is truly an inspired work.

Window cleaners Wallace and Gromit's domestic idyll is turned upside-down upon the arrival of Sean, a lone sheep. As usual, Wallace accepts him with open arms while the sly, incisive Gromit is wary, suspecting something is afoot. It is only after their initial contact with the town Wool Shop (where Wallace is busy wooing the glamorous Wendolene) that the pieces begin to fall into place. The wool shortage...the sheep rustling...the dark and sinister canine presence lurking behind the respectable veneer of the wool shop, it all makes sense, but can the boys put a stop to the evil operation before it's too late? Boasting the most outlandish gadgets yet and nominated for the Oscar for Most Animated Sheep Ever to be Stacked on Top of One Another on the Back of a Speeding Motorbike, this is a rare big-screen treat.

Review by Ben Stephens
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97