Wallace and Gromit are back.
The inventor and his silent dog sidekick are returning this winter in Aardman’s “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” which will stream on Netflix. And ahead of the movie’s debut, filmmakers Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham are showing off Norbot, the tiny robot sidekick that could be more foe than friend. Watch the new clip below.
Netflix ominously describes Norbot as “a pre-programmed smart gnome designed to do any kind of gardening task or “gnome improvement”. A quick learner, efficient, incredibly polite and cheerful – Norbot quickly becomes popular with the locals to help with their gardening needs. Until …”
Reece Shearsmith voices Norbot, joining Ben Whitehead as Wallace. Whitehead had previously worked alongside Peter Sallis (the original voice of Wallace) on several Wallace & Gromit brand projects. Sallis passed away in 2017 at the age of 96.
Park and Crossingham said in an official statement: “We are delighted to introduce Norbot, a ‘Nifty Odd-jobbing Robot’ gnome, designed to help Gromit with his gardening chores. Norbot is Wallace’s most proud achievement to date and, according to Wallace, his ‘best invention ever!’ Garden gnomes have long been a part of Wallace and Gromit’s world, but this is no cute patio ornament. Norbot is the ultimate gnome – a ‘smart-gnome’. We’re so excited to see Wallace unleashing his latest invention Norbot into the world. However, his long-suffering pooch Gromit, may be a little less sure…”
The inventor and his dog sidekick have faced off against robotic foes before; in 1995’s “A Close Shave,” there was a killer dog robot named Preston, who acted very much like the Terminator. Of course, in “Vengeance Most Fowl,” Wallace and Gromit are up against another villain from their past – Feathers McGraw, the larcenous penguin from the Oscar-winning “The Wrong Trousers.”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” which features a new score by Lorne Balfe, arrives on Netflix this winter.
