Part of the enduring appeal of Wallace & Gromit is its British charm. The quaint mannerisms of the hapless inventor and his canine pal–from their love of a cup of tea to their knowing colloquialisms–reflect an admiral sense of national pride, both at home and abroad. But while that British-ness is part of the appeal, it doesn’t defend Aardman from being able to get in jokes that might be a little too close to home.
Now that the latest entry in the series, Vengeance Most Fowl, is making its way around the world in January thanks to Netflix, some of the creatives behind the film revealed at recent press conference for the film that they did have to make some acquiescence to notes from the streamer on a joke that wasn’t going to play well outside of the UK.
“There’s some actually that we’ve had to sort of take out, because just in terms of the Britishness of the film and the sort of cultural references, there’s certain things that don’t travel,” Vengeance Most Fowl executive producer Carla Shelley said. “I remember we had a sort of gag about a bog chain at one point… for anybody that doesn’t out there, that’s like a toilet flush. We were talking to Netflix and [the note back] was like ‘what’s a bog chain!?’ There are certain sorts of references that we might pull back on now.
That didn’t stop Aardman from sneaking in at least one private joke that will have British audiences of a certain age tittering. At one point in the film, returning villain Feathers McGraw acquires an adorable baby seal to sit on his lap and stroke, in the style of James Bond‘s Blofeld.
“I think that was one of the first images that Nick [Park, Wallace & Gromit‘s creator] drew actually, in the early pitch days,” Shelley said. “There was just Feathers with the seal on his lap. And that was it for us, it was just like, ‘yes, immediate green light. I think. So it was lovely to see him get such a big laugh [at the premiere]. I think he’s going to have to have his own show after this.”
“He’s definitely going to get his own series. We call him Ron by the way,” Park playfully added. Ron the Seal: a pointed nod the British DIY company Ronseal, known for its slogan “Does exactly what it says on the tin,” popular enough to have become a common phrase in the UK. So while it’s not directly uttered in the movie, now at least you’re just as in on the joke as the Brits are.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl hits Netflix internationally January 3, 2025. It will release in the UK and Ireland on Christmas Day, December 25, through the BBC.
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