Summary
- Feathers McGraw is back in
Wallace & Gromit
, offering a chance to establish his franchise role definitively after over 30 years. - The upcoming film could provide a canonical timeline for the villain’s brief but impactful appearances in the Aardman universe.
- Set to be the second-longest film in the series,
Vengeance Most Fowl
may bridge the gap between past installments and shed light on Feathers’ mysterious past.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl has the chance to clear up the canon relating to an iconic franchise antagonist after more than three decades of speculation. With the teaser trailer for Vengeance Most Foul confirming the return of Feathers McGraw, the claymation project is set to be a rare sequel not just for Wallace & Gromit, but for Aardman generally. So, the studio is in a rare position to elaborate on a specific character who is neither of the series’ main heroes.
Despite his lone starring role coming 31 years ago, Feathers McGraw is still regarded as one of the best Aardman villains of all time. He remains a standout character among those introduced in every Aardman Animations project before and since his debut, so it’s unsurprising he’s making a comeback, even if it’s taken over three decades to happen. However, Feathers’ second proper appearance will be important for reasons beyond nostalgia.
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Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul Can Finally Establish An Official Timeline For Feathers McGraw’s Franchise Role
Feathers’ cameos go beyond other Wallace & Gromit projects
The villainous penguin first appeared in 1993’s Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, making him the first proper antagonist in the film series. Since his debut, Feather McGraw has had brief cameos in other Wallace & Gromit movies, but they’ve been so fleeting that they’re easy to miss. He even had a very small role in Aardman’s 2023 Chicken Run sequel, Dawn of the Nugget. What’s missing from this string of cameos is any real explanation as to what Feathers has been up to all this time, and Vengeance Most Fowl can finally provide him with a canonical timeline.
The
Wallace & Gromit
universe is somewhat nebulous in its timeline, although the bulk of events seem to be unfolding in what appears to be roughly pre-1980s England.
The Wallace & Gromit universe is somewhat nebulous in its timeline, although the bulk of events seem to be unfolding in what appears to be roughly pre-1980s England. Every installment is largely self-contained, although certain nods to past films do connect them all together. So, if Vengeance Most Foul is set at the latest point yet in the Wallace & Gromit timeline, then it could include some form of montage that shows Feathers during all of his previous cameos, and how and why he came to be there. After so long without answers, it would be a welcome addition.
Vengeance Most Fowl
is rumored to be around 70 minutes long, making it the second-longest
Wallace & Gromit
film after 2005’s
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
.
Netflix’s new movie might take place between The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave
Vengeance Most Fowl won’t hit Netflix until 2025, despite a December 2024 release in the UK. However, when it’s released, it will become clear whether the sequel to The Wrong Trousers will take place immediately after the 1993 movie or whether it will be the most recent installment, chronologically speaking. That is, if it isn’t confirmed in additional promotional material before then. Interestingly, one shot from 1995’s Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, when paired with the new trailer, suggests the upcoming film could be an immediate follow-on from The Wrong Trousers.
Related
Wallace & Gromit’s Feathers McGraw Comeback Makes Me So Happy (But Something’s Still Missing)
While Feathers McGraw coming back to Wallace & Gromit is more than enough to get me excited for the upcoming movie, there’s still a big missing piece.
During Gromit’s unjust incarceration in The Wrong Trousers, the words “Feathers was [here]” can be seen etched into the wall of the mute dog’s cell. So, the implication here is that Feathers McGraw has since been released, which could be what’s being shown in the recent teaser for Vengeance Most Foul. If so, then the new installment could be a perfect jumping-on point for new fans, with just a half-hour short to catch up on ahead of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl‘s release date.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
- Director
- Merlin Crossingham , Nick Park
- Writers
- Mark Burton , Nick Park
- Cast
- Adjoa Andoh , Reece Shearsmith , Diane Morgan , Lenny Henry , Peter Kay , Ben Whitehead , Lauren Patel
