New Wallace & Gromit film debuts with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Aardman have another hit on their hands

Following the confirmation of the return of the fearsome Feathers McGraw and the release of the first trailer earlier this month, Vengeance Most Fowl was already shaping up to be one of the most-eagerly anticipated TV events of the year.

And if the first reviews for the 79-minute long film are anything to go by, it doesn't sound like it will disappoint.

The sixth installment in the much-loved Aardman franchise recently premiered at the American Film Institute festival in Los Angeles, giving critics a first look at the movie.

And it sounds like it's a hit.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Vengeance Most Fowl has a perfect score of 100 per cent from 19 reviews, with a number of critics giving it four and five star reviews.

In a four-star review, the Guardian's Catherine Shoard praised the return of the villainous Feathers McGraw, describing the character as "dead-eyed, impassive, brimful of an unfathomable evil."

Shoard said the penguin was the "most compelling character" but also praised Reece Shearsmith's voice performance as the Norbot the robot gnome.

The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a "zippy, gorgeously animated caper," whilst Empire said it was "delightful" and the "beating heart beneath the clay remains intact."

In another four-star review, Tim Robey of the Telegraph said Vengeance Most Fowl hits "all the franchise's gleeful highs" and that creators Aardman are on "irresistible form."

Meanwhile, Metro's Tori Brazier handed the film the full five stars, writing: "A wonderfully nostalgic film that’s truly worth the years of painstaking work stop-motion animation requires. Marrying the higher stakes and Feathers’ return with firmly sticking to the previous recipe for success makes it everything you hoped it would be."

The Radio Times also gave Vengeance Most Fowl 5/5, saying: With a script as sharp as cheddar and a voice cast to match, the movie's lean 79-minute runtime flies by faster than you'd like, but only because it's so good."

And Next Best Picture said it was "one of the best animated films of the year," adding that Vengeance Most Fowl is "another delightful entry in the series and a reminder of the charms that can only come from something handmade."

Wallace & Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl will be aired on BBC One on Christmas Day this year, before it is available to stream worldwide on Netflix from January 3.