Wallace and Gromit fans have spotted the return of an iconic character in the latest trailer, and they are screaming with excitement.
After more than 30 years away, Feathers McGraw is back to cause more havoc inVengeance Most Fowl.
The evil penguin first appeared on screens in the 1993 Bafta and Oscar-winning short film The Wrong Trousers.
Despite being missing from our screens for quite some time, he is instantly recognisable to fans, due to his scene-stealing menacing behaviour.
And so when the silent but deadly McGraw popped up in the trailer for the upcoming movie, Vengeance Most Fowl, a joyous reaction quickly ensued.
‘I’m very pleased to see the man, the myth, the legend that is Feathers McGraw in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. His appearance is truly *the best* gift anyone could receive this Christmas,’ wrote Adele Ankers-Range.
‘Crying shaking throwing up at the Feathers McGraw reveal,’ wrote StrawBetty_. While Cerys thought that the character looked ‘even more terrifying than usual.’
After watching, Steven Blake came to the simple conclusion that McGraw is the ‘greatest TV/movie villain of all time.’ He added that it was not up for debate, not that anyone wanted to challenge his statement.
The 52-second trailer shows everyone’s plasticine man Wallace accused of being an ‘evil inventor’ by a reporter after a crime wave hit the region. His new ‘smart gnome’ invention is blamed for the issues.
‘Evil? I’m innocent,’ he protested. Images then show crime scene tape and various scenes of mischief including a boat coming out of the water with a scared-looking Gromit hanging on.
As Wallace, voiced by Ben Whitehead, asks who could be behind the incidents, the camera shows McGraw playing the piano with his beak, before taking a sip out of a ‘World’s Best Boss’ mug.
Nick Park, the Wallace And Gromit creator and director of the new 70-minute film, explained the plot further.
‘I’d had the idea of a film about garden gnomes turning bad for more than a decade, but I could never work out what made them bad,’ he said.
‘It occurred to me that the single most asked question I get when I meet fans is, will the penguin Feathers McGraw, Wallace and Gromit’s original antagonist from The Wrong Trousers 30 years ago, ever return?
‘We’ve had fun bringing him back in cameo capacities but now, three decades on, it felt like the right time.
‘Then it hit me: What if Feathers was involved with these gnomes? We’re hoping that this film will appeal to fans of Gnome Noir everywhere and that people will be gratified when they see what Feathers has been up to since The Wrong Trousers.’
This is the first new Wallace and Grammit content since 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death. Vengeance Most Fowl is only their second feature-length film after 2005’s Oscar winner, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Peter Kay will be returning to play Chief Inspector Mackintosh. The new voice cast members include Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Reece Shearsmith, Adjoa Andoh and Lenny Henry.
Nick has promised ‘more bite’ and jeopardy than what we’ve become accustomed to with the animation.
‘We needed something with a bit more bite, and someone with an actual clear, sinister motive.’
He continued: ‘Feathers McGraw was obviously the perfect candidate, having sat in jail for 30 years, languishing, thinking of nothing but revenge. It seemed like the perfect motivation for a villain.’
In the 90s film, McGraw was a wanted criminal who disguised himself as a chicken with a red rubber glove on his head.
He became roommates with the main characters and used Gromit’s techno trousers to help him steal a diamond. The dynamic dog and human duo helped to foil the penguin’s heist plans and the pair saw the infamous criminal imprisoned in a zoo for his crimes.
The film will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas season in the UK and on Netflix outside of the UK.
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