Whether it’s a rocket that blasts to a moon made or cheese, or a pair of robotic (wrong) trousers, Wallace simply can’t stop inventing things – often to his own detriment. And that looks set to be the case once again in Aardman’s next Wallace & Gromit outing. Incoming feature film Vengeance Most Fowl (their first new outing since 2008’s A Matter Of Loaf And Death, and the follow-up to 2005 feature film The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit) is due to hit the BBC and Netflix before the end of 2024 – and while we know it’ll feature the return of the only and only nefarious penguin Feathers McGraw, it also revolves around a fresh Wallace contraption: meet the ‘Smart Gnome’.
A freshly-unveiled clip from the new film sees Wallace introduce his latest gizmo to Gromit – cheery garden helper 'Norbot'. No prizes for guessing that the smart gnome will likely end up spiralling out of Wallace’s control. The character is voiced by none other than Reece Shearsmith, joining the already-announced likes of Peter Kay, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Lenny Henry, Lauren Patel and Muzz Khan.
“We are delighted to introduce Norbot, a ‘Nifty Odd-jobbing Robot’ gnome, designed to help Gromit with his gardening chores,” explain Vengeance Most Fowl directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. “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…”
We’ll find out exactly how Norbot goes wrong when Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl arrives in its full 79-minute form – on BBC and iPlayer in the UK, and on Netflix elsewhere around the globe.