Grok My Enthusiasm (26)

By: Chris Spurgeon
July 6, 2016

One in a weekly series of enthusiastic posts contributed by HILOBROW friends and regulars.

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wallace

There is nothing in this world better, or rarer, than innocent joy. From the time we leave toddlerhood it seems to become harder and harder to find moments of pure, simple, giggly delight. But do not despair, for I know of a source: the animated films and shorts featuring Wallace and Gromit.

For those unfamiliar, Wallace and Gromit are a couple of claymation characters created by English animator Nick Park. Wallace is a pensioner living somewhere in the north of England, Gromit is his silent and eternally loyal dog. The pair spend their days making wondrous and improbable inventions… brilliantly eccentric Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions that do everything from making breakfast to flying to the moon. These inventions lead Wallace and Gromit into tales of adventure, suspense, and slapstick.

The legacy of the great silent film comedies (the most innocently exuberant of all film genres) can be seen everywhere in the films. Not since Laurel and Hardy has there been a screen couple so perfectly paired as Wallace and Gromit. Not since Charlie Chaplin has a character silently expressed as much pathos and range of emotion as Gromit, the eternally put-upon dog. And the insane over-the-top chase scenes that are a hallmark of the films match anything Buster Keaton ever created.

But beyond that, there is just something so innocent and untouched and kind-hearted about Wallace and Gromit. In a world where so many childlike joys have vanished or been co-opted (did the world really need the simple grilled cheese sandwich turned into a 15-dollar-mutant with truffle oil and capers?) it’s great to know there’s still a world where, if just for a little while, you can laugh like a little kid.

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GROK MY ENTHUSIASM: Rob Wringham on THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF LUNCH | Gordon Dahlquist on WEEKEND | Joe Alterio on MILLION YEAR PICNIC | Adrienne Crew on LA BARONNE EMILE D’ERLANGER | Josh Glenn on THE SURVIVAL SAMPLER | Alix Lambert on THE SKIES BELONG TO US | Adam McGovern on PENELOPE and CHAVEZ RAVINE | Rob Wringham on THE LYKE WAKE WALK | Mark Kingwell on NORTH STAR SNEAKERS & GWG JEANS | Gordon Dahlquist on FELLINI SATYRICON | Erik Davis on AH! | Devin McKinney on WHISPERING AFRAID | Mimi Lipson on 1973 SEARS ROEBUCK CATALOG | Jessamyn West on MOSS | Josh Glenn on THE SCOUT HOW BOOK | Brian Berger on SLACKER | Alix Lambert on ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS | Chelsey Johnson on MONOTREMES | Devin McKinney on THE BUTCHER COVER | Flourish Klink on ONE DIRECTION | Gordon Dahlquist on FULL METAL JACKET | Allegra Huston on CLOTHESLINE | Jenny Davidson on POWERLIFTING | Evan Narcisse on REZ | Deborah Wassertzug on VEGETARIAN MEATBALLS | Chris Spurgeon on WALLACE AND GROMIT | Mandy Keifetz on BENEFICIAL MICROBES | Annie Nocenti on MARKS ON WALLS | Molly Sauter on THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF | William Nericcio on LAND OF THE LOST | Dan Fox on “VOICE OF GOD” RADIO DJS | Brandi Brown on WIKIPEDIA TALK | Claire Lehmann on THE APPARATUS REVEAL | Alice Boone on COSTUME JEWELRY | Colin Dickey on WIDESPREAD PANIC | Anshuman Iddamsetty on THE FULL BODY PROJECT | John Hilgart on MAKING GRATEFUL DEAD ALBUMS | Rob Wringham on STEVEN UNIVERSE | John Overholt on DECKLE EDGES | James Hannaham on HABIT PATTERNS | Jessamyn West on THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM | Adam McGovern on THE SPACE GIANTS | Brian Berger on MEDIUM COOL | Chris Spurgeon on THE DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT | Joe Alterio on TABLETOP WARGAMING | Mimi Lipson on TRASH PICKING | Jason Grote on CZECH CINEMA | Roxane Gay on AUTOMATED CAR WASH | Dan Fox on JULIA DAVIS | Amy Thielen on BINGO | Steph Burt on FEIJOA.

MORE ENTHUSIASM at HILOBROW

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Enthusiasms