Why is the short film "Wallace & Gromit" engaging?

     Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers

How is it engaging? 

The director of Wallace and Gromit successfully makes the film engaging to the audience by using several different filmmaking techniques. For instance, he uses the stages of Todorov's Narrative Theory which assists the audience in understanding the story and the plot of the film in an organized and structural manner. According to this theory, the film will start with an equilibrium which in this case is Wallace and Gromit peacefully living together and having breakfast in the morning. This is greatly highlighted through the soft chill music in the background of the scene.  Next is an action or character disrupting the equilibrium which is the penguin's arrival and him taking over Gromit's role in the home. This disruption is shown through the way the music changes upon his arrival and becomes eerie, immediately emphasising how the penguin is a threat; essentially acting as a warning to the audience.  Further, the quest to restore that equilibrium which is Wallace and Gromit attempting to catch the penguin after realizing he's a criminal. Moreover, the narrative continues to a climax, where the penguin begins shooting towards Wallace and Gromit who are unarmed. intense music begins playing, as well as film techniques such as fast jump cuts in the editing which suggests urgency and chaos, keeping the audience engaged. Finally, the last stage is the resolution, (where the equilibrium is restored) which includes Wallace and Gromit conclusively catch the penguin and return him to the zoo, they have got reward money, so now Wallace can pay off bills. This narrative makes it much easier for the audience to interpret the story, so as a result, they'll be engaged. 

Another way that the director engages the audience is through the use of proairetic codes. In Wallace and Gromit, proairetic codes are mostly used during the climax of the film, which is during the train chase scene. An example of a proairetic code is when the penguin pulls out his gun and points it towards Wallace and Gromit, from this, the audience begins to wonder what the resolution of this action will be. The audience waits and sees whether Wallace and Gromit will be shot or whether they avoid it. Suspense is thus created by the action rather than by a reader's or a viewer's wish to have mysteries explained. Furthermore, Nick Park also engages the audience through the use of set-ups and payoffs. An example of this is the wrong trousers. They were set at the beginning of the film and returned during the climax, which played off as it aided in catching the penguin in the end.

In addition, the use of Binary Oppositions was also present in Wallace and Gromit. Binary opposites help to thicken the plot and further the narrative and introduce contrast. For example, in the Wrong trousers, a prominent binary opposition is Good vs Evil. Good (Wallace and Gromit), evil (The penguin). Therefore, it immerses the audience further engaging them towards the narrative and the characters.