Wallace & Gromit grapple with 'smart gnome' in latest movie caper

Artificial intelligence takes a new twist in Nick Park's latest Wallace & Gromit film, which features a "smart gnome" who goes rogue and offers what the Oscar-winning filmmaker said is a lighthearted look at the human use of technology.

"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl," the second feature film about Wallace, an ever-optimistic inventor, and his loyal dog, Gromit, will be released this week in some cinemas.

"We put our trust in tech the whole time. It seems we're addicted ... do we trust those who we think are behind all the tech?" said Park, adding that the film offers a "non-serious" look at the love affair with technology.

Park said Gromit represents the human element.

"He loves gardening. So it does ask questions about why we need something to take away the joy of things we do," he added.

Although the duo's life starts off peacefully in their hometown, a northern English town, things soon go wrong.

"The straw that breaks the camel's back for Gromit is when Wallace invents ... Norbert, his smart gnome," said Merlin Crossingham, who co-directed the film with Park, whose loveable duo debuted in 1989 in his hit student short "A Grand Day Out."

"I have to pinch myself constantly just over the years. How it's just grown to this point," Park said of the franchise, which has gained recognition in the United States and become synonymous with Christmas Day in Britain.

Park mixes modern themes with a simpler-looking time, inspired, he said, by movies made at the Ealing studios in post-war Britain, when life "seemed a bit cozy."

Along with titles such as Moana 2 and The Wild Robot, the latest Wallace & Gromit film is up for best animation at January's Golden Globes, the first big award show.

"I think for any artist to be recognized in these ways ... It's an accolade in itself," Park said.

In addition to a limited cinema run from December 18, "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" will be shown on the BBC on Christmas Day in Britain and available on Netflix on January 3.