The Wrong Trousers



"It's the wrong trousers, Gromit! And they've gone wrong!""

- Wallace

The Wrong Trousers is the second Wallace and Gromit short film, made by Nick Park and Aardman Animations and released in 1993.

The story begins on Gromit's birthday, and Wallace has a special present for him; "Techno-Trousers," robotic pants with the ability to walk by themselves. At the same time, Wallace decides to rent out a room in the house to deal with his growing debt. Their lodger is Feathers McGraw, a shady penguin who immediately takes a liking to the trousers and a disliking to Gromit. As Feathers becomes favored by Wallace, Gromit starts to feel like he's being replaced and makes plans to leave. But the morning after his departure, Wallace gets stuck in the Techno-Trousers, the controls of which have mysteriously disappeared, along with Feathers...

The short has received critical acclaim and won the 1993 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It established many of the story and character elements now commonly associated with the series, mainly Wallace's Rube Goldberg-esque inventions and Gromit's role as the Silent Snarker, not to mention that the animation got a lot better. Aside from The Movie, it's probably the most well-known Wallace and Gromit story.

Tropes appearing in The Wrong Trousers include:
"[Wallace is complaining about Feather's treatment of him. Feathers takes glove off.] Good grief, it's YOU!"
 * Ass in A Lion Skin: Feathers McGraw
 * Awesome Yet Practical: Wallace buys a set of robotic trousers (made by NASA, no less) and uses them to give Gromit walks and paint the house. McGraw finds use for them as a burglary tool.
 * Bottomless Magazines: At the end of the short, Gromit chases McGraw on a model train - by rapid-fire laying of track from an inexhaustible box.
 * In the same scene, McGraw's revolver never seems to run out of bullets.
 * Chase Scene
 * Department of Redundancy Department: See the quote at the top of this page.
 * Everythings Better With Penguins: Very purposefully subverted with Feathers McGraw. You'll never look at this trope quite the same way again.
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: Feathers' misuse of the Techno-Trousers. Lampshaded by Wallace when he is stuck inside them (see quote at top).
 * Laser Hallway: In the City Museum.
 * MacGuffin: The diamond.
 * Paper Thin Disguise: The disguise Feathers always uses? The one that has everyone convinced he's a chicken? Yeah, it's nothing but a red rubber glove on his head.
 * Shipped in Shackles: Feathers at the end.
 * Strangely Effective Disguise: Everyone assumes Feathers McGraw to be a chicken rather than a penguin just from him putting a rubber glove on his head. Particularly played for laughs when even the intelligent and perceptive Gromit does a Double Take when he takes it off.
 * Even funnier considering Wallace was renting a room out to Feathers and interacting with him frequently, and yet doesn't recognise him with the glove on.