Wallace and Gromit EFL Video Mini Review

Wallace and Gromit- Grand Day Out (EFL Video) OUP

If you don’t know Wallace and Gromit, it is one of those classic animation films (in this case, about an intelligent dog and his slightly slow owner) that appeal as much to the adults as the children, if not more. I have used this and other plasticine animations, such as the film Chicken Run, in class in a similar way to Mr Bean videos- ignore the speech and get students to talk about what’s happening on the screen. The only downside of this is the students wondering why I am giggling at the (to them, incomprehensible) dialogue about Wensleydale cheese. This EFL version of the video is an attempt either to help the students to laugh along, or to give the teacher a better reason for watching it themselves in class- I’m still not sure which! The basic technique they have used to add listening comprehension for the students is to add a voiceover for this EFL version. Although the students are still unlikely to understand much of the character’s dialogues, students from false beginner level should be able to get something from the voiceover and the accompanying book. Whilst the cartoon appeals to all ages, the book is only really suitable for children. It provides a good variety of grammar, vocabulary and functional language- but is trapped a little by the content of the video into dealing with obscure vocabulary like ‘teapot’.