Every country has at least one classic piece of film that resembles a feel-good aura of Christmas. For those of us in the United Kingdom, Wallace and Gromit is a staple around the lead-up to my birthday (and Christmas Day, same thing), and in America they have It’s a Wonderful Life. In Norway, they have this. The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, a charming little animated piece that blends Wacky Races with Wallace and Gromit together in a union of comfortable viewing.
The story itself is as straightforward as you can get. Following bicycle repairman Theodore Rimspoke, The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix sees Rimspoke and his animal friends rise to the challenge of entering an annual Grand Prix. It’s a completely straight forward story that somehow turns nonsensical and strange from the first few minutes. A belly dancing penguin, a Saudi prince and his monkey butler funding a bicycle repairman to build a car for him and his hedgehog flatmate to enter into a Grand Prix, and it all gets a little overwhelming. It’s nigh on impossible to condense the plot into a feasibly understandable manner, watching it is the only way to make sense of the proceeding events.
Thankfully though, The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix is a resoundingly fun time, well worth the watch despite its baffling and somewhat dated story. The animation style is beautiful, a remastering of this made it an absolute treat to watch. Competent voice acting coupled with impressive stop motion and some vibrant scenery bring out the exceedingly comfortable energy produced by the film. Not a single scene is too taxing on the mind, nor is it childish enough to put an older audience off. It becomes rather clear as to why this film is a classic Christmas treat, with such an ease of access and thoroughly enjoyable set-pieces. Ending on the Grand Prix and the race itself fills the screen with tantalising animation, a tremendous sight to behold and a real achievement for the genre.
If you have any single inkling or interest in The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix then you should dive into its strongly animated story. A light and fluffy piece of film that doesn’t overstay its incredibly short welcome, whilst at the same time providing a much-needed break from some hard-hitting films. One of the few films that does indeed merit the term “feel-good movie” for just how harmless it is.
