The Wrong Trousers Commentary

Title/Opening Credits

• The title may have been chosen because the story is literally about “the wrong trousers”, which cause a lot of trouble in this storyline.

Story/Plot/Narrative

• Story: It is Gromit’s birthday. He is sad that Wallace gives him a pair of mechanic trousers to walk him, as he is too smart to be a regular dog and doesn’t need to walk; he uses the toilet. Wallace then lets another guest into the house, who is a penguin. He seems to replace Gromit, and he annoys Gromit quite a lot. Gromit feels rejected and leaves. The next morning the penguin uses the mecha trousers on Wallace, and he goes for a walk around the city to test them out. Gromit notices that the penguin was controlling Wallace, but of course Wallace didn’t. The penguin, dressed as a chicken, leads Wallace in the Trousers, sleeping, to steal a diamond. He succeeds, but barely because Wallace set the alarms off. They go back home and finally realize that the penguin is evil. The penguin, who took over Gromit’s place in the house, then tries to escape with the diamond but ultimately fails. They catch the penguin, give him to the police, return the diamond, and pay off their debts.
• TL;DR - Wallace is mean to Gromit and never apologizes :( He takes Gromit for granted and Gromit should leave Wallace and get a better owner.

Motif

• The penguin putting a glove on his head to look like a chicken, and people believing it.
• When Wallace is put into the trousers, he yells, “These are the wrong pair of trousers!”, making a reference to the title.

Characterization

• Wallace is the main character. He is an inventor (with a cover of window cleaning). He is shown to love cheese, and to have a very “thick skull” We are supposed to laugh at him because he’s just so thick headed in any situation, even if it’s filled with emotion. 
• Gromit is another main character. He is Wallace’s sidekick, and he completes the pair. What I mean by that is while Wallace is thickheaded, not intelligent, and carefree, Gromit is the exact opposite. He is shown to be very smart (for a dog, which is a running gag) and without Gromit, Wallace would not be able to function. (Gromit literally prepares Wallace for his day. Wallace presses a “service” button and Gromit operates the machines to get him ready for the day, and he asks for Gromit’s help whenever something goes wrong.) We are supposed to feel bad for Gromit, as he gets the butt of Wallace’s problems, and has to take care of him.
• The penguin is the final main character. He is shown to be fishy from the beginning, so it’s not a surprise when it’s revealed that he’s evil. He used Wallace and the pair of trousers to steal a diamond. When in Wallace’s house, he takes on Gromit’s role.

Scene and Sets

• The film is shot on a movie set (that was created with clay and other materials).
• Some parts are shot in Wallace’s house, which is a cottage with a lot of mechanical machines due to his inventing hobby.