History WesternAnimation / AMatterOfLoafAndDeath

'''''A Matter of Loaf and Death''''' is the fourth and, to date, final short film featuring WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit and their last film to feature Peter Sallis as Wallace. It first aired on Christmas Day 2008.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The name of the town is never given, but the Yorkshire border is prominently featured in one scene and a poster advertising a performance of ''Carmen'' indicates that it's in the vicinity of Wigan.

** With Gromit chained to the kitchen and unable to do anything to prevent [[spoiler: Peilla's first attempt at murdering Wallace, the only reason he survives is a stroke of luck when a bag of flour happens to knock Piella down before she can push him into the gears (suggested to be Fluffles's doing).]]

'''Piella:''' (''babbling madly'') They can't just drop me! I'm as light as a feather! I'm the bake-o lite GIIIIRRLLLL!!! ]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler:Piella Bakewell suffers a KarmicDeath. She tries to fly away in her old Bake-O-Lite balloon, despite her growing too heavy to fly the balloon being the reason she was fired in the first place. Despite Wallace's warnings, she babbles "They can't just drop me, I'm as light as a feather! I'm the "Bake-O-Lite" girl" in a bout of delusion... [[JustDesserts right as she descends into the pit of hungry crocodiles]] at the zoo that she was rescued from earlier. Being immediately followed by [[HellIsThatNoise the sounds of Piella being eaten alive]], it's genuinely horrifying.]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler:Piella Bakewell suffers a KarmicDeath. She tries to fly away in her old Bake-O-Lite balloon, despite her growing too heavy to fly the balloon being the reason she was fired in the first place. Despite Wallace's warnings, she babbles "They can't drop me, I'm the Bake-O-Lite Girl! I'm as light as a feather!" in a bout of delusion... [[JustDesserts right as she descends into the pit of hungry crocodiles]] at the zoo that she was rescued from earlier. Being immediately followed by [[HellIsThatNoise the sounds of Piella being eaten alive]], it's genuinely horrifying.]]

* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler: Piella(as the balloon sinks into the crocodile pen of the zoo):"They can't drop ME! I'm as light as a feather! I'm the Bake-O-Lite Girl!"Cue burp from the crocodiles.]]

* RealityEnsues: While [[ChekhovsGun hinted at prior]], the climax shows that [[spoiler:Piella ''really was'' too fat to ride the Bake-O-Lite balloon anymore, leading directly to her KarmicDeath]].

** With Gromit chained to the kitchen and unable to do anything to prevent [[spoiler: Peilla's first attempt at murdering Wallace, the only reason he survives is a stroke of luck when a bag of flour happens to knock Piella down before she can push him into the gears.]]

FamousLastWords: [[spoiler: Piella(as the balloon sinks into the crocodile pen of the zoo):"They can't drop ME! I'm as light as a feather! I'm the Bake-O-Lite Girl!"Cue burp from the crocodiles.]]

FamourLastWords: [[spoiler: Piella(as the balloon sinks into the crocodile pen of the zoo):"They can't drop ME! I'm as light as a feather! I'm the Bake-O-Lite Girl!"Cue burp from the crocodiles.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Piella Bakewell apparently loses it after her plot to kill Wallace is foiled. She tries to fly away in the old Bake-O-Lite balloon, despite her growing too heavy to fly the balloon being the reason she was fired in the first place, babbling madly in defiance ("They can't drop me, I'm the Bake-O-Lite Girl!") even as she descends into a pit of hungry crocodiles at the zoo, which is followed by the sound of Piella being eaten alive.]]

* DaydreamSurprise: [[spoiler:As the sun is rising the morning after Gromit spends the night hanging from Piella's bedroom light, his grip fails and he falls towards Piella, who's asleep in bed right below him. She opens her eyes just before Gromit lands, but then when Gromit hits the bed, it is completely empty and the sun is already up.]]

* ForWantOfANail: It is extremely likely that, had Wallace gone himself to return Piella's purse instead of having Gromit do it, [[spoiler:he would have died that night]].

** Fluffes' poor living conditions include being made to sleep in a "[[JustForPun Meatbix]]" box [[WesternAnimation/TheWrongTrousers like the one Gromit hid in]] while spying on Feathers [=McGraw=] walking through town.

** Fluffes' poor living conditions include being made to sleep in a "[[JustForPun Meatbix]]" box [[WesternAnimation/TheWrongTrousers like the one Gromit hid in]] while spying on Feathers McGraw walking through town.

* FlintstoneTheming: The running gag of Gromit's canine-themed library is extended into comic books (''[[ComicStrip/DanDare Beagle]]'') and albums by Doggy Osmond[[note]]Donny Osmond[[/note]] ("Puppy Love", what else?) and [[Music/McFly McFlea]].

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: [[spoiler:Piella forces Fluffles to play a part in her scheme to murder bakers, she is intimidating and heavily implied to be abusive right from thestart -- she makes her sleep in a cardboard box -- and at one point almost gets her killed in an act to lure in Wallace. After a nasty smack from Piella for helping the two, Fluffles is the one to take her down.]]

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: [[spoiler: Piella forces Fluffles to play a part in her scheme to murder bakers, she is intimidating and heavily implied to be abusive (she makes her sleep in a cardboard box), and at one point almost gets her killed in an act to lure in Wallace. After a nasty smack from Piella for helping the two, Fluffles is the one to take her down.]]

** [[spoiler: Later inflicted onto Piella as payback. See ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine.]]
* BlackWidow: Piella Bakewell.

* BurpOfFinality: [[spoiler:A deep, satisfied belch from the crocodile pit at the zoo, prior to the Bake-O-Lite balloon drifting skywards again sans seat or passenger, makes it clear that Piella was eaten by the crocodile.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: [[spoiler: Piella]] is a serial killer who has already murdered twelve bakers, realistically abuses [[spoiler:her]] dog, and [[spoiler:in the end, is eaten alive by crocodiles]].
* DeathByRecognition: The opening scene is shot from the serial killer's point of view, and the confused target lets out a YouExclamation before he gets cudgeled on the head with a rolling pin.

* DeterminedDefeatist: [[spoiler: Piella]] ''really'' wants her baker's dozen. She is left furiously attempting to wrestle a customised forklift just to get at Wallace during the climax.

* DarkerAndEdgier: [[spoiler: Piella]] has murdered 12 bakers, abuses [[spoiler:her]] dog and, in the end, [[spoiler: is eaten by a crocodile]].

* CartoonBomb: Not only is it your classic cannonball-with-a-fuse, but it has "BOMB" written on it in large white letters. [[CaptainObvious Cue Wallace: "Oh, Gromit! It's a bomb!"]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler:Piella Bakewell suffers a KarmicDeath. She tries to fly away in the old Bake-O-Lite balloon, despite her growing too heavy to fly the balloon being the reason she was fired in the first place, and she babbles "They can't drop me, I'm the Bake-O-Lite Girl!" even as she descends into a pit of hungry crocodiles at the zoo, which is followed by the sound of Piella being eaten alive. It's really horrifying.]]
* FanDisservice: [[spoiler:We get to see Wallace's ''buttocks''.]]

* FlintstoneTheming: The running gag of Gromit's canine-themed library is extended into comic books (''[[ComicStrip/DanDare Beagle]]'') and albums by [[Music/DonnyOsmond Doggy Osmond]] ("Puppy Love", what else?) and [[Music/McFly McFlea]].

** While it was ambiguous at first (with Fluffles' constant shaking and Piella prodding her with her foot), two things clearly define how their relationship really is: [[spoiler:Fluffles anxiously returning Gromit's items to him while keeping an eye out, and the ratty box and blanket that acts as Fluffles's bed]].

* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: [[spoiler: Fluffles.]]

* RealityEnsues: While [[ChekhovsGun hinted at prior]], the climax shows that [[spoiler:Piella ''really was'' too fat to ride the Bake-O-Lite balloon anymore]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Piella is explaining to Wallace that the brakes on her bike failed, Gromit pointedly tests said brakes. And they still work.

** While it was ambiguous at first (with Fluffles' constant shaking and Piella prodding her with her foot, two things clearly define how their relationship really is: [[spoiler:Fluffles anxiously returning Gromit's items to him while keeping an eye out, and the ratty box and blanket that acts as Fluffles's bed]].

* PunnyName: Piella Bakewell.

* ShoutOut: The bomb scene as a whole parodies a similar scene from ''[[Film/BatmanTheMovie Batman]]'', and the battle between [[spoiler:Fluffles and Piella]] parodies the climactic duel in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. The scene of Wallace and Piella at a potter's wheel is a parody of the scene from ''Film/{{Ghost}}''. As noted above, Piella's "Bake-O-Lite" commercial parodies the 1970s campaign for "Nimble" slimming bread. Baker Bob is named after the film's real-life co-writer... Bob '''Baker'''.