Why a non-speaking dog is more lovable

N and I went to see the Wallce and Gromit movie at the cinema today and I have to say i thoroughly enjoyed it. It was VERY funny. Interestingly, later on whilst I was reading the Observer Magazine I noticed a small piece about wallace and Gromit asking why Gromit doesn't speak.

It may of originally been an accident that Gromit ended up not talking but I believe Wallace and Gromit would not be where they are today (world fame, movies etc etc) if he did.

Not speaking is what makes Gromit so lovable. For a start animals don't speak in real life, so (to us adults anyway) that makes him immediately more believable as a character (forget the fact that he does all that other non-doggy stuff!) It also somehow makes him seem more intelligent. Wallace chunters on, often talking a load of old b******s as humans often do, whilst Gromit just has to lift an impeccably timed eyebrow and you know exactly what he is thinking.

Wallace and Gromit are much like many other great comedy duos (Laurel and Hardy, Morecambe and Wise, The two Ronnies, French and Saunders, etc). Wallace is the loud bullying one who thinks that he is in charge, but of course the real brains of the outfit is the underdog (excuse the pun!) the ever silent and put upon Gromit, who clearly loves his master too much to have it any other way.