History WesternAnimation / AMatterOfLoafAndDeath

* ObfuscatingInsanity: [[spoiler:Piella pretends to be a sane GirlyGirl in front of her baker victims in order to catch them off-guard and kill them. Wallace was her next target in this scheme.]]

* IntellectualAnimal / SpeechImpairedAnimal: Gromit and Fluffles, though they both make barely audible whining sounds at points.

* BeleagueredAssistant: Gromit, as per usual. Not only is he having to deal with Wallace's antics, he's also dealing with Wallace's infatuation with Piella [[spoiler:while simultaneously saving him from Piella's various murder attempts]].

* DarkerAndEdgier: While Preston from ''A Close Shave'' and Victor from ''Curse Of The Were Rabbit'' are both said to have hunted animals in the past, the villain in this instalment is an outright SerialKiller who has already murdered at least twelve people before the story even begins, and the plot directly revolves around this killer setting their sights on Wallace. [[spoiler:Though not shown onscreen, her ultimate comeuppance is also far more brutal than her predecessors, with her being killed and eaten by alligators.]]

''A Matter of Loaf and Death'' is the fourth short film featuring WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit, premiering on Christmas Day 2008. The film is the duo's last to feature Creator/PeterSallis as Wallace before his retirement due to health problems, though it wasn't the last ''Wallace and Gromit'' work ''period'' to feature him. That distinction goes to the 2010 miniseries ''Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention''.

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

* JustForPun: In darkly, bad taste, the newspapers call the serial killer of bakers the "Cereal Killer".

* BeleagueredAssistant: Gromit.

** 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' bed]].

* 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]].
** In a similar vein, the only reason why Gromit found out [[spoiler:Piella was the "Cereal Killer", and that Wallace was her next victim]] was because of a flash of lightning [[spoiler:exposing the shadow of her dressmaker dummies]].
** With Gromit chained to the kitchen and unable to do anything to prevent [[spoiler: Piella'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).]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Piella. A woman driven to murder because of her eating is EatenAlive.]]

* BigNo: Baker Bob, accompanied with an OhCrap in the opening scene, before being murdered.

* BlackScreenOfDeath: Probably the most soul-wrenching part of the short. [[spoiler:Piella mercilessly slaps Fluffles, and we see it from the dog's perspective. The screen goes black and Fluffles yelps on impact.]]

'''''A Matter of Loaf and Death''''' is the fourth short film featuring WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit, premiering on Christmas Day 2008. The film is the duo's last to feature Creator/PeterSallis as Wallace before his retirement due to health problems, though it wasn't the last ''Wallace and Gromit'' work ''period'' to feature him. That distinction goes to the 2010 miniseries ''Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention''.

* ForkliftFu: [[spoiler:Fluffles]] at the end, directly parodying ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.

* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: [[spoiler:Fluffles.]]
* HurricaneOfPuns: Mostly baking-related.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Gromit.

* CeilingCling: How [[spoiler: Gromit hides from Piella. All night, no less.]]

* FatBitch: [[spoiler: Piella's true colours.]]

** [[spoiler: Piella's death when she falls into the crocodile exhibit at the zoo]] isn't shown on screen, but we can hear them messily devouring [[spoiler:her,]] followed up by a hearty belch as the Bake-O-Lite Balloon flies away and a horrified Fluffles [[ICantLookGesture quickly turning away]] and [[spoiler:[[CryInToChest bawling into Gromit's chest]]]].

-->'''Wallace''': Great work lad- ''(sees Fluffles)'' ''lass''?

* StartOfDarkness: Piella being forced to do all those promotional stunts with bakers and their confections, utterly destroyed her figure. Her treasured career follows soon after. [[spoiler: Now she lives only to exact vengeance on all bakers.]]

* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: The first thing [[spoiler: Fluffles does in the baker mech is give Piella a hard return backhand for the one she suffered earlier.]]

-->[[spoiler:'''Piella:''' I will be back to get you Wallace! I WILL HAVE MY BAKER'S DOZEN!! \\
'''Wallace:''' But Piella! The balloon won't hold you! \\
'''Piella:''' (''babbling madly'') They can't just drop me! I'm as light as a feather!''(Starts flapping her arms like wings)'' I'm the Bake-o-Lite GIIIIRRLLLL!!! ]]

* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: At the end, Wallace sees or imagines [[spoiler:a thin Piella as she looked long ago]] do this.