Wallace & Gromit

Wallace & Gromitis a Britishclaymationcomedyfranchisecreated byNick Parkand produced byAardman Animations.  The series centres on Wallace, a good-natured, eccentric, cheese-loving inventor, and Gromit, his loyal and intelligentanthropomorphicbeagle. It consists of fourshort films, twofeature-length films, and numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The first short film,A Grand Day Out, was finished and released in 1989. Wallace has been voiced byPeter SallisandBen Whitehead. While Wallace speaks very often, Gromit is largely silent and has no dialogue, communicating throughfacial expressionsandbody language.
Because of their popularity, the characters have been described as positive international cultural icons of both modern British culture and British people in general.BBC Newscalled them "some of the best-known and best-loved stars to come out of the UK".Iconshas said they have done "more to improve the image of the English world-wide than any officially appointed ambassadors".
Park has stated that he was inspired by his childhood through the 1950s and 1960s inLancashireinNorthern England. The setting is deliberately ambiguous: the overall style resembles the 1960s, but numerous anachronisms abound, such as the use of 21st-century technology. AlthoughWiganis seen at the end of Wallace'salliterativehome address on his letters, his accent comes from theHolme ValleyofWest Yorkshireand he is especially fond ofWensleydale cheese(from North Yorkshire).
Their films have been widely praised, with the first three short films,A Grand Day Out(1989),The Wrong Trousers(1993) andA Close Shave(1995) earning 100% onRotten Tomatoes; the feature filmWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit(2005) has also received acclaim. The film is thesecond-highest-grossing stop-motion animated film, outgrossed only byChicken Run(2000), another creation of Park's. A fourth short film,A Matter of Loaf and Death, was released in 2008. A second full-length feature film,Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl— marking the return of the penguinFeathers McGraw, the villain fromThe Wrong Trousers— was released in 2024.The franchise has receivednumerous accolades, including fiveBAFTAs, threeAcademy Awardsand aPeabody Award.
The first short film,A Grand Day Out, was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Filmin 1991. The short filmsThe Wrong TrousersandA Close Shavefollowed. The full-length featureThe Curse of the Were-Rabbitwas released in 2005. The latter three each earned Academy Awards.
In January 2007, a five-film deal withDreamWorksand Aardman fell through after three films, due to creative differences, as well as the box office failure ofFlushed Away. Park said later that DreamWorks executives wanted toAmericanisethe very British Wallace and Gromit after test screenings, which would have tarnished some of the duo'snostalgiccharm. The fourthWallace & Gromitshort,A Matter of Loaf and Death, was Park's first production since the end of the DreamWorks deal. It was the most-watched television programme in the UK in 2008.A Matter of Loaf and Deathwon the 2008BAFTA Awardfor Best Short Animation and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2010.In 2013,Peter Lordstated that there were no plans at the moment for a new short film, and Park announced in the following year that the declining health of Wallace's voice actor,Peter Sallis, had the possibility of preventing any future films despite the availability ofBen Whitehead.
In May 2017, Lord stated that more projects with the characters were likely while speaking at an animation event inStuttgart, Germany. He said, "When Nick [Park]'s not drawing cavemen, he's drawing Wallace & Gromit ... I absolutely assume he will do another, but not a feature. I think he found it was too much. I think he liked the half-hour format."
Sallis died on 2 June 2017.In 2018, Park said toRadio Times: "[Sallis] was such a special one-off person with such unique qualities, it would be hard to fill his shoes but I think he'd want us to carry on and I've got more Wallace and Gromit ideas."In 2019, Park announced that a newWallace & Gromitproject is in development. "I can't give too much away because it would spoil it really, but it's Wallace & Gromit up to their old antics."In May 2020, Aardman announced the release ofThe Big Fix Up, a Wallace & Gromit story in the form of anaugmented reality(AR)mobile app. It features the voices ofMiriam Margolyes,Isy SuttieandJim Carterand was released on 18 January 2021.
In September 2021, a bronze bench statue ofWallace & Gromitwas unveiled inPreston, Lancashire, Park's home town.In January 2022, a new film,Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, was announced, which debuted first on the BBC on Christmas Day 2024, and was released worldwide 3 January 2025 onNetflixand has been nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature film.
Wallace lives, along with his pet dog Gromit, at 62 West Wallaby Street that is in a part ofWiganin Lancashire.
He usually wears brown woollen trousers, a white shirt with detachable sleeves, and a red tie under a greenvee-neckedknittedsleeveless sweater. He is fond of cheese, especiallyWensleydale, with crackers.
Nick Park, his creator, said: "He's a very self-contained figure. A very homely sort who doesn't mind the odd adventure." He is loosely based on Park's father and Park has never made it clear as to whether Wallace is the character's forename or surname, preferring to leave this ambiguous.
Wallace was voiced byPeter Sallisuntil his retirement in 2010, being succeeded byBen Whiteheadsince 2009.
Wallace is an inveterate inventor, creatingelaborate contraptionsthat often do not work wholly as intended. Their appearance is similar to the illustrations ofW. Heath RobinsonandRube Goldberg, whereNick Parkhas said of Wallace that all his inventions are designed around the principle of using a "sledgehammer to crack a nut". Some of Wallace's contraptions are based on real-life inventions. For example, his method of waking up in the morning uses a bed that tips up to wake up its owner, an invention that was exhibited at theGreat Exhibitionof 1851 byTheophilus Carter.
Wallace has had three romantic interests. The first was wool shop owner Wendolene Ramsbottom,which ended quickly when Wendolene told Wallace that she was allergic to cheese. The second was Lady Campanula Tottington inThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit, whom Wallace fondly calls "Totty". InA Matter of Loaf and Death, Wallace becomes engaged to Piella Bakewell, who turns out to be a serial killer of bakers.
Gromit is abeagle, with a cream-coloured short-haircoatand oversized floppy dark brown ears, who is Wallace's pet dog and best friend.He is very intelligent, having graduated from "Dogwarts University" ("Dogwarts" being a pun on "Hogwarts", the wizard school from theHarry Potterbooks) with adouble firstin Engineering for Dogs.He likes knitting, playing chess, reading the newspaper, tea and cooking. His prized possessions include his alarm clock, dog bone, brush, and a framed photo of himself with Wallace. He is very handy with electronic equipment and an excellent aeroplane pilot. He often threatens the plans of the antagonists he and Wallace encounter in their adventures. Sometimes, Gromit ignores Wallace's orders, such as inA Close ShaveandShopper 13, where Wallace orders him to get rid of Shaun but Gromit does not. Gromit's birthday is 12 February.InThe Wrong Trousers, he is seen circling the date on a calendar.
Gromit has no visible mouth and expresses himself through facial expressions and body language.Peter Hawkinsoriginally intended to voice Gromit, but Park dropped the idea when he realised how Gromit's thoughts and feelings could be known through movement with some canine noises on rare occasions.Many critics believe that Gromit's silence makes him the perfectstraight man, with apantomimeexpressiveness that drew favourable comparisons toBuster Keaton.He does at times make dog-like noises, such as yelps and growling.According to the fortieth anniversary documentaryA Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman, Gromit was originally supposed to be a cat, but the idea was dropped as Park realised that animating a dog was easier.
Generally speaking, Gromit's tastes are more in vogue than those of Wallace; this being one of the many ways they contrast with each other as characters. Gromit seems to have a significant interest in encyclopaedic, classical and philosophical literature, and popular culture, including film and music.Electronics for Dogshas been a firm favourite sinceA Grand Day Out, and inThe Wrong TrousersGromit's bookshelves feature titles such asKites,Sticks,Sheep,Penguins,Rockets,BonesandStars, while he is seen readingThe Republic, by Pluto (a nod to theDisney character of the same nameand a pun onPlato) andCrime and Punishment, by Fido Dogstoyevsky (a pun onFyodor Dostoyevsky). Gromit's various possessions make extensive use of puns:A Matter of Loaf and Deathfeatures "Pup Fiction" (Pulp Fiction), "The Dogfather" (The Godfather), "Where Beagles Dare" (Where Eagles Dare), "Bite Club" (Fight Club) and "The Bone Identity" (The Bourne Identity) all as book titles, and "Citizen Canine" (Citizen Kane) as a film poster. InVengeance Most Fowl, he is shown readingA Room of One's Own, by "Virginia Woof" (a pun onVirginia Woolf), andParadise Lost, by "John Stilton" (a pun onJohn Milton). His taste in music has been shown to coverBach(presumably punning on "bark"), "Poochini" (a play onPuccini), "McFlea" (McFly), "The Beagles" (the Beatles), "Red Hot Chili Puppies" (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and"Walkies on the Wild Side" by Rod Lead.
Gromit gains his own love interest inA Matter of Loaf and Death, when he becomes attached to Fluffles, a poodle.
NASAnamed one of its new prototypeMarsexplorer robots after Gromit in 2005.On 1 April 2007,HMVannounced that Gromit would stand in forNipperfor a three-month period, promoting children's DVDs in its UK stores.
Although not overtly setting the series in any particular town, Nick Park had previously hinted that its milieu was inspired by thoughts of 1950sWigan, reinforced by anA–Z Wiganbeing displayed on Wallace's Anti-Pesto van inThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit.InThe Wrong Trousers, Gromit picks up a letter at the Wallace & Gromit residence addressed to "62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan".The address includes a postcode of WG7 3FU, though this does not match any street in the United Kingdom; Wigan postcodes begin with the lettersWN.This address can be seen in theCracking Contraptionsepisode "Shopper 13".
Wallace's accent (voiced byPeter Sallis) comes from theHolme ValleyofWest Yorkshire.
In theCracking Contraptionsepisode "The Soccamatic", Wallace says to Gromit, "How do you like myPreston North Endsoccamatic, Gromit?". The episode references famous English footballers of the 1950s and '60s, includingNobby Stiles,Tom FinneyandBill Shankly(all of whom played for Preston in their careers) as well asGeoff HurstandStanley Matthews.
The nostalgic quality ofWallace & Gromit'sworld has been compared to 1950sBeanotown.
TheWallace & Gromitfilms are shot using thestop motionanimation technique.After detailed storyboarding, set andplasticinemodel construction, the films are shot oneframeat a time, moving the models of the characters slightly to give the impression of movement in the final film. As is common with other animation techniques, the stop motion animation inWallace & Gromitmay duplicate frames if there is little motion, and in action scenes sometimes multiple exposures per frame are used to produce a fauxmotion blur. Because a second of film constitutes 24 separate frames, even a short half-hour film likeA Close Shavetakes a great deal of time to animate. General quotes on the speed of animation of aWallace & Gromitfilm put the filming rate at typically around 30 frames per day per animator.
Some effects, particularly the fire, smoke and floating bunnies inThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit, proved impossible to create in stop motion and were rendered bycomputer animationspecialists, MPC film.MPC film studied the set for three months to create clay-like animation to match the stop-motion production. By paying close attention to detail, MPC was able to make the animated bunnies blend in with the clay bunnies. Adding imperfections such as fingerprints along with texture to the animated bunnies helped enhance the effect. MPC's collaboration resulted in over 700 effects to aid the film along with colouring to match the visuals.
Most models were destroyed in the2005 Aardman studio fire, but some still exist, such as a small scale model for the Cooker fromA Grand Day Outand Feathers McGraw whilst trapped in a bottle fromThe Wrong Trousers.The set and several props from the museum featured in the latter short film survived as well, as they were being kept at theNational Science and Media MuseuminBradford, West Yorkshire, before the fire occurred. Additionally, a set fromA Matter of Loaf and Death, which was produced after the fire, is presently on display at theWe The Curiousscience centre.
The music featured in every film was written by British film composerJulian Nott. The theme song was used to wake up astronauts aboard space shuttle missionSTS-132in May 2010.
AWallace & Gromitinteractive CD-ROM game from 1996, namedWallace & Gromit Fun Pack, was released for thePC, containing theCrackin' Compendiumwith three mini-games based on the three original animated shorts as well as brief video clips. The other program in the Fun Pack theCustomise-O-Maticcontained wallpapers, screen savers and sounds that could be assigned as system sounds.A sequelFun Pack 2was released in 2000 featuring enhanced graphics and two new games as well as a remake of the Great Train Game.
The characters were associated with a 144-issue fortnightly digest called Techno Quest, published by Eaglemoss Publications starting in 1997. It was designed to get children interested in science and technology.
In 1997, an animated screensaver themed video game entitledWallace & Gromit Cracking Animatorwas released. Screensaver games were made by Dibase.Players could create their own multimedia animations through the collation of things like sound effects, sets, characters and props. Players could manipulate the facial movements of characters to synchronise their expressions with dialogue.Players could choose to make their finished creation their screensaver, or choose one of the pre-made screensaver games.TheBoston Heraldoffered a rating of 2.5 stars, noting that creativity is limited.
In September 2003,Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoowas released for thePlayStation 2,Xbox,GameCube, andMicrosoft Windows. This separate story sees the duo take on Feathers McGraw (ofThe Wrong Trousers) again. Still obsessed with diamonds, he escapes from the penguin enclosure of West Wallaby Zoo, where he was "imprisoned" at the end ofThe Wrong Trousers, and takes over the entire zoo, kidnapping young animals and forcing their parents to work for him, helping him turn the zoo into a diamond mine.
In 2005, a video game ofThe Curse of The Were-Rabbitwas released forPlayStation 2andXbox, following the plot of the film as Wallace and Gromit work as vermin-catchers, protecting customers' vegetable gardens from rabbits, using a "BunGun".Gameplay for the Project Zoo involve players exclusively controlling Gromit, as Wallace functions as a helpernon-player character, but inThe Curse of the Were-Rabbit, gameplay shifts between the two, and includes two-player cooperative play.Both games were developed byFrontier Developmentswith the assistance of Aardman, with Peter Sallis reprising his role as Wallace.Project Zoowas published byBAM! Entertainment, whileThe Curse of the Were-Rabbitwas published byKonami.
In July 2008, developerTelltale Gamesannounced a new series ofepisodic video gamesbased on the characters, calledWallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures.The first episode inGrand Adventures, "Fright of the Bumblebees", was released on 23 March 2009.The second episode, "The Last Resort", was released on 5 May 2009.Two more episodes, "Muzzled!" and "The Bogey Man", were released in later 2009. The four episodes have separately been released onXbox Live Arcadefor theXbox 360.
On 25 July 2024, aWallace & Gromit-themed course was added to thevirtual reality gameWalkabout Mini Golfasdownloadable content.
There are also several interactive games on the officialWallace & Gromit,Shaun the SheepandTimmy Timewebsites.
British publisherTitan Magazinesstarted producing a monthlyWallace & Gromitcomic after the debut ofCurse of the Were-Rabbit. The characters still run Anti-Pesto, and both Shaun and Feathers McGraw have appeared in the comic.
The two characters appeared in the monthlyBeanoMAXcomic until its closure in June 2013, and now appear every four weeks inThe Beano.They are heavily featured in 'Aardmag', the free online magazine that is unofficial but supported by Aardman Animations.Nick Park guest-edited the 70th birthday issue ofThe Beanoweekly, and so this issue contained numerousWallace & Gromitreferences.
On 17 May 2010, they began appearing daily inThe Sun.It is credited to Titan and Aardman, with scripts written by Richy Chandler, Robert Etherington, Mike Garley, Ned Hartley, Rik Hoskin, David Leach, Luke Paton, J.P. Rutter, Rona Simpson and Gordon Volke, art by Sylvia Bennion, Jay Clarke, Jimmy Hansen, Viv Heath, Mychailo Kazybrid and Brian Williamson. It replacedGeorge and Lynne. A graphic novel compiling all 311 daily strips was released on 8 October 2013, and a second volume followed on 4 November 2014.A third volume was released on 25 March 2015,and a fourth volume was released on 9 September 2015.
In November 1997 the characters appeared in a play calledWallace And Gromit™ Alive on Stage in a Grand Night Out.This show featured Feathers McGraw escaping prison and hypnotising Wendolene to assist in his planned revenge on the duo, culminating in a showdown involving Shaun the Sheep donning the Techno-Trousers.
On 9 March 2011, Shaun the Sheep made its live theatre début inShaun's Big Show.The 100-minute-long musical/dance show features all the regular characters, including Bitzer, Shirley and Timmy.
In 2015, Shaun starred inSnow White and the Seven DwarfspantomimeatBristol Hippodrome.
In 2003,Aardmanproduced a cinematic commercial for theRenault Kangoostarring Wallace and Gromit. The commercial, entitled "The Kangoo-matic", played in front of several summer blockbusters in top British cinemas. LaterWallace & Gromitcommercials were made forJacob'sCream Crackers, energy supplierNpowerand beveragePG Tips.
The duo were used to promote aHarvey Nicholsstore that opened in Bristol (where Aardman is based) in 2008. The pictures show them, and Lady Tottington fromWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, wearing designer clothes and items.They were used to prevent aWensleydale cheesefactory from shutting down because of financial difficulties after a member of staff came up with the idea of using Wallace and Gromit as mascots, as Wensleydale is one of Wallace's favourite cheeses.
On 28 March 2009,The Science Museumin London opened an exhibition called "Wallace & Gromit present a World of Cracking Ideas". The family-orientated show, open until 1 November 2009,hoped to inspire children to be inventive.Wallace and Gromit were featured in many exhibition-exclusive videos, as well as one announcing the opening of the exhibition.
In December 2010, Wallace and Gromit featured onseries of UK postage stampsissued by theRoyal Mailfor Christmas.The same month, Nick Park appeared on BBC Radio 4'sDesert Island Discsand announced that he was working withBlackpool Pleasure Beachto build a theme park ride based on the characters.Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Maticdark ridewas opened by Park at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 2013.
Wallace and Gromit appeared in a one-minute special for theDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth IIcalledJubilee Bunt-a-thon.In 2012, Wallace and Gromit featured on an advert saying "Inventing For Britain" which was part of a poster campaign to promote British trade and business aboard in the year they hosted the Olympics.
In August 2012, they presented an edition ofThe BBC Proms,Wallace & Gromit's Musical Marvels, as Prom 20 of the 2012 season.Because of its popularity,Wallace & Gromit's Musical Marvelsbecame a full touring show in 2013. It premièred atThe PlenaryinMelbourne, Australia on 9 February 2013. It was performed at other venues throughout 2013, withA Matter of Loaf and Deathscreened at each performance.
In 2013 and 2014 the pair appeared in a nationwide TV, press and cinema campaign promoting the British government's "Holidays at Home are Great" directive, calledWallace & Gromit's Great UK Adventure.
In December 2019, they appeared in aDFS Furnitureadvert created by Krow to celebrate their 30th anniversary.Helena Bonham Carterreprised her role as Lady Tottington with new dialogue for the advert.
From 29 November to 31 December 2024, a six-minuteWallace & Gromitanimation was projected onto London'sBattersea Power Stationevery evening, as part ofApple's Shot on iPhone marketing campaign.
In 2025,Wallace & Gromitentered into a partnership with gravy brandBisto. Characters from the films featured on Bisto products, with consumers offered the chance to win alab-grown blue diamondworth £1,500. Apop-up gravy restaurantcalled "The Gravy Boat" also opened inPaddington,London, offering a gravy-themed three course menu and "meet and greet" opportunites for diners to meet Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw.
Wallace & Gromitspearheaded the fundraising for two children's charities,Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation,which supports children's hospices and hospitals in the United Kingdom, and Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal,theBristol Children's HospitalCharity. In July 2013, 80 giant fibreglass decorated sculptures of Gromit were distributed around Bristol as part of a Nick Park-inspired project to raise funds for the charity. The project is namedGromit Unleashedand sculptures were decorated by a range of artists and celebrities, includingJoanna Lumley,Sir Peter Blake,Trevor BaylisandJools Holland.A similar project featuringShaun the SheepcalledShaun in the Citywas in 2015.A third was placed in 2018 calledGromit Unleashed 2, also featuring Wallace & Shaun. In 2020Gromit Unleashed: The Grand Adventurewill be inThe Mall, Cribbs Causewayfeaturing 15 sculptures of Wallace, Gromit, Shaun and Feathers.On  23 August 2023 a fourth trail was announced, the trail in Bristol will run in 2025.
A theme park ride calledWallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Maticopened atBlackpool Pleasure Beachon 29 April 2013 by creator Nick Park,Amanda Thompson,Nick Thompson, Nick Farmer and Merlin Crossingham.
The ride, which cost £5.25 million to make, was created by Blackpool Pleasure Beach design in association with Aardman Animations. The cars on the ride are designed on one of Wallace's slippers, so that, when a rider is seated, it is as if they are sitting inside a large slipper. The ride lasts almost four minutes, and features scenes fromA Grand Day Out,The Wrong Trousers,A Close Shave,The Curse of the Were-RabbitandA Matter of Loaf and Deathalong with some archive audio and some newly recorded lines from Ben Whitehead as the voice of Wallace.
In 2007, a spin-off seriesShaun the Sheepwas created for the character of Shaun, first introduced in 1995'sA Close Shave. In the series, Shaun lives with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm, a traditional small northern English farm. In each episode, their latest attempt to add excitement to their dull mundane life as livestock somehow snowballs into a fantastic sitcom-style escapade, most often with the help of their fascination with human doings and devices. This usually brings them into conflict—and often into partnership—with the farm sheepdog Bitzer, while they all are simultaneously trying to avoid discovery by the Farmer. Following the success of the series, two series of 1-minute shorts were created –Mossy Bottom ShortsandChampionsheeps—followed by a television specialThe Farmer's Llamas(2015) and two feature films,Shaun the Sheep Movie(2015) andA Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon(2019).
In 2009, a spin-off ofShaun the Sheep,Timmy Time, was created centring on the character of the same name. In the series, Timmy and his friendshave to learn to share, make friends and accept their mistakes.They are supervised by two teachers, Harriet the Heron and Osbourne the Owl. The show is aimed at pre-school-aged children which the company described as "a natural step for Aardman".