WallaceAndGromit.net

Just some basic site updates. I have created a poll for the site and a guestbook! Use the menu on the left to navigate these new interactive parts of the site %)

The Official Wallace and Gromit website now has an exclusive Wallace and Gromit store. With items from stuffed animals and watches to carrying bags and collectable figurines. And yes, they do ship internationally as long as you pay by credit card, although buyer is responsible for any and all duties/taxes that come from shipping internationally (I usually use ebay’s currency converter to convert international currencies: Currency Converter).

Check it out: Wallace & Gromit online shop

The DVD release of Cracking Contraptions is coming out in Japan ‘soon’ .. unfortunate still the only way to see them in the US is through a subscription at AtomFilms.com.

While browsing Wallace and Gromit sites, I found a Yahoo! site that confirms the title of the Wallace And Gromit Movie will be :

Wallace And Gromit: : The Great Vegetable Plot

They hope to release it by Thanksgiving 2004, but it is currently slated to be released in early 2005.

It will be distributed by Dreamworks, just like Chicken Run

All 10 of the new shorts are released on atomfilms.com. A $9.95 one time fee to stream them and download them (this is a bit disappointing). No word yet on region 1 dvd release.

The first of Wallace And Gromit’s “Cracking Contraptions” is released on atomfilms.com.

Also Nick Park does an interview on BBC’s Talking Point.
I was able to view this show through an online broadcast at 10:45 EST (3:45 in the UK), transcripts are available through bbc.co.uk. Nick Park discussed several things during this interview, the questions all came from people emailing. Some of the highlights I have noted here

Gromit’s character started out as a cat! A dog was chosen finally for the role because of the greater flexibility allowed in facial expressions.

It took about 3 months to shoot Soccamatic (the first short in Cracking Contraptions)

Nick Park’s favorite movie? The Wrong Trousers

When asked whether or not Wallace and Gromit really did “save Wensleydale cheese” he seemed a bit unsure at first, but did admit they gave him a lot of credit.

In Chicken Run they did use some CGI, some things such as Smoke, Fire, and even the Gravy were too difficult (or expensive) to do otherwise.

While Wallace and Gromit are made of plasticine, they have wire frames inside that are used to help them keep their shape, each character is molded in casts to keep a consistent shape.

As the characters have metal frames, often the floors of the sets are magnetic, to help the characters stand up properly.

After the Feature Film that is in the works Park hopes to get back to doing the 30 minute episodes.

He shapes his movies much like Hitchcock thrillers.

About the upcoming movies…:

It is a full length feature, still in the script writing process, to be in production “quite soon”

The plot deals with characters growing vegetables for a local contest… and something “goes wrong” and Wallace and Gromit must come to the rescue!

“A Wallace and Gromit Vegetarian Hitchcock Thriller”

WallaceAndGromit.net is launched.