WallaceAndGromit.net

First up, why did Google.co.uk have Wallace and Gromit grace their homepage for a day? To celebrate 20 years of Wallace and Gromit!

Then we have a link to a 21 minute interview with Nick Park, where he answers 20 questions from fans including: Did you think Wallace and Gromit would become so popular? What is your favorite Wallace and Gromit film? And why did Gromit’s appearance change after A Grand Day Out?

And while we’re on the subject of clips that feature the duo, they are in a Children in Need ad which you can check out over at Guardian.co.uk: Wallace and Gromit star in Children in Need ad

But wait, there’s more! Wallace and Gromit also make a cameo appearance in a Marks & Spencer holiday ad which you can also check out over at Guardian.co.uk Life on Mars star lands in Marks & Spencer Christmas campaign (they appear about 28 seconds into the ad)

…speaking of the holidays, Aardman has redone their Wallace and Gromit store! Check out the new goodies and an offer for a free gift for orders over 25 pounds: http://store.digitalstores.co.uk/aardman/Wallace-Gromit/department.html?b=wallaceandgromit

And finally, have an iPhone? I don’t (the HTC Dream with Android is more my style) but to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wallace and Gromit lucky owners of the iPhone and the iPod Touch can purchase select Wallace and Gromit comics from Titan for viewing on their devices!

• Wallace and Gromit make iPhone comic book debut
• Wallace and Gromit comes to iPhone, iPod touch

Quick update to make note of the fact that today (well, tomorrow, but it’s already tomorrow in the UK!) Wallace and Gromit are gracing the front page of google.co.uk. How exciting! 🙂

Thanks to Christopher “RoboNuggie” for letting me know about this!

Happy Halloween from WallaceAndGromit.net!

To celebrate I picked up the delightful US DVD release “Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors” which included:

• Little Sheep of Horrors
• Abracadabra
• Things That Go Bump
• Heavy Metal Shaun
• Troublesome Tractor
• Sheepwalking

A new show where Wallace and Gromit are the presenters, could it be true! Reports say “Yes!”

• Wallace & Gromit Present: A World of Invention
• Wallace and Gromit to present BBC1 science and inventions show
• Wallace and Gromit to present science show

WallaceAndGromit.com reports:

Wallace & Gromit present: A World of Invention, will take a light-hearted and humorous look at real-life contraptions, gadgets and inventions and aims to inspire a whole new generation of innovative minds by showing them real, but mind-boggling, machines and inventions from around the world that have influenced Wallace’s ‘illustrious’ inventing career.

The show will be broadcast from Wallace’s basement, where he has created what he considers to be a ‘state of the art’ TV studio. Each episode will have its own ‘theme’, including Flying, Communication, Water and Space, and will made up of live action segments about real life inventors and inventions, with animated Gromit working on World of Invention links by Wallace and Gromit themselves.

The series is expected to broadcast in late 2010

We reported a while back that a Wallace and Gromit statue – but we haven’t heard much in months! Turns out that they are moving forward with plans in Preston: Sir Tom sculptor in talks over Wallace and Gromit statue.

Aardman has also released an exciting new book (also reported here with more photos!): The Art of Wallace and Gromit. I am very excited about this book and will be picking up a copy soon. If you’re in the UK you can snag a copy from amazon here. In the US Amazon has it available from several resellers, just follow this link. Tied to this book release is a a brand new exhibition in London’s The Illustration Cupboard Gallery featuring the duo, opened on September 29th the exhibit is open through October 24th, more information can be found on the exhibit page of the Illustration Cupboard Gallery website: Nick Park and Twenty Years of Wallace and Gromit.

Next up in the news – Aardman is producing a series of shorts to be released on the Nintendo DSi:

• Wallace & Gromit creators making DSi shorts for Nintendo
• Aardman does DSi shorts
• Aardman studios creating 12 Christmas shorts for Nintendo

Blast Magazine explains:

Nintendo today announced a partnership with Oscar-winning Aardman studios to create 12 animated shorts in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Aardman, a studio noted for their extreme diligence and craftmanship working on characters from the Wallace and Gromit series, will use the FlipNote Studio alone to craft their work.

The FlipNote Studio is a free-to-download DSiWare application that allows for flipbook style animation and sound to be brought to life all with the simple use of your handy stylus. Anyone who doesn’t already have the tool is missing out! It’s free, go download it!

Hmmm, maybe it’s time for me to trade in my regular DS for a DSi!

Very exciting news for us fans in the United States – late last month A Matter of Loaf and Death is now Out on DVD in the US!, being sold as a DVD itself or as part of the new Wallace and Gromit: The Complete Collection. I received a promotional copy of this Complete Collection in BluRay, unfortunately I don’t own a BluRay player! So I went ahead and picked up the DVD collection as well to have a peek:

I’ll be writing up a review compared to the last collection within the next few weeks. Have you purchased your copies yet? If not, a couple clips to whet your appetite:

Lastly, a reminder that the Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation Tea Party is being held November 4th to 14th, if you’re in the UK check out the website for more information.

A couple weeks ago Npower released the latest in their Wallace and Gromit energy saving tv ad campaign. This time? Insulation and sheep!

Just like last time they have also released making of npower Wallace and Gromit loft insulation TV ad.

In the awards area, A Matter of Loaf and Death picked up another award. It was over at the 35th Seattle International Film Festival where the snagged the Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award. Check out their page for the film here: Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death | 2009 Seattle International Film Festival | Nick Park | United Kingdom

The film is also one of the five finalists for this year’s Cartoon d’Or prize!

The 2009 Award Ceremony will take place during the Cartoon Forum in Stavanger (Norway) on Thursday 24th September 2009. The name of the winner will be announced after the screening of the five nominated short films.

The 5 finalists were selected by the jury composed of directors Serge Elissalde (France), Tomm Moore (Ireland) and Kari Juusonen (Finland), among 29 short films that were singled out at one of our partner festivals.

And finally, Animation Magazine reports that AMoLaD is one of the selected films to be screened at the Oct. 14-18th Ottawa International Animation Festival. They are one of the finalists for the Independent Short Films Competition Narrative Short category.

In the last post I mentioned that the 4 shorts will be released in the US on Blu-Ray in September. DVD Times has also confirmed that there will be a region 1 4-DVD setrelease as well: Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection (R1/US BD) in September. Plus, they report: “In addition, the DVD set includes packaging that features the duo in 3-D molded forms.”The Cracking Contraptions shorts are also included in this release, split up between 3 of the discs. A Matter of Loaf and Death will also be available on DVD separately.

I also mentioned that the last of the Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Adventures games by Telltale had been released. Well, they’ve also released several mp3s of the music from the games! So head on over to their blog to listen and download: http://www.telltalegames.com/community/blogs/id-483. Enjoy!

Robert Harrop has created a new series of Wallace and Gromit Collectable figurines for AMoLaD and Aardman is celebrating by hosting a giveaway for the collection! Additionally, 10 Fluffles figurines are available to give away as runner up prizes. Hop on over to WallaceAndGromit.com to enter! http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/competition_harrop

Finally, are you a fan of Wallace and Gromit on Facebook yet? I am! Join me and now over 100,000 others: http://www.facebook.com/wallaceandgromit

It’s been too long! Over the next few days I’ll be catching up on the news from the past couple months with a few posts covering the still interesting and relevant portions.

First up, I received an email from Jennifer Danese letting me know about a new, free game over on Candystand.com. Developed by Aardman Animation Online, Wallace & Gromit: Invention Suspension has the tagline “Help Wallace & Gromit build their contraption!” Head on over and check it out!

Interested in other games? As previously reported Telltale Games was releasing a series of Wallace and Gromit Games for Windows and Xbox Live. All of the games have now been released, and for $34.95 they can all be yours – plus a special collectors disc (shipping not included)! As a side note, LucasArts and Telltale are also resurrecting the Monkey Island series, which I played from the beginning, and bought the latest one that was released for the PS2 several years ago. Wallace and Gromit PLUS Monkey Island? Almost enough for me to load up a Windows computer again 🙂

Next up is information about an exhibit that opened in June, but is running through October: Animated Adventures Exhibition featuring Wallace and Gromit, Sensation, Dundee Science Centre. From their release:

This summer, visitors will get an amazing behind-the-scenes insight into the science and magic of animation with the fabulous exhibition, Animated Adventures featuring Wallace and Gromit, beginning on 1st June and running until 11th October.

The exhibition contains seven original sets used in the making of Aardman and DreamWorks’ feature film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Visitors can take a sneak peek inside Lady Tottington’s luxurious home, see Wallace and Gromit’s bunny-laden basement and get a closer look at Wallace’s Anti Pesto van. They can even see how the furry buck-toothed Were-rabbit was constructed in a stage-by-stage display!

Taking visitors on an interactive journey through all things animated, Animated Adventures captures the full animation process from storyboards to post production. Find out how the world’s top animators create their on-screen characters and discover the art of cel painting, stop frame, CGI technology and plasticine modelling. Many industry secrets are revealed through a fun and engaging mix of hands-on exhibits, mini documentaries, sets, models and graphic pods that guarantee to get everyone animated!

Visitors to this fun-filled exhibition will also get the chance to try producing their very own animation.

For more information hop on over to their website: Sensation.org.uk: Animated Adventures featuring Wallace & Gromit.

It’s a shame I missed this news, but better late than never! “A Matter of Loaf and Death” was finally premiered in the US on AT&T’s U-verse TV on June 5. It’s great to know it finally was released on this side of the pond, even if the release was limited to these customers. AT&T even had some nice things to say about Wallace and Gromit!:

“Wallace and Gromit are followed by fans worldwide, and we’re very proud to be the first U.S. distributor to offer this new family-friendly film to our customers” said Jeff Weber, president of video services, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “This is the perfect example of how our three-screen capabilities provide value to our millions of TV, wireless and broadband customers, and also give AT&T an exclusive opportunity to work with leaders in the entertainment industry to deliver their compelling content to audiences across devices.”

For more check out the press release: New Wallace and Gromit Short Film Makes Exclusive U.S. Premiere on AT&T U-verse TV

Want to bring a physical copy of A Matter of Loaf and Death home in the US? If you have a Blu-Ray player – you’re in luck! The Region A release of Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection including all 4 shorts, is schedule for September 22nd. You can also check out the article here for further details on the release: Wallace and Gromit Shorts Coming to Blu-ray

Back on June 26th the Wallace and Gromit Foundation hosted another successful Wrong Trousers Day! Click here so see a picture of their promotional poster, and hop on over to The Weston Mercury’s article Whoops – it’s the Wrong Trousers! for a report and some photos of just a few of the people who participated this year!

That’s all I’ve got time for now, stay tuned for another update very soon!

Wallace & Gromit’s World of Cracking Ideas Exhibition (CrackingIdeas.com Exhibition page) opened on March 28, 2009 and is open through November 1st. I was fortunate enough to be in England for this opening and my boyfriend bought us tickets to go to the exhibit on the first day!

The exhibit was fantastic, my photos hardly do it justice! If you’re able, I encourage you to check it out yourself. Before talking about my own photos, there are a couple great video clips and articles out there discussing the exhibit.

BBC: Cracking idea Gromit! – Video that takes us through the exhibit with Nick Park!

Telegraph: Wallace and Gromit star in exhibition to inspire young inventors A shorter video tour of the exhibit, which includes a clip with Nick Park

The Independent: Nick Park: ‘I’m like Wallace – a tinkerer’

The Independent: Wallace & Gromit: A World of Cracking Ideas

I was very excited to be able to attend the exhibit, we took the tube through the city and while walking through the subway to the exhibit I was delighted to see signs advertising it!

I took a bunch more photos of the signs prior to and around the entrance of the exhibit which you can check out here.

The exhibit also had some of the sets from the films, including one from Cracking Contraptions, Curse of the Were-Rabbit and A Matter of Loaf and Death! A real treat for me, since I’d never seen any of the sets in person before. If you haven’t seen any of the sets the exhibit is worth it just for that.

I probably took more pictures of the sets than anything else, some more of my pictures can be found here.

The amount of workmanship that went into this exhibit was impressive. The entrance to the exhibit was the front of Wallace and Gromit’s West Wallaby Street home, with the hallway into the exhibit a hallway into their house. Within the exhibit they had a Tellyscope II, the second incantation of the Cracking Contraptions version, a mock-up of their kitchen, a control panel similar to that from Shopper 13, an impressive interactive invention machine and lots more!

I put some more exhibit photos here

My pictures hardly do it justice at times I forgot to take pictures because I was so excited and there was so much to see. I highly recommend getting out to the exhibit to check it out yourself so you can see all that is there!

It’s been a busy few weeks for Wallace and Gromit! For those who have asked, I had a fantastic time over in England and did manage to get over to the Science Museum for opening day of the Wallace and Gromit’s World of Cracking Ideas exhibit! So I’ll be posting all about the exhibit, and related news stories, in a separate post.

Our first piece of news can be found in an article here: Wallace and Gromit’s favourite Wensleydale helps British food exports surge

Cheese exports were exceptionally strong … Wensleydale, the hard, crumbly cheese from Hawes in North Yorkshire, was the star performer.

The dairy, which manufactures the cheese, sends nearly £2million worth of its produce overseas each year, with most going to America and Canada. Its exports have increased 23 per cent over the last two years.

However, it is also starting to export Wensleydale to France, 850 years after French monks first settled in the area and started making cheese. The company said consumers around the world were becoming far more adventurous. Its best selling export is Wensleydale with cranberries.

I certainly started eating Wensleydale because of Wallace and Gromit, and have spread the Wensleydale love at parties with cheese-loving friends! Seems like I might not be the only one.

Next up we have another award for A Matter of Loaf and Death!

This time it’s from the New York International Children’s Film Festival, where Wallace and Gromit took home the grand prize. Well done, lads!

Also in the news is the big release of Telltale Games’ Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Adventure series of four games. The games are available on a subscription basis for your PC. You pay $34.95 and each month they’ll release a new title which you will be able to play. They also have a demo on their site that you can check out. Unfortunately for me I run Linux and the game doesn’t play in the virtual machine I have set up, what a shame! But there are loads of reviews out there for the first episode, including adventuregamers.com: Review: Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees and blog.wired.com: Wallace & Gromit: Fright of the Bumblebees – One GeekKid’s Review.

Games are:

1. Fright of the Bumblebees (released March 24th)
2. The Last Resort (expected release May 2009)
3. Muzzled! (expected release June 2009)
4. The Bogey Man (expected release July 2009)

They’ll also be releasing on Xbox Live Arcade soon.

We have a couple exciting promotional things that Wallace and Gromit are involved with.

The first makes me wish so badly I lived in the UK! Kingsmill has continued their partnership with Wallace and Gromit to offer a series of collectibles! The toastrack is adorable (I might need to figure out how to get one anyway…):

And I’m quite fond of the oven mitts too!

And last on our news list is the exciting campaign with npower, which includes commercials! The first commercial is quite amusing, which npower has uploaded to youtube:

They also have a Making of video on youtube.

The site they’ve created also has several gems:

• Top Energy Saving Tips w/ awesome Wallace and Gromit sketches!
• Meet the Stars w/ bios of Wallace, Gromit and the characters from the commercials
• See our TV ads which is updated as the ads are released

Very cool. Looking forward to the next ad!

Post about the Science Museum exhbit coming soon!

First off, a UK DVD release date for A Matter of Loaf and Death! It’ll be coming out on March 24th. Alas, while I will be visiting London at that time, there is no word yet on a US release of any kind, so I won’t be coming back to the States to enjoy my own copy.

But fellow US fans don’t despair! There is talk of a release, and while we wait we can snag the 20th Anniversary DVDs of the classics, which I believe is the first time they’re being sold as separate DVDs (I had the old VHSs that came separate, but my DVDs have always been the Collections):

• Region 1 A Grand Day Out DVD
• Region 1 The Wrong Trousers DVD
• Region 1 A Close Shave DVD

Next, we’ve got some news about the upcoming Wallace and Gromit game from Telltale games

Dave Grossman, a game developer for Telltale who has been involved with the development of classics like  Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, has been interviewed by Wesley Yin-Poole at videogamer.com in a fantastic and very thorough interview discussing the upcoming game: videogamer.com: Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures Interview. Not enough? Grossman also answered several questions for nowgamer.com: nowgamer.com:Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures Q&A. Still not enough? Adventure Gamers has published an in depth article PLUS an interview with Grossman and the CEO of Telltale, Dan Conners: adventuregamers.com: Preview: Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures. Phew!

And that’s not all the news regarding the Telltale game! Issue 17 of Wallace & Gromit’s cracking newsletter reports:

Telltale Offer Free Game to W&G fans
Telltale Games, creators of the new Wallace & Gromit videogame due to launch very soon, are offering Wallace & Gromit fans the chance to test out some of their other fantastic episodic games for free as a reward for completing their online gaming questionnaire. Take part now »

Moving on to toys for a moment, following in the high-quality figurine tradition, to commemorate their 20th Anniversary, Robert Harrop is releasing a collection of Wallace and Gromit toys! Their website has details: Robert Harrop Wallace & Gromit Figurines

Now, remember that Harvy Nichols Wallace and Gromit ad? DDB London, the agency behind the ads, has snagged the Platinum Honour 2009 for it! The ads are now up over on the Creative Circle Platinum Honour 2009 page.

Finally, a playful concept product that would make Wallace proud: Wake Up to An Alarming Juice, Toast, and Coffee

Aardman has launched a fabulous website (with more content promised March 9th) related to their upcoming Science Museum exhibition in London promoting youth involvement in inventing.

So if you haven’t yet, check out their new site here:

http://www.crackingideas.com/

Related articles:

• CBBC: Wallace and Gromit help inventors
• BBC: Wallace and Gromit call on inventors
• TheDrum: Aardman Ad Looks to Inspire British Innovation

Specifics about the Exhibition can be found on their site here: http://www.crackingideas.com/exhibition/

Unfortunately for me my trip to London (first time over there, you may recall that I’m from the US!) in March ends the day after the exhibit opens, so I probably can’t squeeze it in, but it sure looks like it’ll be fun for anyone who is able to go.

And while we’re talking about videos, Aardman has their own channel on YouTube that has all kinds of great clips of their productions, including Wallace and Gromit!

http://www.youtube.com/user/aardman