Good news for animation fans as Bristol-based Aardman announce details of a new Wallace and Gromit short destined for BBC screens late next year. “Trouble at’ Mill” (dig that Monty Python reference) starts shooting this January and this time our stop-motion heroes have moved into the baking business, with their home now converted into a granary full of Wallace’s Heath-Robinson automatic contraptions such as robotic kneading machines and brings in a new possible romantic interest for the eccentric inventor (voiced by Peter Sallis) in the form of Piella Bakewell. Speaking to the BBC Nick Park, again teamed up with writer Bob Baker who co-wrote the splendid Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave, discussed how pleased he was to return to the duo for their first outing since the Oscar-winning Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Nick also commented how refreshing it was to return to making a short after the pressures of working on feature length animations:
“I love making films for the cinema but the production of Chicken Run and Curse of the Were-Rabbit were virtually back to back and each film took five years to complete. This one we’re making for the BBC. It’s going to be a seven or eight-month shoot. That’s faster than we’ve ever done it before… It’s nice to be out of that feature film pressure now. I don’t feel like I’m making a film for a kid in some suburb of America – and being told they’re not going to understand a joke, or a northern saying.”
(pre-production sketch for Trouble at’ Mill, the next Wallace and Gromit short, (C) Aardman Animations)
Making a very British sense of humour accessible to the international audience was always a worry at the feature movie level, although personally I always thought the Hollywood suits worried over nothing – I’m sure American and other viewers still find W&G funny and charming, even if they don’t get every single reference. Besides, if you don’t get every reference it is as good an excuse as any to go back and watch them again, isn’t it?!?! The BBC website article also has some pre-production sketches from the forthcoming Wallace and Gromit and a link to a video interview with creator (and national treasure) Nick Park here, or you can also watch it on the official W&G site. On a dull, gray rainy day how nice to know we can still rely on Wallace and Gromit to brighten up our day.
Wed, Oct 3, 2007
Art and animation, Film, TV and radio