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March 28, 2024, 09:45:43 AM

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New Wallace and Gromit film for Christmas '24; Peter Sallis still dead

Started by Old Nehamkin, January 21, 2022, 11:58:11 AM

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Old Nehamkin

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/new-wallace-and-gromit-adventure

QuoteA brand new Wallace & Gromit adventure for BBC One

The BBC has a very early Christmas present for 2024 with the announcement of a thrilling brand-new Wallace & Gromit adventure for British Audiences.

From the creative mind of Nick Park and the first Wallace & Gromit film since the 2008 BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated A Matter of Loaf and Death, the as-yet-untitled new film focuses on Gromit's concern that Wallace has become over-dependant on his inventions which proves justified when Wallace invents a "smart gnome" that seems to develop a mind of its own.

As events spiral out of control, it falls to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces or Wallace may never be able to invent again!

The BBC has a long and successful relationship with Aardman and this announcement follows the success of the latest Shaun The Sheep caper The Flight Before Christmas which aired on BBC One over the festive period.

Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer says: "It's incredibly exciting to be taking British audiences on a cracking new adventure with Wallace & Gromit and to be continuing our long relationship with Aardman and Nick Park following the success of Shaun the Sheep this Christmas."

Sean Clarke, MD of Aardman, says: "Wallace and Gromit are so loved by everyone at Aardman – they're like family to us, and we couldn't be more excited to be creating a brand-new film for them to star in. When Nick came up with the concept for a 'smart gnome', we all agreed that Wallace would find the idea irresistible – despite warnings from Gromit, who is wise beyond his (dog) years. We're sure audiences will find the story irresistible too."

The film will premiere on the BBC in the UK, and on Netflix in the rest of the world. It will be Directed by Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun The Sheep) and Merlin Crossingham (Creative Director, Wallace & Gromit and Animation Director, Early Man) with the story written by Nick Park and Mark Burton (Madagascar, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, Shaun The Sheep Movie). The Screenplay is by Mark Burton. Produced by Claire Jennings (Wallace & Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and Coraline).


I suppose it was always just a matter of time before they brought W & G out of their box again and I know they were doing various adverts and spin-off things with the nu-Wallace voice actor even before Peter Sallis died, but still, the idea of a proper short feature without his involvement does feel a little sacrilegious. Also can't help but feel that the premise sounds a little lame and tossed off. A "smart gnome"? Like... like a smart phone, yeah?

For people who enjoy thinking about the passage of time: when this film comes out, A Matter of Loaf and Death will be 3 years older than A Close Shave was at the time of the former's release.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

It might well be me becoming an old fart, but none of the ones released after A Close Shave have managed to recapture the magic of the first three. A different actor doesn't bother me that much in comparison.

peanutbutter

I thought Curse of the Were Rabbit was pretty good, as good as one coming out a decade later and 3 times as long as the others could be. A Matter of Loaf and Death displayed the issues I expected from it a lot more, just a massive dud of a short iirc.

Mind you, I generally think quite a lot of the charm was gone by A Close Shave.


Blows my mind that Loaf & Death is that old btw, it's probably the last piece of major Christmas viewing I had.

BritishHobo

A lot of news outlets seem to have assumed and reported that this is a new feature-length film, but it definitely is meant to be a new short, right, as you guys are saying? Christmas slot, etc.

I dunno. In my teens I was an absolute Aardman obsessive, and this would have been the greatest news in the world to me. But I still have a bit of a bad taste in my mouth from the Chicken Run 2/Julia Sawalha situation. Which has only been further confused by the recent announcement that while Jane Horrocks and Imelda Staunton will be returning as Babs and Bunty, Timothy Spall and Phil Daniels are being replaced by Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays.

On the one hand there's the air of going back to beloved classics, but then on the other hand I know they work fucking hard on their original films, and it's hard to get huge business done when you're not one of the big big animation studios. Look at the beautiful work Laika do with their claymation films, and they rarely get a look-in between the six films Disney release in the same year. Films like Pirates! are lovely and a lot of fun but never get to shine like a Pixar or Dreamworks release, so I can't begrudge them returning to their popular properties.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Loaf and Death, but I always thought it was because I hyped it up SO MUCH due to my love of W&G, I could only ever be disappointed. Maybe if I go into this with lower expectations I'll have the reverse.

idunnosomename

Loaf and Death is pretty good and funny, it's Wererabbit that's a bit drawn-out imo. Also doesn't have the weird sci-fi horror undertone of the shorts, although transformation stuff is a bit creepy I guess. The fairly subtle Terminator refs in Close Shave are good (I mean, the punching through the metal door and opening it in reverse isnt really that well-known a bit, you'd only be familar with it if you've seen the original film) but the Aliens bit in Loaf prob a bit on the nose. Still does amuse me someone as apparently dull as Nick Park keeps imitating classic James Cameron films

I do find it odd there was never any mention of stopping the main installments when Sallis died. He was so generous in doing the voice for student Nick Park c.1983, and his voice actually shaped the whole animation of Wallace.

Guess it's just too lucrative.


Old Nehamkin

Quote from: BritishHobo on January 21, 2022, 12:40:00 PMA lot of news outlets seem to have assumed and reported that this is a new feature-length film, but it definitely is meant to be a new short, right, as you guys are saying? Christmas slot, etc.

As far as I can tell it's definitely premiering on BBC1 in the UK (whereas it'll be on Netflix in other markets) so I think it's fairly safe to assume it's a short as a TV premiere for a feature film would be a little strange.

Old Nehamkin

Quote from: idunnosomename on January 21, 2022, 12:55:56 PMStill does amuse me someone as apparently dull as Nick Park keeps imitating classic James Cameron films

On a similar note, I was watching The Wrong Trousers recently and I half-seriously think that no other filmmaker has ever pulled off a better Hitchcock pastiche besides maybe Brian DePalma.

Pauline Walnuts


Ignatius_S

Quote from: idunnosomename on January 21, 2022, 12:55:56 PM...I do find it odd there was never any mention of stopping the main installments when Sallis died. He was so generous in doing the voice for student Nick Park c.1983, and his voice actually shaped the whole animation of Wallace.

Guess it's just too lucrative.

When Sallis died, someone else had been been voicing Wallace for several years - they were brought in because Sallis had to step back from one Wallace and Gromit project. At the time, a couple of people who I knew at Aardman said that the casting has Sallis' blessing but wouldn't go in to the details why Sallis needed to pull out the project. When he died, it was revealed that Sallis had been losing his eyesight for over a decade, which I suspect paid a part.

idunnosomename

Quote from: Old Nehamkin on January 21, 2022, 01:21:10 PMOn a similar note, I was watching The Wrong Trousers recently and I half-seriously think that no other filmmaker has ever pulled off a better Hitchcock pastiche, besides maybe Brian DePalma.
yeah the direction on Wrong Trousers is just brilliant throughout. The way the suspension of disbelief works on the train chase too. And the coal-cart gag which is such a guffaw moment

Old Nehamkin

Quote from: idunnosomename on January 21, 2022, 01:26:12 PMyeah the direction on Wrong Trousers is just brilliant throughout. The way the suspension of disbelief works on the train chase too. And the coal-cart gag which is such a guffaw moment

The diamond heist sequence used to make me feel sick with anxiety when I would watch it as a kid. Still find it very effective even now. The visuals, music and sound design work together so perfectly.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on January 21, 2022, 12:16:16 PMIt might well be me becoming an old fart, but none of the ones released after A Close Shave have managed to recapture the magic of the first three. A different actor doesn't bother me that much in comparison.

FWIW, Park is really cautious about the rate at which W&G films are done - a good example of that was the Dreamworks deal, where a lot of pressure exerted so the first film was a Wallace and Gromit one, but Park dug his heels in. There are various factors at play here, but essentially if it wasn't for Park, we would have had a lot more films of them - if the more recent ones lack the old charm, that's nothing compared to how far removed they would have been!

Bad Ambassador

Also, the new one won't have the late Bob Baker co-writing for the first time since A Grand Day Out.

Norton Canes


idunnosomename

Quote from: Old Nehamkin on January 21, 2022, 01:31:40 PMThe diamond heist sequence used to make me feel sick with anxiety when I would watch it as a kid. Still find it very effective even now. The visuals, music and sound design work together so perfectly.
big fan of how the alarm goes off

Also dont know why the little circle with a beak labelled "me" on the plan is so funny

thr0b

Quote from: Ignatius_S on January 21, 2022, 01:23:59 PMWhen Sallis died, someone else had been been voicing Wallace for several years - they were brought in because Sallis had to step back from one Wallace and Gromit project. At the time, a couple of people who I knew at Aardman said that the casting has Sallis' blessing but wouldn't go in to the details why Sallis needed to pull out the project. When he died, it was revealed that Sallis had been losing his eyesight for over a decade, which I suspect paid a part.

I think it helps that the new guy is so good at doing the voice; it's as close to a perfect impersonation as you're going to get.

They could just as easily have gone down the route of getting Culshaw in, and having Wallace sound like Culshaw doing Doctor Who in a Shire accent.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: Ignatius_S on January 21, 2022, 01:37:17 PMFWIW, Park is really cautious about the rate at which W&G films are done - a good example of that was the Dreamworks deal, where a lot of pressure exerted so the first film was a Wallace and Gromit one, but Park dug his heels in. There are various factors at play here, but essentially if it wasn't for Park, we would have had a lot more films of them - if the more recent ones lack the old charm, that's nothing compared to how far removed they would have been!
I suppose that's laudable. I wonder if we were spared some real stinkers, or just more sub-par efforts?

Here's me whinging after a recent rewatch of Curse of the Were-Rabbit:
Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on November 13, 2021, 01:14:57 PMWallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

I unabashedly love the first three Wallace and Grommit short films. Just one or two bars of the theme tune and I'm whisked back to childhood Christmases (only the Toys R Us jingle is more powerful). I don't think it's merely incidental that I've never warmed as much to any of the ones that were made after I reached adulthood. That said, I don't think simple nostalgia is the whole story either.

I remember actually disliking this when I first saw it - not boiling hate, or anything, but it was definitely a disappointment. Watching it again, I feel a lot more positive about it overall, but it still doesn't quite have the charm of the originals.

This sounds ultra spoddy, but I think the problem is logic, or lack thereof. I know it's silly to quibble about scientific verisimilitude in a series that saw its heroes take a homemade rocket for some moon cheese, but the central concept  doesn't entirely work for me. It just doesn't seem to fit with the feel of the series before that. Wallace's inventions were outlandish, but they made physical sense in the setting. A man undergoing metamorphosis because he overwrote his brainwaves? Now you've lost me. If it had been a Fly style teleportation accident, I wouldn't be complaining. To be fair, they did a good job of the horror pastiche and I can get behind the idea as a sort of Treehouse of Horror alternative universe sort of thing.

Likewise, the big action climax is fun and all, but it lacks the off kilter logic that made The Wrong Trousers' model train chase so delightful. They needed Grommit to engage in a big chase, so the merry-go-round has working planes on it. Why not? It's like an action film, but small. It's whimsical and charming, like the older films, right? No. No, it is not.

Hutch the Rabbit is a  blatant attempt to make another Shaun the Sheep, but with a bunch of catchphrases and whacky behaviour (the better to make some spin off series). He's  like a metaphor for the whole film: copy what worked before, but go bigger.

I'm sounding a lot more negative than I really am. I still enjoyed those elements (except Hutch can fuck right off) and the cast are ace, with Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Feinnes perfectly suited to their roles.
I'll happily watch it again, but I'll watch the first three more happily.

Just to counter all my negativity, I liked The Pirates..., Early Man and Robin Robin a whole lot.

Mister Six

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on January 21, 2022, 04:09:30 PMI suppose that's laudable. I wonder if we were spared some real stinkers, or just more sub-par efforts?

Here's me whinging after a recent rewatch of Curse of the Were-Rabbit:
Just to counter all my negativity, I liked The Pirates..., Early Man and Robin Robin a whole lot.

All three of those are tremendous, but Pirates was a proper classic. Really wish they'd been able to do the sequels they had planned.

Midas


Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

As much as I like the rest of their films, it was nice to see them go outside the usual house style for Robin Robin.

Midas

Don't mind the feature film and A Matter of Loaf and Death but the later entries don't really compare to the original three films for me (though I do have a soft spot for the "Cracking Contraptions" shorts they showed one Christmas on BBC).

Unconvinced about the role being "Culshawed" but I'll probably watch it, if I still remember about this in two years time.

Peter Sallis reprised his role for a fairly obscure Wallace & Gromit audio play called The Lost Slipper in the 90s. They could theoretically adapt that into a legitimate animated short, if it weren't for the fact that the play ended up being a really fucking weird sprawling fever dream of guff spawned by Wallace somehow inventing a time machine to find his missing slipper. At one point they go back and visit a distant french relative of Wallace and "Gromit le chien". Probably not worth bothering with, actually.

mothman

I haven't seen many of the later Shaun episodes, nor either film, but I thought the special that was on this Christmas last was good fun.

Old Nehamkin

Quote from: Midas on January 21, 2022, 10:49:35 PMPeter Sallis reprised his role for a fairly obscure Wallace & Gromit audio play called The Lost Slipper in the 90s. They could theoretically adapt that into a legitimate animated short, if it weren't for the fact that the play ended up being a really fucking weird sprawling fever dream of guff spawned by Wallace somehow inventing a time machine to find his missing slipper. At one point they go back and visit a distant french relative of Wallace and "Gromit le chien". Probably not worth bothering with, actually.

I had the graphic novel of The Lost Slipper (which I think the audio version was adapted from) and yeah, I remember it being a bit stream of consciousness rambly and not particularly feeling like a Wallace and Gromit story. I think they ended up at the battle of Hastings at one point and stopped King Harold from getting killed or something. Also there was a second story in the same volume that was a murder mystery that took place at the family estate of the Wendoline character from A Close Shave. Maybe I should try and dig that out actually.

Tikwid

Quote from: idunnosomename on January 21, 2022, 12:55:56 PMLoaf and Death is pretty good and funny, it's Wererabbit that's a bit drawn-out imo. Also doesn't have the weird sci-fi horror undertone of the shorts,
The bit in bold made me realise that this is an aspect of the 90s shorts that I've never really seen anyone discuss, but to me is a vital part of their appeal - the gloomy, dingy, indeterminately mid-20th century setting, where massive industrial buildings and rows of bare terraces stride the empty streets of Not-Wigan, where the only human inhabitants are the ones directly involved in the plot. Very much remniscient of the equivalent eerie visual bleakness in the lesser known Aardman shorts of the 80s and 90s, such as Ident, Stage Fright, Babylon, Early Bird, etc. It's a quality that's not really present in the 2000s stuff, probably down to a combination of the technical advances in the animation process, the addition of a whole cast of other human characters in the movie, and maybe Aardman playing up the cutesy side of the Britishness a bit more for that international appeal. (Even Lenny Henry's horrifying "Right Trousers" parody gets the old vibe right to a degree, with the eerie silhouetted shots of Wallace and his lover in the deep blue light of night)

Replies From View

Quote from: peanutbutter on January 21, 2022, 12:27:25 PMI thought Curse of the Were Rabbit was pretty good, as good as one coming out a decade later and 3 times as long as the others could be. A Matter of Loaf and Death displayed the issues I expected from it a lot more, just a massive dud of a short iirc.

Mind you, I generally think quite a lot of the charm was gone by A Close Shave.


Blows my mind that Loaf & Death is that old btw, it's probably the last piece of major Christmas viewing I had.

I share these views and now I don't have to type them - good!

Jerzy Bondov

Quote from: mothman on January 21, 2022, 10:56:56 PMI haven't seen many of the later Shaun episodes, nor either film, but I thought the special that was on this Christmas last was good fun.
The first Shaun film is a real classic. Easily the best film where a beloved farm animal goes to a city and clashes with overzealous animal control. Probably my favourite feature length Aardman actually. The second is very good too although it hawks its own soundtrack album a bit too hard. Too many musical montages.

mothman


Replies From View

I loved The Wrong Trousers and I remember being hyped beyond belief for A Close Shave.  I was collecting all the newspaper clippings of the time like it was some kind of historic Apollo 11 moment that needed preserving.

So for me I think a lot of what people are saying about the feature film or Loaf and Death letting them down happened to me with A Close Shave.  Its entire style is more flashy, but more streamlined.  There's less nuance in the humour, it lacks the patient timing of The Wrong Trousers, and you can tell they've overhauled the animation process to make it quicker to do with more animators working at once.  You don't ever get that same sense of Nick Park himself acting through the plasticine. 

The famous behind the scenes interview from The Wrong Trousers, with Park manipulating Wallace's mouth frame by frame for the "cracking toast Gromit" breakfast scene, would be superseded in later films by endless racks of pre-made Wallace mouth phonemes which would be swapped in.  I didn't know this at the time but I could feel it, and A Close Shave just felt less special the day I saw it.  There was a teacher at school who adored The Wrong Trousers as well; when we came back after the 1995 Christmas holiday I asked her what she thought of A Close Shave and she too was deflated about it.  She just said it was "too action-packed".

I grew to like it - it sits now as having a 90s charm that the later ones lack, but that gap between 1993 and 1995 is in many ways longer than the gap between 1995 and 2005.

Replies From View

Ben Whitehead is the name of the new Wallace guy.  He was doing W&G games before taking over fully from Sallis and he's certainly improved from his earlier outings.  In his earlier efforts (see for example the TellTale W&G games) Wallace honestly sounds like he's had a stroke.

Much better at it now, but as with any impression there's a danger of falling into exaggerations of tropes and losing Sallis' more everyday qualities, if that makes sense.