Wallace & Gromit is a British stop-motion animated comedy franchise created by Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations. It consists of four short films, two feature-length films and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series centres on Wallace, a good-natured, eccentric, cheese-loving inventor, and Gromit, his loyal and intelligent anthropomorphic beagle. The first short film, A Grand Day Out, was finished and released in 1989. Wallace was voiced by actor Peter Sallis until 2010 when he was succeeded by Ben Whitehead. While Wallace speaks very often, Gromit is largely silent and has no dialogue, communicating through facial expressions and body language.[1]
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 News called them "some of the best-known and best-loved stars to come out of the UK".[2] Icons has said they have done "more to improve the image of the English world-wide than any officially appointed ambassadors".[3]
Park has made pointed references that he was inspired by his childhood through the 1950s and 1960s in Lancashire in Northern England. Although not overtly set in any particular time – with the 1960s being the optimum time period placement, except for the considerable number of anachronisms – but with very shaky geography, where Wigan is seen at the end of Wallace's alliterative home address on his letters, though his accent comes from the Holme Valley of West Yorkshire and he is especially fond of Wensleydale cheese (from Wensleydale, North Yorkshire).
Their films have been widely praised, with the first three short films, A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993) and A Close Shave (1995) earning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes; the feature film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) has also received acclaim. The feature film is the second-highest-grossing stop-motion animated film, outgrossed by Chicken Run (2000), another creation of Park's. A fourth short film, A Matter of Loaf and Death, was released in 2008. A second feature film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which serves as a sequel to The Wrong Trousers, will be released in 2024.[4] The franchise has received numerous accolades, including five British Academy Film Awards, three Academy Awards and a Peabody Award.[5]
