British films are rarely successful in the United States. However, the animated1 adventures of a cheese-loving,eccentric inventorand hiscanine companionare proving to be a surprise hit in America, having taken the number one position in the US box office on the weekend of its release.
In a year which has seen poor ticket sales for big-budget, action movies it seems that the gentle,quirky humourof Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit has captured the American publics imagination.
Although Wallace and Gromit have been stars in the UK for a number of years, they are less well-known abroad. For those who dont know, Wallace is a hare-brained inventor with a passion for Wensleydale cheese. Gromit is hiswilydog. Both areclay modelsbrought to life through thepainstakingprocess ofsTOP-motion animation2.
Their creator, Nick Park,dreamed them upwhilst still a student at the National Film and Television School in the 1980s. Their first film A Grand Day Out began as his graduation film and was completed whilst working for his first employers, Aardman Animations3.
Since then their rise has been steady but slow. Because the technique of sTOP-motion animation is solabour intensive, typically producing two seconds of film per days work, Wallace and Gromit films arefew and far between. They have appeared in only three half-hour films for television and ten one-minute films specially4 made for the Internet.
Nevertheless, they have received a great deal ofcritical acclaim5. Their first film was nominated for an Oscar whilst their second and thirdoutingsThe Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave both won Oscars.
Hollywoodcame callingin 2000 when Aardman Animations made a five-movie deal with Steven Spielbergs film studio Dreamworks. The Curse of the Were-Rabbithas taken four years and a reported $30 million to make, and features the voices of international stars Helena Bonham-Carter and Ralph Fiennes.
Despitehitting the big time, one thing hasnt changed since their earliest days. Wallaces voice remains6 that of veteran, sit-com actor Peter Sallis. Sallis first agreed to take the role after receiving a letter fromthen studentNick Park and an offer of a ￡50 donation to the charity of his choice.
