Introduction British animator Nick Park (1958-) uses plasticine
to bring his characters and stories to life. His stop-motion animations
are famous for their expressiveness, personality, and action. He
explained the benefit of working with plasticine to create animation:
Nick Park is part
of a whole team at Aardman
Animation Studios located in Bristol, England. His most famous
animations are the Wallace and Gromit series, about an inventor
and his inventive dog. These plasticine figures have become a recognizable
part of British popular culture. Park's comic creations have earned
the animator two Oscars and have been distributed to over 46 countries.
Materials The Incredible Adventures of Wallace and
Gromit DVD
Bonus Features include: Introduction by Nick Park, over 30 minutes
of Behind-The-Scenes footage, and Nick Park’s early works. Wallace
& Gromit Official Website
Critical Viewings for Wallace and
Gromit Series Ask students:
What was your favorite episode from the Wallace and Gromit
series? Why? (Provide at least 3 reasons.)
What was your favorite character of Wallace & Gromit? Why?
What was the character’s personality? How did the appearance
of the character influence your perception of its personality?
What are some of the lessons that Wallace and Gromit
realize in these series?
Most of Nick Park’s animations are created entirely from
plasticine clay, staying close to traditions that have evolved
over more than a century. Describe some qualities about this technique
that makes it so appropriate for this animation?
Do the characters or humor of this series reflect different
cultural norms or traditions? How? Do you think all animation
reflects the time and place and people involved in its making?
Wallace and Gromit Series
A Grand Day Out (1989)
Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese and this provides an excellent
excuse for the animated duo to take their holiday on the moon, which
everyone knows is made of cheese. When they land in their rocket
they discover that there is an unexpected local inhabitant from
the moon.
The Wrong Trousers (1993) In
this Oscar winning story, Gromit (a dog) finds himself being pushed
out of his room and home by a new lodger (a small penguin) who is
actually a ruthless criminal. The penguin is planning a robbery and
needs to use Wallace and his mechanical remote controlled trousers
to pull off the raid. However, Gromit is wise to the penguin and comes
to the rescue.
A Close Shave (1995) When Wallace and Gromit go over to wash windows,
Wallace falls in love with a wool storeowner named Wendolene. Meanwhile,
Gromit is framed for killing sheep and is put in jail. So with help
from the sheep and Wendolene, Wallace is determined to get Gromit
out of prison.
Animator Nick Park Nick Park, born in Preston, Lancashire, UK in 1958,
became interested in animation while in grade school and started making
films in his parent's attic at the age of 13. Nick completed a BA
degree in Communication Arts at Sheffield Art School in 1980 and in
the same year went on to study animation at the National Film and
Television School in Beaconsfield, where he conceived the Wallace
and Gromit characters. In 1985 he joined Aardman Animations where
he has worked as Director and Animator on numerous projects and has
taken his stop motion creations to Oscar glory three times. These
include Creature
Comforts (1989), the Wallace and Gromit series,
and Chicken
Run (2000). Wallace and Gromit’s first full-length
feature film Curse of the Were Rabbit is about to come out
October 2005.