Latest news with #AardmanAnimation
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic Wallace and Gromit character lands spin-off movie – but there's a catch
AN Iconic Wallace and Gromit spin-off character has landed another spin-off movie. However, for fans hoping to see Wallace and Gromit following the success of their Christmas flick, Vengeance Most Fowl, they will be left disappointed. 4 Shaun the Sheep has landed his THIRD movie but there will be no appearances from the much-loved Wallace and Gromit. Aardman Animation has confirmed that Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, is in the works for release this Halloween. The movie will be produced in association with StudioCanal with Sky on board as UK distributor. Teasers for the flick reveal that the residents of Messy Bottom will be looking forward to a spooky and fun-filled Halloween but the clumsy Farmer soon wreaks havoc and trashes the beloved pumpkin patch. Shaun will then try to help and will don his best mad scientist hat to come up with a solution. But things are sure to go awry when Shaun is involved. When things spiral, a wild beast will soon be roaming around the woodlands. Sarah Cox, the chief creative director at Aardman, said of the new flick: 'Shaun the Sheep is an iconic character, beloved by viewers of all ages around the world. 'In our new animated movie, we bring family-friendly thrills to this light-hearted, spooky Halloween adventure. "Expect smashed pumpkins, wayward science, and a wild hairy beast on the loose in Mossy Bottom – all delivered with the Flock's trademark joyous comedy.' The previous instalment's director Steve Cox will be back to direct the movie. StudioCanal's Anna Marsh and Ron Halpern added: 'We have taken such pride in establishing Shaun the Sheep and the flock as a cinematic must for audiences across the globe and in this – our third feature film in the franchise – we have a tantalising seasonal hook in Halloween with thrills, spills, surprises, a touch of science and characters old and new. "We cannot wait to reveal more of this highly anticipated family treat in the coming months. "It's a genuine pleasure to be back in partnership with Aardman for Shaun's very welcome return to the big screen.' Wallace and Gromit: Films and TV Series Beloved animated characters Wallace and Gromit made their first appearance in 1989. Over the following decades, they have become ingrained in popular culture and have won prestigious awards. Let's take a look at their extensive filmography. Films A Grand Day Out (1989): The pair's very first adventure, a short film which premiered at an animation festival in Bristol. It was broadcast on Channel 4 on Christmas Day 1990. It was also the first time that Last of the Summer Wine actor Peter Sallis voiced Wallace. The Wrong Trousers (1993): This second short film premiered in 1993 and introduced the villain Feathers McGraw. It won the Academy Award for Best Short Film. A Close Shave (1995): The duo's third short film which also featured the debut of Shaun, the future title character of Shaun the Sheep. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): The first feature-length Wallace and Gromit film, which featured the voices of Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Peter Kay alongside that of Peter Sallis as Wallace. This film's critical acclaim included winning a number of awards, namely the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008): The fourth Wallace and Gromit short film. This was a murder mystery which starred Peter Sallis, Ben Whitehead, Sally Lindsay and Geraldine McEwan. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024): The second feature length Wallace and Gromit film. It features the return of Feathers McGraw and is also the first full film performance for Ben Whitehead as Wallace. He previously shared the role with Peter Sallis in A Matter of Loaf and Death. TV series Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions (2002): A series of ten stop-motion animation shorts of approximately one to three minutes each. All ten shorts were aired on BBC One. Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention (2010): A science-themed miniseries and Peter Sallis' last acting project before his retirement. Sallis died in 2017, at the age of 96. 4 4
Buzz Feed
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
18 Hidden Easter Eggs From DreamWorks Animated Movies That You Probably Missed The First Time
DreamWorks has a way of planting little details we often miss...I mean, the Easter eggs aren't just for Disney! But I bet you were too into the movies to even notice them. Fortunately for you, I picked up on them and these are the 18 that I noticed in particular: 1. Roxanne's dress color changes throughout Megamind. 2. In Penguins of Madagascar, Dave is seen drinking clam juice when the North Wind breaks into his submarine. Clams are actually known to be one of octopuses' main source of food. 3. The prison floor in Kung Fu Panda 2 resembles the Yin Yang symbol. 4. In the opening scene in Flushed Away, Roddy pulls out Wallace's outfit from the Wallace and Gromit series. 5. In that same scene, Roddy also pulls out a Wolverine outfit. Hugh Jackman, the voice of Roddy, also plays Wolverine in the Marvel films. 7. In Shrek 2, one of the potion bottles the workers put on a conveyor belt in Fairy Godmother's factory is marked "Fiagra"— a play on "Viagra." DreamWorks Animation 8. In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Mort mimics the airplane wing walker from the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." 9. When Puss first attacks Shrek in Shrek 2, he carves a "P" into the tree. 11. Plushes of Alex from Madagascar and Gromit can be seen in the little girl's bedroom in Flushed Away. DreamWorks Animation/Aardman Animation 12. In Shrek 2, the Big Bad Wolf is found reading a magazine called Pork Illustrated, a parody of Sports Illustrated. DreamWorks Animation 13. The monsters in Monsters vs. Aliens are all nods to classic monster movies. DreamWorks Animation Ginormica is a reference to Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, B.O.B. is a reference to The Blob, the Missing Link is a reference to Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. is a reference to The Fly, and Insectosaurus is a reference to Mothra. 14. Mason and Phil from Madagascar make a cameo appearance on a newspaper in Turbo. DreamWorks Animation 15. In The Road to El Dorado, Tzekel-Kan's sacred book contains a picture of the DreamWorks logo. DreamWorks Animation 16. In Flushed Away, Roddy slides past various DreamWorks DVDs (how many can you spot?). DreamWorks Animation/Aardman Animation 17. General W.R. Monger wears a Shrek badge in Monsters vs. Aliens. DreamWorks Animation 18. And finally, during the DreamWorks logo in How to Train Your Dragon, Toothless can be seen flying in the sky in the background.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Money trap' bus lane must be improved after more than £1m fines in six months, judge rules
A 'money trap' bus lane must be improved after drivers were fined well over £1million in six months, a tribunal judge has ruled. Bristol city council made £7,400 a day from the section of Cumberland Road between Jan 1 and May 14 last year. The lane, known as a bus gate, offers buses, bicycles and taxis access to a section of Cumberland Road that is closed to other vehicles. If a car goes through the bus gate, the driver is given a penalty charge notice (PCN) at a cost of £35. This doubles after two weeks. Some drivers have blamed Google Maps for still directing banned vehicles along the road despite the words 'Bus Gate' in white lettering on the ground, blue signs displaying the restricted access, and a 'bus lane camera' warning. Residents argue it is not clear enough and claim it has become a means of financial gain for the council. Mackenzie Robinson, the adjudicator, has ruled more needs to be done to make the gate clearer to drivers. A large proportion of fines were given to drivers turning left from Gas Ferry Road, away from the SS Great Britain, Aardman Animation, creators of Wallace & Gromit, and the Floating Harbour. Mr Robinson said too many drivers are still getting caught out. He added: 'I must look at the situation as a whole and I am concerned that little use has been made of road markings diverting drivers towards the council's preferred alternative route. 'There are a number of possible measures that can be employed, such as directional arrows, wording on the road surface, broken white lines to delineate the route intended for the main traffic flow and so on. 'It is for the council, with its detailed local knowledge and expertise, to decide what specific measures should be put in place.' Steven Dickson, a 64-year-old property owner who has lived on the Cumberland Road for 25 years described the bus gate as a 'money trap' and a 'cash cow'. He told The Telegraph: 'It's a money trap. The local community said they don't want it… It's a cash cow. 'The thing that I take issue with is that when people sign a petition to say they don't want it, the council should listen. Instead, they just tick the boxes and do what they want. 'I really take issue with it. Buses are so infrequent, it's not like the city centre. If you don't know the area, you would drive straight through it.' He said the 'outrageous' bus gate added an extra 25 minutes to his commute. 'We've been charged lots of times,' said Mr Dickson. 'We've probably paid £600 in fines by now because if I take the time out of my day to do a half-an-hour trip to go home, it's too costly in time. 'It comes down to this: do you pay a fine or do you save time? We went on holiday to Cornwall once, and then came back and found we had a huge fine.' Last year, more than 1,000 people signed a petition asking the council to remove the bus gate, saying that it negatively impacted the local economy, and the lives and livelihoods of residents and businesses. John Smith, the council's interim executive director of growth and regeneration, previously said the bus gate would achieve elements of the wider transport policy aspirations of their overall transport strategy. Matt Sanders, an art director who lives nearby, spent months investigating the bus gate. He compiled a 150-page document outlining all the problems with the signage. Commenting on the judge's ruling, he said: 'I am very happy with this decision but these are issues that I have raised time and time again over the past 10 months.' He said that none of the adjudicators had actually come to see the bus gate. They were working remotely, he added, so could not physically see how the signs were confusing given the layout. Mr Sanders told how the 'bus gate is on an island, which is extremely narrow' and the 'signs do not warn you at the beginning of the road'. He said: 'You inevitably end up crossing the bus gate.' The Telegraph has contacted Bristol city council for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Wallace and Gromit: PC Mukherjee's ready for 'insane' Oscars trip
The actor who voiced the plucky PC Mukherjee in the latest hit Wallace and Gromit film has said she is pinching herself ahead of a "quite insane" trip to the Patel starred in the BAFTA-winning Vengeance Most Fowl and will travel with cast and creators to the ceremony in Hollywood after the film was nominated for an Academy long-awaited return of the animated stop-motion franchise from Aardman Animation was watched by 20 million people when the film aired on BBC One on Christmas 23-year-old, whose character was a firm favourite with fans of the film, said the audience response had been "so above and beyond what I thought it was going to be". She told BBC Radio Manchester being involved in the film was an "incredible experience", but added that the Oscars call came as a surprise. "I woke up, I had like that horrible flu that had been going around and I just had a text from my agent saying, 'oh, you're going to the Oscars in like two weeks'," she said."And I thought I dreamt it in my weird, ill state."I don't even really know how it works. "And at this point I'm not questioning it. I'm just hoping they'll let me in when I show up."The Bolton actor's turn as PC Mukherjee was a high point in the hilarious outing, as the intrepid new PC was central to the plot, helping the iconic title characters track down their penguin nemesis, the master of disguise Feathers film also featured the vocal talents of Patel's fellow Boltonian, comedian Peter Kay, who voiced PC Mukherjee's superior, Ch Insp Mackintosh. Creator and Preston-born Nick Park and his Bristol-based Aardman Animations team have already won four Oscars, so Patel said hopes were high that they would add to that achievement."The team are so insanely talented and their minds are brilliant and the script is so witty and so fun," she said. "It made it such an enjoyable job to work on [and they are] also just all lovely people."They've got Oscars and they're very successful, they're very well known. "But they're all just really lovely, down to earth people who just want to make the film as good as it can be." The trip to the Oscars comes three years after Patel landed her first role in coming-of-age musical drama Everybody's Talking About Jamie. That success came just days after she was rejected by a number of drama schools and she said she got the part in an open online then, she said she "fell head first" into the industry, which was "kind of mental", and she recently joined the cast of BBC drama Waterloo Road for the latest said becoming a professional actor was a dream come true."I never thought that I would be able to do it professionally in this capacity," she said."I was like, 'oh, maybe I'll go to drama school and then in like 10 years, I'll get a little bit on the telly and, and that'll be great'. "And I'll maybe do some community theatre because that's really fun. "But yeah, it's mad. I can't believe it."Everyone who has ever met me as a child would know that I loved singing and dancing and attention." She said she was excited about every aspect of her trip and had chosen her all-important red carpet outfit."I wanted to find something that I felt really good in, that I felt represented who I was and I think I found that," she she added that she would keep the exact details of the outfit "under wraps".Above everything else though, she said there was one thing she was really looking forward to."I'm really excited to see Raye perform," she said."I love her so much and I've never seen her live and the first time I'm going to see her is at the Oscars, which is mental."The 97th Academy Awards will be held in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on Sunday. Coverage will be on the BBC News can watch Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on BBC iPlayer. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
