Friday, January 23, 2009

Check This...'A Grand Day Out '

Nick Park started making A Grand Day Out in 1982, the film took over six years to make, almost all of it single-handedly done by Nick Park himself. It formed part of his graduation project from the National Film and Television School, Aardman Animations took him on before he finished the piece, allowing him to work on it part time while still being funded by the school. Peter Sallis was paid £50 for his services to voice Wallace and had long forgotten the project when Nick Park got in touch to let him know it had been completed.

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film, but lost to the short Creature Comforts, which was also a creation of Nick Park.

The plot is basically Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday on the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese.

The short and the continued success of Wallace and Gromit is testament of the quality, time, dedication and just sheer genius that goes into each project Nick Park is involved in.



Check This... is a weekly feature showcasing what we at Flicks News consider essential short films to watch!

To view past shorts we showcased click here.