'Entire Wallace and Gromit history' lost in warehouse fire
The company behind the successful Wallace and Gromit films said today that its “entire history” was destroyed in a devastating fire at a warehouse containing all its theatrical props.
The roof of the Aardman Animations building in Silverthorne Lane, near Temple Meads station in Bristol, collapsed after the blaze tore through the Victorian building early today.
A spokesman for Aardman said the building housed all the props and sets from the company’s history, from Morph through to Wallace and Gromit films.
In better news for the company today, the new Wallace & Gromit film has topped the US box office.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, made $16.1m (€13.3m) over the weekend, compared with the thriller Flightplan, which was in second place with $10.8m (€8.9m).
The figures published by entertainment magazine Variety represent a triumph for Aardman Animations, the Bristol-based company responsible for Wallace & Gromit.
The film is the duo’s first big screen outing after the acclaimed shorts Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. It has been well-reviewed by the critics.
Nick Park, the creator of Wallace & Gromit, and co-director Steve Box started on the script for Wallace & Gromit, The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit five years ago.
The film features the voices of 84-year-old Peter Sallis, of The Last Of The Summer Wine fame and actors Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.
In the film, Wallace & Gromit are pitted against a monster rabbit ravaging a town’s vegetable gardens.
