Wallace and Gromit is a British stop motion comedy franchise. Created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations, the series consists of four short films and a feature-length film. The series centres on Wallace, an absent-minded inventor and cheese enthusiast, along with his companion Gromit, a silent yet intelligent anthropomorphic dog.
The duo live in the north of England at 62 West Wallaby Street. Wallace is primarily voiced by veteran actor Peter Sallis, and alternatively by Ben Whitehead when Sallis is not available. Gromit remains silent, communicating only through means of facial expressions and body language.
Wallace and Gromit has been translated into over 20 languages and has a particularly big following in Japan, as well as in its native Britain and across Europe and the United States.
Because of their endearing (if quirky) personalities and widespread popularity, the characters have been described as positive international icons of both modern British culture in particular and British people in general. BBC News has called them "some of the best-known and best-loved stars to come out of the UK".^[1] Icons has said they have done "more to improve the image of the English world-wide than any officially appointed ambassadors".^[2]
The short films The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave and the full length feature The Curse of the Were-Rabbit released in 2005 have all received Academy Awards. The first short film, A Grand Day Out first shown in 1989, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, but lost to Creature Comforts, another animated creation of Nick Park.
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was Nick Park's first production since his five-film deal with DreamWorks broke down in 2008 after only three films; also including Flushed Away. Park said later that culture clash contributed to the collapse of the relationship: DreamWorks couldn't help but try to Americanise the very British Wallace and Gromit, tarnishing some of the duo's nostalgic charm.
The most recent short film A Matter of Loaf and Death was likewise nominated in 2010, but lost to Logorama. The films have received critical acclaim, with all four of the short films having 100% positive ratings on aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and the feature film having a 95% rating, placing it in the top 20 animated feature films on the site.
In 2012, Wallace and Gromit featured on an advert saying 'Inventing For Britain' which was part of a poster campaign to promote British trade and business aboard in the year they hosted the Olympics. In 2013, sculptures of Gromit went on display in Bristol, many decorated by famous artists, they were auctioned off in October 2013 in aid of the Wallace and Gromit Foundation charity and raised over £2 million.
In 2013, Peter Lord tweeted that there were no plans at the moment for a new short film.