Ingenious inventor Wallace loves cheese, and he'll do anything to replenish his supply--even if it means building a rocket ship and traveling to the moon! The debut film featuring Wallace and his smarter-than-your-average-dog Gromit, A GRAND DAY OUT revived interest in stop-motion animation just when it seemed as if the technique was hopelessly outdated. A labor of love for Nick Park, the 25-minute film took over six years to make.

Following in the fantastical footsteps of filmmakers Georges Méliès, Ray Harryhausen, and Will Vinton, director/animator Nick Park offers his own space epic in the first Wallace and Gromit film. When slightly kooky inventor Wallace runs out of cheese on a bank holiday, he decides that he and his dog, Gromit, should travel to the moon, because "everybody knows the moon's made of cheese." After constructing a spaceship in the basement of their house, the intrepid duo blast off and discover a fastidious, coin-operated robot that protects the cheesy lunar-scape from despoliation. The robot also dreams of skiing, if only he can find a pair of skis.

With their bulbous noses and close-set eyes, Wallace and Gromit demonstrate that high-tech effects are not necessary for good storytelling. A large budget isn't necessary either; the film cost only about 12,000 pounds to make. With A GRAND DAY OUT, Park laid much of the groundwork for his unique style of animation, which would later reach full fruition with the Hollywood-funded CHICKEN RUN.

The film started as Nick Park's graduation project for the National Film and Television School in England. He finished it over six years later, while working at Aardman Animations.

Park first started thinking about Wallace and Gromit in art school in Sheffield. Gromit originally was a cat. He became a dog because dogs are generally bigger and thus, easier to manipulate for an animator.

Gromit originally had a voice. The voice was cut because the animators thought that his facial expressions were communicative enough.

One of the reasons Wallace and Gromit have disproportionately large hands is because the animators can more easily manipulate them.

Wallace and Gromit's pupils are tiny holes that can fit the end of a paper clip. This allows the animators to manipulate eye movements.

Park likes to call the robot on the moon "The Cooker." There were originally supposed to be several robots on the moon, in a tribute to the bar scene in STAR WARS.

The short film might have won an Academy Award, if not for the fact that it was competing against another Park creation, CREATURE COMFORTS, which won the award that year.

Park's father has said that the interior of the rocket ship is similar to a caravan he once built for the family.

"Everybody knows the moon's made of cheese."--Wallace, explaining to Gromit why they are going to vacation on the moon

DVD Features:

Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0

Nick Park: British Animator