Claymation transportation: Wallace and Gromit

InTrans / Jul 28, 2016

Go! Magazine

posted on July 28, 2016

In the world of claymation, anyone can be an engineer.

But Wallace and Gromit take the cake when it comes to inventing crazy transportation—or should we say—take the cheese? Wallace, a cheese-obsessed inventor, and his dog, Gromit, take on the world of transportation time and time again in their very own British claymation comedy series created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations.

Whether it’s flying to the moon, catching a hungry were-rabbit, or just delivering baked goods around town, Wallace and Gromit need the right contraption for the job! Between inventing new gadgets, and fixing the old ones that malfunction, these best friends are constantly evolving their craft.

Choose your gadget

What’s more your style: a bold pair of trousers that do the walking for you, or a slick, red motorcycle with a flying sidecar?

Throughout their adventures, Wallace and Gromit must rely on transportation to help them complete their everyday projects. They also use transportation to help the community out of its latest debacle. So, what ride suits you best? Let’s take a look at what Wallace and Gromit have up their sleeves.

A Grand Day Out

Gadget: Homemade spacecraft

Director: Nick Park

Genre(s): Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 23 min

The beloved inventor and his dog began their adventures nearly 30 years ago in 1989.

In A Grand Day Out, Wallace and Gromit run out of cheese and fashion a plan to take a holiday to the moon—which we all know is made of cheese, right? The innovative pair creates their very own spacecraft, taking them straight to the moon, and their sci-fi adventure won’t disappoint.

The Wrong Trousers

Gadget: Mechanical trousers

Director: Nick Park

Genre(s): Animation, Short, Comedy, Crime, Family, Sci-Fi

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 30 min

Wallace and Gromit come back for more action-packed animation in The Wrong Trousers.

This time around, Wallace designs a high-tech pair of self-walking trousers for Gromit’s birthday. Although Wallace designed the trousers to help take Gromit on a walk, the trousers end up walking Wallace! At the hands of a thieving penguin, Wallace’s own clever invention is turned against him.

A Close Shave

Gadget: Motorcycle with flying sidecar

Director: Nick Park

Genre(s): Animation, Short, Comedy

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 30 min

In A Close Shave, the ride of choice is a slick, bright red motorcycle for Wallace with a fully-equipped sidecar for Gromit. The friends utilize the motorcycle for their window-washing business, but when the town finds itself in the midst of a wool shortage, Wallace and Gromit find themselves in the thick of it all.

To save their friend Shaun, and the rest of the sheep from a doomed criminal plot, Wallace and Gromit find the need for transportation yet again (with over a dozen sheep packed on the back of a motorcycle like a habal-habal).

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Gadget: All-purpose rabbit roundup vehicle

Director: Steve Box, Nick Park

Genre(s): Animation, Comedy, Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 85 min

This time, Wallace and Gromit’s gig is a “humane pest removal service” called Anti-Pesto. The pair uses a truck equipped with a high-powered rabbit vacuum to carefully suck rabbits out of the townspeople’s yards, keeping their prized vegetables safe.

If you like that, then you’ll love what Wallace and Gromit come up with when there’s a giant were-rabbit on the loose and threatening the integrity of the annual vegetable contest!

The History of Wallace and Gromit

This timeless, ageless duo continues to bring laughs to people of all ages, thanks to the imagination and dedication of Nick Park. Find out how his student sketches became the characters we know and love today on the Wallace and Gromit website. And did you know that in 2015, Wallace and Gromit even got their own dedicated YouTube Channel?

InTrans

Institute for Transportation