Features: DVD, English
Editor's Note
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A GRAND DAY OUT revived interest in stop-motion animation just when it seemed as if the technique was hopelessly outdated.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.
Plot Summary
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.
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