New Wallace and Gromit Shorts

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New Wallace and Gromit Shorts

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Tuesday October 15, 2002 @12:15AM from the stuff-to-get dept.

disco_stu00 writes "Aardman Animations has produced 10 new one-minute Wallace and Gromit shorts entitled Cracking Contraptions in preparation and training for the upcoming feature length film. BBC News has the first short available for download."

23 of 146 comments (clear)

Wallace eyes the export market... by MosesJones · 2002-10-15 00:17 · Score: 5, Funny

Clearly with the Soccermatic Wallace is looking to expand into the US Soccer Mom market, the domestic version will of course continue to be called the "Footymatic" :-)

More Cheese Gromit ?

--
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
1. Re:Wallace eyes the export market... by Quaryon · 2002-10-15 01:40 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  It may be a Brit invention, but the term "soccer" is not really in general use over here. We just call it "football", since it involves regular contact between the foot and the ball...
  
  I believe it was originally coined as a shortened form of "association football" to differentiate the game from "rugby football" ("rugger"). This we now just generally call "rugby", since it involves less contact between the foot and the ball.
  
  Q.
I'm looking forward to the movie... by mong · 2002-10-15 00:19 · Score: 5, Funny

I had a look at this at lunch, and I'm relieved to say that it's clear that we're in for a treat with the new movie - if this clip is anything to go by. People have suggested that W&G is old and stale now (as Chicken Run wasn't *amazing*). But this made me giggle, and I can't wait! Nice Work!!

--

*...Slacker, Artist, Techie - Geek *
Remember: Nothing is Cool.
1. Re:I'm looking forward to the movie... by Pike65 · 2002-10-15 00:26 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  That's the thing, isn't it?
  
  Wallace and Gromit should have been stale when it first came out (regional English accents and dogs that are smarter than their owners?), but the sheer quality of the animation and clever direction made all three some of the most loved short films ever.
  
  --
  "If being a geek means being passionate about something, then I pity those who aren't geeks." - Pike65
2. Re:I'm looking forward to the movie... by mong · 2002-10-15 00:29 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Hrm, but us Brits don't complain about southern drawl, or Seattle slur in Hollywood movies! I was quite amused that a US reviewer of "Reign of Fire" (avoid, it sucks) complained about the non-rp accents of the Brits.
  
  Hrm, off topic I guess.
  
  What needs to be noted is that a soft yorkshire accent like that of Wallace is entirely appropriate. It makes perfect sense.
  
  But I accept your points anyway... sorry.. I'm rambling!
  
  --
  
  *...Slacker, Artist, Techie - Geek *
  Remember: Nothing is Cool.
ITYM by the+grace+of+R'hllor · 2002-10-15 00:20 · Score: 5, Funny

Don't you mean 'trousers', instead of 'shorts'?

Yeah yeah, 'boo', 'hiss' and all that.
Here's a by oever · 2002-10-15 00:22 · Score: 5, Informative

more convenient link

--
DNA is the ultimate spaghetti code.
Dammit, Grommit... by pokeyburro · 2002-10-15 00:23 · Score: 4, Funny

...I was hoping for actual clothes.

--
Lately democracy seems to be based on the skybox, the Happy Meal box, the X-box, and the idiot box.
Worship at the church of Shaun the Sheep by Dynamoo · 2002-10-15 00:26 · Score: 5, Interesting

Shaun the Sheep (from A Close Shave is a huge cultural icon in the UK, even more so that Gromit. In five hundred years time when archaeologists dig through the remains of our era, they'll clearly come to the conclusion that the plethora of Shaunie socks, toys, character bags, ornaments, mouse mats etc are part of some religious thing.
Umm maybe that's just my confession that all of these items currently exist in my household. Plus a single solitary Gromit.
One.. two.. three.. baaaah!

--
Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
NO CGI! by scrod98 · 2002-10-15 00:31 · Score: 5, Insightful

So glad they are producing the feature in the same medium and not moving to the computerized version of W & G. Stop motion animation has such a great feel to it.

--
LETS DECOMPOSE & ENJOY ASSEMBLING
1. Re:NO CGI! by doi · 2002-10-15 01:02 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  So glad they are producing the feature in the same medium and not moving to the computerized version of W & G. Stop motion animation has such a great feel to it.
  I totally agree! I think George Lucas needs to sit down with Nick Park and learn from Nick how to infuse an animated character with personality and performance in a way that engages the audience. Simply using CGI to show off the latest whiz-bang Flame/Maya/Photoshop plugin that renders Yoda's hair with the appropriate translucency is not a substitute for character...especially considering that Frank Oz made the "old technology" Yoda puppet far more convincing than the CGI version was.
  
  --
  A man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's an erection for?
2. Re:NO CGI! by gaudior · 2002-10-15 02:32 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  CGI, in and of itself, is not the problem. The problem is George Lucas, and his lack of artistic taste. There are good examples of CG characters that do engage an audience, and display life and personality. Pixar and Big Idea come to mind. CG is just a tool.
The players and club by MosesJones · 2002-10-15 00:32 · Score: 5, Informative

Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Nobby Stiles and of course the club in question Preston North End

--
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Re:Not Linux compatible by Anonymous Coward · 2002-10-15 00:34 · Score: 5, Informative

It's quicktime actually, and here are the direct links
Broadband Version
56K Version
Ooooh, Aaaaahhh!!! by ackthpt · 2002-10-15 00:52 · Score: 4, Funny

You can have your Anime, I'm just plain crackers for W & G!
Best line: "Cracking toast, Grommit!"
Best Scene: Grommit releasing the parking brake on the rocket.
Best Book: Electronics for Dogs

--

A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
1. Re:Ooooh, Aaaaahhh!!! by JimPooley · 2002-10-15 03:07 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I think "Crime and Punishment by Fido Dogstoyevsky" is a good runner up in the best book category...
  (It's the book Grommit is reading in prison in "A Close Shave")
  
  --
  
  "Information wants to be paid"
awesomely detailed sets by simong_oz · 2002-10-15 01:05 · Score: 5, Informative

The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television , in Bradford actually has a couple of the sets from the Wallace and Gromit films. They are only about 2m x 2m in size, but the attention to detail is absolutely amazing. It really brought home just how special the work these guys do is.

The short is great ... can't wait for the new film!

--
"Because it's there." - George Mallory, when asked why he wanted to climb Mt Everest, March 18, 1923 (New York Times)
Wallace & Gromit: The Game by Alioth · 2002-10-15 01:14 · Score: 4, Interesting

Additionally, Frontier Developments are making a Wallace and Gromit game. How well it'll translate to a game, I don't know, but FD do seem to have some good animation stuff.

--
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
Cracking Contraptions by surprise_audit · 2002-10-15 01:41 · Score: 4, Funny

OK, it's probably just that I'm tired and just read the RIAA/Webcasting story, but...
Did anyone else read "Cracking Contraptions" and immediately think of the DMCA and illegal circumvention devices??
New shorts... by danger42 · 2002-10-15 02:08 · Score: 5, Funny

New shorts. Wrong trousers.

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-nd
Re:Quicktime not Real... by pldms · 2002-10-15 02:20 · Score: 4, Informative

It's the infernal Sorenson 3 (IIRC xine can play the other sorenson codecs, yes?). So here is the:

Obligatory link to the crossover plugin. Very good etc

But QT6 does support mpeg 4 (as was said). We just need some way to make people use it.

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Nobby Stiles... by MosesJones · 2002-10-15 02:20 · Score: 5, Informative

See the link above, he was a World Cup (a competition involving the majority of the world's countries) winner in 1966 for England.

If it had been a real Nobby Stiles he would have run at Gromit, jumped on him two footed then punched him. Nobby wasn't the most elegant player in the world :-)

--
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Download the clips here: by Antity · 2002-10-15 03:35 · Score: 5, Informative
Since BBC only seems to support "in-browser" playback (and needs popup windows to be enabled - buah)... Here are the download links, extracted and reassembled:
- 56 kbit/s QuickTime
- 256 kbit/s QuickTime (5.6M)
Have fun.
--
42. Easy. What is 32 + 8 + 2?