Nick Park, Gromit Unleashed: I dreamed of creating characters that might become known, but not on this level
Nick Park, the creator of Wallace & Gromit, shares his excitement about the Gromit Unleashed trail in Bristol, featuring sculptures by Sir Paul McCartney, Pixar, and more.
Lancashire-born, famous Aardman animator and Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park shared his thoughts on Gromit Unleashed after a dozen sculptures where unveiled by The Grand Appeal at Bristol Harbour.
The stunning sculptures were loaded onto the Harbour Steam Train, where Nick Park, sat at the helm of the iconic locomotive in the driver’s cab.
He told BristolWorld: “It’s kind of humbling for me because my character are a like a blank canvas for all these amazing artists and designers to have a field day.
“And they have all come up with original and creative designs... It really lifts the city and makes it incredible.
“I used to dream of just creating characters that might become known, but not on this level...
“To be established in a solid fashion as actual sculps and statues around Bristol.”
The Gromit Unleashed 3 trail will run from Monday 30 June to Sunday 31 August.
It will feature 53 incredible Wallace and Gromit, Feathers McGraw and Norbot sculptures designed by, and in collaboration with, Sir Paul McCartney, Pixar, Lucasfilm (creators of Star Wars), Richard Curtis, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Aardman’s Peter Lord, and local artists.
The trail will be followed by The Greatest Dog Show on Earth ® exhibition before all the sculptures are auctioned to raise money for The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity.
Visitors to the trail can tick off each sculpture via the official Gromit Unleashed 3 app, available on Apple and Android from Monday 30 June. A map of all sculptures will also be available from various locations around the city.
The partnership between The Grand Appeal and Aardman was first conceived in 1995 to help raise the money to build the Bristol Children’s Hospital on Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol.
Since then, £90 million has been raised for The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity and Cots for Tots, the dedicated charity for the Neonatal Intensive Care Ward at St Michael’s Hospital.
Check out the video above to hear Nick Park’s thoughts on Gromit Unleashed 3 and what it means to him and Aardman Studios.