I visited the immersive Wallace and Gromit exhibition in Preston for the 1st time
The exhibition contains original sets from the franchise and is being held on the top floor of the Harris Museum until January 4. By Kedar Bayley
The immersive exhibition celebrating two of Britain’s most beloved characters is a love letter to the hometown of Preston-born animator Nick Park.
Featuring individual sections for each of the six Wallace and Gromit tales, and a shop selling mainly Feathers McGraw-themed merchandise at the exit, the Harris Museum is now a temporary home to original props from the animated franchise - including Wallace’s rocket ship from the pair’s first onscreen outing in 1991’s A Grand Day Out.
For lovers of cinema, there’s also the opportunity to view an Oscar statue, and the makeshift bowtie that Park wore to the 1994 Academy Awards ceremony, which was won for the franchise’s culturally beloved second instalment The Wrong Trousers.
Hardcore fans of Park’s work are able to watch the animator’s earlier creations, including 1971’s The Rat and the Beanstalk, and read heartfelt wall hangings that describe the influence of his Lancashire upbringing on the franchise.
Nick Park joined Bristol-based studio Aardman Animations in 1985 where he was encouraged to finish the first of his many Wallace and Gromit stories, which had initially begun as a student project.
The animator, born in Preston in 1958, sees his childhood experiences dotted throughout the exhibition, from early memories of a home camera to the influence of his seamstress mother.
Spectators are able to see the exact sets upon which such iconic pictures were filmed; a perk of the stop-motion format that could scarcely be replicated across any other medium.
The exhibition is also for those seeking a festive buzz - five of the six Wallace and Gromit films were released within a week of Christmas, with the first two landing on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day respectively.
The franchise’s latest instalment, Vengeance Most Fowl, landed on BBC and Netflix last Christmas, marking Ben Whitehead’s first time voicing Wallace and the long-awaited return of fan favourite Feathers McGraw, who first appeared onscreen in 1993.
The original voice actor for Wallace, Peter Sallis, passed away in 2017 and lent his talents to the role from 1991 up until his death, with his presence being felt strongly throughout the exhibition.