New Wallace and Gromit Story in the Works!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:30:00 -0700

It's not a feature-length film, but the folks behind the lovable duo Wallace and Gromit are back to work on a 30-minute short! This next TV feature will be titled "Trouble At' Mill" and will air over BBC1 around the Christmas holidays in 2008.

According to Variety, "The film sees the pair open a bakery business before Wallace becomes sidetracked by a love interest, Piella Bakewell. With his master distracted, Gromit is left to solve a murder."

I love these guys! It's also neat to know how excited writer/director Nick Park is about the project. He says he enjoyed doing the full-length Curse of the Were-Rabbit, but it took about five years to complete, and it sounds like he had to compromise some of his ideas to make the film more palatable for American audiences. He can't wait to create a new TV adventure for the die-hard fans of the buck-toothed, cheese-loving Wallace and his loyal friend Gromit.

Source

"Creature Comforts": My New Favorite Thing

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:00:29 -0700

Sometimes an idea comes along that's so brilliant, I can't even believe it exists. That's how I feel about "Creature Comforts," the animated series from Aardman Animation, best known as the folks behind Wallace and Gromit. The show - which aired for two seasons in England and will premiere June 4 on CBS - features interviews with ordinary folks about work, health and love. The words are then put in the mouth of animated animals that fit the situations they're talking about - the "lovebirds" in the photo at right, for example.

Here's what CBS has to say about it:

In upcoming episodes, interviews with hundreds of ordinary Americans from across the United States cover a variety of subjects, such as the trials and tribulations of doctor's visits and being sick, what animal magnetism is and what they look for in a mate, as well as the truth about lies and what it takes to keep a secret. Told through the mouths of animated animals, insects and other un-human species, they reveal their thoughts in a new and distinct way: an older married couple listing their ailments as portrayed by two lovebirds, the couple who talk about their great height difference as portrayed by two dachshunds, and two men who seem to be examining the bouquet of a fine wine as portrayed by two dogs sniffing, well, another dog.

Basically, it's Studs Terkel meets Shaun the Sheep. What did I tell you? Brilliant!

I'm totally obsessed with "Creature Comforts," so to read more and see some videos, read more

The series is based on creator Nick Park's Oscar-winning 1989 short film that features zoo animals talking about their captivity. Both seasons of the British series are available on Netflix, and several segments from the series can be seen on YouTube. The creators have kept a blog about production on the U.S. series, complete with video clips and still photos, and the official "Creature Comforts" site has several short previews of the show. Here are two of my favorites:

Photo courtesy of CBS