Technology has always been a funny thing in the world of Wallace & Gromit—where Wallace’s wacky inventions, from literal spaceships to remote-controlled robo-trousers, sit alongside a classically low-fi vision of Britain. That’s also been the case for making Wallace & Gromit at Aardman too, as the studio’s triumphed traditional hand-animated features even as it’s dipped its toes into CGI aides and fully 3D projects across its long history. With Aardman’s return to Wallace & Gromit for the first time in 16 years on the horizon with Vengeance Most Fowl, you can see a glimpse of how the studio balanced both the traditional and the contemporary in this tiny snippet from the film’s new artbook.
Due out December 31 from Titan Books, The Art of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl—penned by Richard Hansom, the development producer on the prior Wallace & Gromit TV film A Matter of Loaf and Death—takes you behind the scenes on the development process for Aardman’s long-awaited return to its most iconic creations, covering the return of Wrong Trousers‘ beloved villain Feathers McGraw and more across a series of interviews with cast and crew, and tons of looks behind the creation of the film, from early concept art by Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park himself, all the way to stills showcasing the legions of clay models created for the film.
You’ll also be able to see much more of how Vengeance Most Fowl saw Aardman incorporate more technology into its production pipeline, like 3D-printed rapid-prototyping maquettes, in our exclusive spreads from the book below (don’t forget to click to see them in full resolution!). But you’ll also get a tiny glimpse of how Aardman is still prioritizing the hand-made feel on the film, even when it could use CG to achieve a shot—like a moment where Wallace’s latest invention, Norbot the Smart Gnome, finds himself basking in the hue of green Matrix-esque code on a computer screen.
The Art of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Exclusive Preview
It’s an effect animators could’ve simply replicated entirely in post-production VFX, but as you can see in the spread above, animator Sean Gregory went for an in-camera effect instead: a teeny-tiny model scaled projector lighting up the scene to play a file of the animated code graphic that could be timed with shooting the stop-motion elements. A suitable blend of computer and hand-animation that even Wallace would be impressed by!
The Art of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will release on Titan Books December 31, after Vengeance Most Fowl airs in the UK and Ireland on Christmas Day—ahead of its release internationally on Netflix January 3.
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