> Hugh Grant describes buying an original Morph figure only to have it squashed by his children, meaning he effectively spent £10,000 on a lump of clay.
He talks about this in he did for an Aardman movie in which he starred. He relayed the story of the squashed Morph to someone at Aardman, who offered to remold the clay back into Morph for him.
Wallace and Gromit have bought a lot of joy to multiple generations of my family. "Curse of the Were-rabbit" is as close to the perfect comedy film as I have seen. Hard to think of any way in which it could be improved.
Creatively, how is Aardman holding up? I know they had issues working with Hollywood 20 years ago on Flushed Away when it came creative control, and assumed they got their mojo back. But I was disappointed with Chicken Run 2 … I had to bail about halfway through.
> Feathers McGraw’s body, including his wicked flippers, is made of clay, crafted over a fully jointed internal metal armature. The red glove he famously wears as a remarkably effective disguise — one that somehow seems to fool Wallace every time — is made of silicone. His eyes are glass pins, while his beak is fast-cast resin. The tea-stained mug he grips is resin. He comes displayed on a wooden base.
It’s interesting that they use such specific materials. Do you think the material itself makes a big difference to how the characters move, or is most of the animation in the armature?
Mostly, yes! They use a very specific clay from a producer which went out of business a few years ago. They've bought up all the stock they can and use that clay for pretty much all of the character puppets, along with other materials. There was a great documentary on the BBC a couple of years back which went behind the scenes and talked about how they make and use the puppets.
> Hugh Grant describes buying an original Morph figure only to have it squashed by his children, meaning he effectively spent £10,000 on a lump of clay.
https://screengoblin.com/2021/03/25/a-grand-night-in-the-sto...
He talks about this in he did for an Aardman movie in which he starred. He relayed the story of the squashed Morph to someone at Aardman, who offered to remold the clay back into Morph for him.
Wallace and Gromit have bought a lot of joy to multiple generations of my family. "Curse of the Were-rabbit" is as close to the perfect comedy film as I have seen. Hard to think of any way in which it could be improved.
It could be “The Wrong Trousers”, that’s the only way ;P
"The wrong trousers" is also close to perfect.
This is a surprising headline for anyone who remembers the huge fire they had in '05:
"Curses, Gromit! Fire destroys animation firm's history on eve of box office triumph"
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/oct/11/arts.media
> All the sets and figures from the new Wallace and Gromit film are safe because they are being exhibited elsewhere in Bristol.
That looks to be what's being auctioned.
Old enough to remember Morph and Chas, still have a lovely letter from Tony Hart and some postcards.
The two things I want are a Feathers McGraw wanted poster and mug
Creatively, how is Aardman holding up? I know they had issues working with Hollywood 20 years ago on Flushed Away when it came creative control, and assumed they got their mojo back. But I was disappointed with Chicken Run 2 … I had to bail about halfway through.
All of the Shaun the Sheep stuff is phenomenal
I only wish there were more pieces involving one of my favorite villains; Feathers McGraw.
Auction link: https://propstoreauction.com/auctions/catalog/id/549?page=1
If I had the disposable money, https://propstoreauction.com/lot-details/index/catalog/549/l... would have been mine.
So, not quite the same, but if you want some general Wallace and Gromit bits, including little figurines then the Gromit Unleashed shop has you covered <https://gromitunleashedshop.org.uk/collections/available-fig...>
'Morph' mesmerised me as a child in the 70s
Might be a dumb question but are they actually made of clay?
some are
> Feathers McGraw’s body, including his wicked flippers, is made of clay, crafted over a fully jointed internal metal armature. The red glove he famously wears as a remarkably effective disguise — one that somehow seems to fool Wallace every time — is made of silicone. His eyes are glass pins, while his beak is fast-cast resin. The tea-stained mug he grips is resin. He comes displayed on a wooden base.
It’s interesting that they use such specific materials. Do you think the material itself makes a big difference to how the characters move, or is most of the animation in the armature?
Mostly, yes! They use a very specific clay from a producer which went out of business a few years ago. They've bought up all the stock they can and use that clay for pretty much all of the character puppets, along with other materials. There was a great documentary on the BBC a couple of years back which went behind the scenes and talked about how they make and use the puppets.
There has since been another company that has been able to produce the same clay so its now less of an issue.
Was it this documentary?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19hF7-nT8g
/s