Its all gone...

CNN

Fire destroys 'Wallace and Gromit' warehouse

Monday, October 10, 2005; Posted: 9:14 a.m. EDT (13:14 GMT)

BRISTOL, England -- The company behind the new "Wallace and Gromit" film said Monday its "entire history" has been destroyed in a fire at a warehouse containing props and sets.

The roof and three interior walls of the Aardman Animations building in Bristol, west England collapsed after the blaze tore through the Victorian building, fire officials said

The fire broke out at about 5:30 a.m. (0430 GMT), with flames reaching 100 feet into the air. The cause of the blaze was being investigated.

A spokesman for Aardman said the building housed props and sets from the company's history, including its first three "Wallace and Gromit" films.

No one was in the building when the fire broke out. Aardman said the sets and props from its latest film, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," were not caught in the blaze.

Aardman has used stop-motion clay animation to create a series of acclaimed films, including three shorts featuring cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his resourceful dog Gromit.

The sets from those shorts -- "A Grand Day Out," "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave" -- are all thought to have been destroyed, along with those from "Chicken Run" -- Aardman's first feature-length release.

"Curse of the Were-Rabbit," Wallace and Gromit's first full-length feature, was released in the United States on Friday and topped the U.S. box office over the weekend. (Full story)

"Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, with the news that 'Wallace and Gromit' had gone in at No. 1 at the U.S. box office, but instead our whole history has been wiped out," Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff said. "It's turned out to be a terrible day."

Sheriff said the warehouse contained sets, props and models from the company's productions, from the children's cartoon character "Morph" through the Oscar-winning, anthropomorphic "Creature Comforts" series to the Wallace and Gromit films.


Wallace and Gromit's creator, Nick Park, said the earthquake in South Asia helped put the loss into perspective.

"Even though it is a precious and nostalgic collection and valuable to the company, in light of other tragedies, today isn't a big deal," he said.

Aardman was founded in 1972 and is closely associated with Park, who joined in 1986 fresh out of film school.

Park's "The Wrong Trousers" (1993) and "A Close Shave" (1995) won Academy Awards.

Park and Aardman's Peter Lord directed the 2000 feature "Chicken Run," which spoofed the World War II prison-camp classic "The Great Escape" with a cast of clay poultry.

Huh...

It is amazing how one line can speak volumes of one's character.

Well crap.

Oh hell, it was only model props, lumps of clay and steel wire, so it's no big deal.

Plastacine models are replacible, human lives are not.

that sucks ass.

What's that sound you just heard? It's the film getting a LOCK as "Best Animated Feature" at the Oscars. Not only was it a favorite already, but now it's also the sentimental favorite.

and if 'Chicken Little' wins - I'll go postal.

This blows but I'm glad they're taking it in stride.

If The Corpse Bride doesn't win -- I'll go postal.

I really enjoyed Chicken Run but the Wallace & Gromit stuff is unwatchable.

Sounds like someone is in serious need of a funny bone transplant.

What are the chances that this happened the same week the movie debuts at number 1 in the US?

Any investigation into foul play or arson?

Just seems rather random that a fire breaks loose and burns down their entire history...I thought about this though, and who would do something like this? Pixar? Hehe, obviously not, but it's interesting to think who would do such a thing and if it's just hooligans or higher up people who hired thugs.