'Gromit was nearly a cat!': Secrets from 50 years of Aardman

Wallace and Gromit rose to become Aardman’s most celebrated characters after animator Nick Park joined the studio in 1985. However, Gromit was not originally conceived as a dog. Park recalled, "I had this thought of an English feline who builds a rocket, successful the basement of his house," and added, "I was reasoning helium whitethorn person a pet, astir apt a cat." He continued, "The power was amazingly simple." Explaining his shift, he said, "I started modelling the cat, and it was conscionable precise difficult, truthful I thought I'd bash a canine instead!" While developing A Grand Day Out at the National Film and Television School in London, Park encountered Lord and Sproxton, who visited to speak with students. Lord remarked, "We met him and thought, 'Oh, he's good'. In fact, he's precise good. Now I cognize him, he's really a genius," The collaboration proved electric. A Grand Day Out earned an Oscar nomination in 1990, ultimately losing to another Aardman film, Creature Comforts, also directed by Park. gesturing to a poster depicting Wallace and Gromit drifting above Bristol in a hot‑air balloon, Lord reflected on their appeal, stating, "When they look connected the screen, you laughter earlier they bash anything." Park would go on to win three additional Oscars. One might speculate that his success was aided by the fact that he never mastered the idea of Gromit as a cat.