Nick Park Video Exclusive! Returning to NFTS to Celebrate 30 Years of Wallace & Gromit

16 May 2019 // Featured

Aaron Wood

Marketing Director & Writer

Nick Park signing wall next to ‘Nick Park’ room where he created Wallace & Gromit at NFTS

It’s been ‘30 cracking years‘ since Nick Park was a student at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) were he created Wallace & Gromit for A Grand Day Out. Yesterday he returned to the film school where it all began to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of his much loved characters and to take part in Q&A with fellow NFTS alumnus, and composer for the Wallace & Gromit films, Julian Nott.

To further mark the occasion the NFTS, with help from Aardman, created the short film It’s a Cracking Celebration, Gromit!, which Skwigly is pleased to premiere today.

In the film, Park discusses making A Grand Day Out at the film school (which started in 1982), while composer Julian Nott talks about how the Wallace & Gromit theme tune came about.

I’m really looking forward to returning to NFTS for such a special event. The college was such an inspiring place for me to be whilst I was creating Wallace and Gromit. I was very fortunate to be amongst some very talented people who all helped out with A Grand Day Out – many of them, I still work with now. – Nick Park

Additionally, there are interviews with NFTS Model Making students, who recreated the iconic 62 West Wallaby Street basement and rocket set from the film, which was on display at last night’s event. On the subject of the recreated basement set, Head of Model Making, John Lee, explained:

We wanted to design and make something that would really bring Wallace & Gromit’s story to life. The Model Making students have worked tirelessly to recreate every detail of the set and have also added some hidden extras to the set such as a tiny Oscar® and BAFTA® to further celebrate Nick’s achievements. This and the incredible achievements of our animation department are testament to the fact that our students are following in Nick’s footsteps and ensuring that stop motion animation and model making continues to be a hugely important part of the School’s output.

Accompanying the Q&A, a live orchestral interactive experience, Wallace & Gromit’s Musical Marvels, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, was premiered as well as an exclusive orchestral accompaniment to Park’s NFTS graduation film, A Grand Day Out.

NFTS is particularly renowned for the success of its animation department, with alumni including Peppa Pig creator, Mark Baker in addition to Nick Park. NFTS graduation animations have also won the British Short Animation BAFTA for five successive years from 2014.

‘It’s a Cracking Celebration, Gromit!’ was co-directed and produced by John Lee, Vicky Hewlett and Bex Singleton, edited by Robin Whalley, sound mix by Jeremy Rodeschini and grade by Andrea Lo-Priore.