As a lifelong Wallace and Gromit fan, and as we are now selling some official W+G shirts, I thought it would be fun to go through the various films of the duo to find some hidden details and easter eggs over the next few months. We will start with the film where it all began; A Grand Day Out.
Nick Park started animating this classic film in 1982, but it wasn’t until 1989 that the film was finally released to the public. As the film is only 24 minutes long and the first time we see Wallace and Gromit, there are fewer hidden details than the other films, but we will we point them out just the same.
One of the first things you will spot throughout the film are the many sheep dotted about the set dressing. You can see quite a few on the walls of the rocket and Wallace’s house, as well as on a newspaper later on. Within the context of this being the first appearance of these great characters, the sheep don’t really mean much. It isn’t until we get to the third instalment in the Close Shave that we see sheep starring as the main characters. Nick must have a love for sheep as we can see them appearing quite a few years before.
The film wasn’t shy in referencing over classic films as we see a red sledge named “Rose Bud” in Wallace’s basement. This is a nod to Citizen Kane, often cited as one the greatest movies of all time. In the film the main character’s final words are “Rose Bud” which are in reference to the red sledge he had as a youngster.
When making the film, Nick added a nice little nod to a story of his childhood. We can see on this newspaper a headline saying a chicken had been saved by bantam. Nick has said that when he was younger his family had pet chickens and one of his sister’s hens went astray and fell into a pond. The other chickens raised the alarm to the family and saved it from drowning. It’s also a nice little nod towards Batman, as well as potentially foreshadowing the Chicken Run.
On the same newspaper in incredibly small writing we can read Peter Goes to Lords. This is in reference to fellow animator and Aardman Animations co-founder, Peter Lord.
Nick Park couldn’t resist putting in a couple of more references to his own life. We can see on the clock used in the rocket it’s manufacturers are Wulstan & Sons; Nick’s middle name is Wulstan.
The final detail appears on the suitcase brought into the rocket by Wallace. We can see some travel stickers including Blackpool, Bognor, and Beaconsfield. Beaconsfield is where Nick started animating the film at the National Film and Television School. It wasn’t until a few years later that he was able to complete the film with Aardman in Bristol.
I hope you’ve enjoyed a good look at some the hidden details scattered throughout Wallace and Gromit’s first adventure the Grand Day Out. We will be having some more blog posts soon, but in the meantime why don’t you check out our new range of Wallace and Gromit shirts here? Comment below any hidden details we might have missed!