We’ve got to the third Wallace and Gromit film and the final one in the original trilogy. A Close Shave first introduces us to Shaun the Sheep who would become a star in his own right. There are plenty of great hidden details and secrets hidden throughout this film so we better get started.
The first easter eggs we can spot are in Wallace’s pantry. We can see two references to the production team of the film. Steve Box was one of the animators of the film and his name appears on a box, while Trisha Budd was the prop maker and her name appears on a can of soup.
In the last post about The Wrong Trousers I pointed out the marrow in the background of the duo’s living room. We can see it again in this film too. Obviously Gromit had a real love of marrows long before the Were Rabbit stuff happened.
Do you recognise this tortoise? You might remember him from Aardman’s Creature Comforts. It’s good to see him getting some exercise in W+G’s front garden.
Now we see one of the first allusions to the villain from the Wrong Trousers, Feathers McGraw. In Wendolene’s shop window we can see an advert for red gloves that look suspiciously like Feathers’ clever disguise. Perhaps Wendolene sold a pair to him?
The newspapers dotted around the films are great places to hide little details. One paper gives a great nod to Aardman and Wallace and Gromit for winning an Academy Award Oscar.
In the last post we also pointed out a Mickey Mouse postcard from Disneyland. We can see it again on Wallace’s fireplace.
Nick Park has alluded to the fact that Feathers McGraw makes a sneaky cameo appearance in A Close Shave. Do you think it looks like the villainous penguin in the background here?
Prop maker Trisha Budd couldn’t resist adding her name to another prop. This time it’s on a newspaper and it’s giving a cheeky headline talking about how she’s getting an assistant.
With a blink and you will miss it detail, we can see a menu on the chip shop in town selling Cod Steaks. Cod Steaks are the company that made all the elaborate sets for the films, so it’s nice to see them put their name onto one.
Although the Wallace and Gromit films are supposed to be set in the north of England, they couldn’t resist giving a name check in this newspaper to Bristol, where Aardman made the film.
Two more nods towards to Feathers McGraw appear in the jail cell that Gromit finds himself in. We can see him reading a classic penguin book with a recognisable character on the spine, and we can see some graffiti scratched on the wall saying “Feathers was ‘ere!”
During the car, bike, truck, and plane chase we can finally see Feathers McGraw properly. I’m not sure if other appearance was him or just some piping in the background, but I am 100% sure he is here. Can you spot him among the rocks?
The final detail in the film shows some appreciation to the writer of the film Bob Baker. We can see a poster of the jolly baker as the covert entrance to Preston’s factory. Whether it was such an honour for Bob that his namesake was killed in a Matter of Loaf and Death, I’m not sure.
That’s the third Wallace and Gromit film wrapped up. There were some great hidden details in this one. If you know of any that I haven’t spotted please let me know. We will be doing the final two films within the next few weeks, but in the meantime why not check out our range of official Wallace and Gromit shirts?