|Zach|
10-10-2005, 06:05 AM
BRISTOL, England -- The company behind the successful "Wallace and Gromit" films said Monday its "entire history" has been destroyed in a fire at a warehouse containing all its props.
The roof of the Aardman Animations building in Bristol, west England collapsed after the blaze tore through the Victorian building early Monday, the UK's Press Association reported.
A spokesman for Aardman said the building housed all the props and sets from the company's history, including its "Wallace and Gromit" films. No one was in the building when the fire broke out.
Aardman has used stop-motion clay animation to create a series of acclaimed films, including three Nick Park-directed shorts featuring cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his resourceful dog Gromit.
The animated pair's first full-length feature, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," was released in the United States on Friday and topped the U.S. box office over the weekend.
"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 told PA.
"The early reports are that the whole building has been destroyed.
"For us, it held everything we had done since day one.
"It's turned out to be a terrible day."
Sheriff said the warehouse contained sets, props and models from all 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.
Animator Park, who was also the brains behind the 2000 animated feature film "Chicken Run," was said to be philosophical about the fire in the context of the massive earthquake in Pakistan.
"Nick has been on the phone and while this is devastating, in light of the other news he has been hearing on the radio, it is immaterial," Sheriff told Reuters.
Fire crews from across the region were called in to tackle the blaze, which at its height saw flames reaching 100 feet into the air.
The area has been sealed off, and crews were expected to remain at the scene for the rest of the day.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/10/aardman.fire/index.html?section=cnn_topstories
The roof of the Aardman Animations building in Bristol, west England collapsed after the blaze tore through the Victorian building early Monday, the UK's Press Association reported.
A spokesman for Aardman said the building housed all the props and sets from the company's history, including its "Wallace and Gromit" films. No one was in the building when the fire broke out.
Aardman has used stop-motion clay animation to create a series of acclaimed films, including three Nick Park-directed shorts featuring cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his resourceful dog Gromit.
The animated pair's first full-length feature, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," was released in the United States on Friday and topped the U.S. box office over the weekend.
"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 told PA.
"The early reports are that the whole building has been destroyed.
"For us, it held everything we had done since day one.
"It's turned out to be a terrible day."
Sheriff said the warehouse contained sets, props and models from all 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.
Animator Park, who was also the brains behind the 2000 animated feature film "Chicken Run," was said to be philosophical about the fire in the context of the massive earthquake in Pakistan.
"Nick has been on the phone and while this is devastating, in light of the other news he has been hearing on the radio, it is immaterial," Sheriff told Reuters.
Fire crews from across the region were called in to tackle the blaze, which at its height saw flames reaching 100 feet into the air.
The area has been sealed off, and crews were expected to remain at the scene for the rest of the day.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/10/aardman.fire/index.html?section=cnn_topstories