Aardman recently announced its plans for the 30th anniversary celebrations of Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. Released in 1993, The Wrong Trousers was the first film starring the beloved duo to win an Oscar and introduced fan favourite Feathers McGraw, a villainous penguin with ambitions to put Wallace’s inventions to criminal use.
Highlights of the 30th anniversary year include:
- The release of a limited edition The Wrong Trousers x Olympia Le Tan designer clutch bag featuring Wallace wearing his ‘Techno-Trousers’ alongside Gromit and Feathers McGraw
- A partnership between Aardman and the Cartoon Museum in London, showcasing Wallace & Gromit artwork over the years with an exciting, never-before-seen exhibition and public events
- The launch of a new Wallace & Gromit-themed escape room adventure called A Grand Way Out at Locked In A Room, Bristol
- 30 performances of The Wrong Trousers with live orchestral accompaniment, staged by Carrot Productions, taking place all over the UK to mark 30 years since the film’s release
The 30th anniversary celebrations coincide with the production of a brand-new Wallace & Gromit film – the first since 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death, which was the UK’s most-viewed TV programme of the 2000s with over 16.2 million viewers tuning in to watch. This brand-new, as-yet untitled adventure will premiere exclusively on Netflix around the world except in the UK, where it will debut first on the BBC before also coming to Netflix. It is set for release in 2024.
Also currently in production is an interactive, narrative-led, single player VR experience for the Meta Quest all-in-one VR headset. ‘The Grand Getaway’ will enable users to walk around, explore and get hands-on (or paws-on) within the world of Wallace & Gromit and truly be a part of the pair’s adventures for the first time.
“It’s very exciting to have some brand-new Wallace & Gromit stories in the works as we celebrate the anniversary of such an important moment in the characters’ history. The Wrong Trousers was a special film for all of us at Aardman. It’s wonderful that it continues to find new fans today, and that we can bring those fans more adventures – and more inventions, more mishaps, and more problems for Gromit to solve,” said Nick Park.
The limited edition The Wrong Trousers x Olympia Le Tan designer clutch bag will sell only 77 numbered copies. From the original hand-embroidery in thread and felt appliqué, to the unique Liberty-printed lining, every detail is carefully considered. One clutch can take up to 300 hours of work. The clutch bag will be available exclusively from olympialetan.com as of today (23 January).
The Aardman exhibition at the Cartoon Museum in London will open in September 2023 with an exciting never-before-seen exhibition running until April 2024. Visit the museum to see the only remaining clips, storyboards and movie materials that exist for the classic The Wrong Trousers. Alongside this, the Cartoon Museum will be running multiple events for the public from August 2023.
A Grand Way Out, the new Wallace & Gromit-themed escape room adventure, invites fans to assist the much-loved duo in a race against time. With little over an hour until the village science fete, and eager to show off his new invention, Wallace has forgotten the code to his workshop. With the help of Gromit, players will don the Memory-O-Matic helmet and take a trip down memory lane to help him remember it – before it’s too late! The locked room adventure has been piloted at Locked In A Room, Bristol’s largest escape game experience located in the heart of the city on Millennium Square, and two further rooms will open in March 2023.
Further anniversary plans include:
- Lots of exciting new Wallace & Gromit products and ranges from licensees including jewellery company Licensed to Charm, paper engineers Paper Engine, and eco-conscious independent tea mixology company Bird & Blend Tea Co., who are launching a themed tin containing 20 tea bags that have been specially blended with Wallace & Gromit in mind – it will be an energising everyday brew, perfect for inventors and those needing a lift! Plus, a partnership with Carrs Pasties to launch a new Wallace & Gromit inspired ‘More Cheese, Ham & Jam Pasty’, containing a blend of four cheese (Wensleydale, Red Leicester, Mature Cheddar, Mozzarella), pulled ham and caramelised onion.
- A celebration of Wallace & Gromit’s Wrong Trousers Day on Friday 30 June 2023, the annual fundraising event from Aardman’s charity partner, The Grand Appeal, which encourages people to wear their wackiest legwear and donate for the right to look wrong. The Grand Appeal is the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
- The annual Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and Aardman Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas competition, which this year will have the theme ‘make The Wrong Trousers right’. Budding inventors will be tasked with the challenge of re-inventing Wallace’s ‘Techno-Trousers’ and turning them into something that can do good for our planet. The competition will be supported by teaching resources, home study packs and a series of events in partnership with regional science centres and museums.
- Expanded retail presence for Wallace & Gromit – particularly at HMV stores across the UK.
- Screenings across the UK of The Wrong Trousers with the soundtrack performed live by the WFEL Fairey Band, one of the world’s finest brass bands.
- Model making workshops taking place at family festivals all over the UK, where fans can learn how to make their own Gromit and Feathers McGraw models from modelling clay.