Okay, MovieWeb fanatics, settle in with your tea and crumpets and get ready to have one of the best DVD experiences ever. Currently nominated in the best Animated Feature category MovieWeb is giving away copies of the 2005 sensation
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit!
to avoid the curse!
Wallace & Gromit, the much-loved, clay-animated duo from the Oscar®-winning shorts, deliver high-spirited fun in the Academy Award® nominated*
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit premiering on DVD and VHS February 7, 2006 from DreamWorks Home Entertainment.
Featured on over 50 top ten lists and honored with multiple critics awards and industry honors including 16 Annie Award nominations by the International Animation Film Society, this acclaimed comedy adventure marks the first feature film outing for the endearing cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his ever-faithful dog Gromit.
Their latest hare-raising tale features the two enterprising chums riding to the rescue with their new humane pest-control outfit, Anti-Pesto, and a host of wildly imaginative inventions to protect the town’s Giant Vegetable Competition from a mysterious vegetable-chomping marauder.
The DVD release invites fans of all ages into the madcap world of the inventive entrepreneur and his lovable canine companion with a commentary by the film’s two directors,
Wallace & Gromit creator and two-time Academy Award® winner Nick Park (Chicken Run,
The Adventures of Wallace & Gromit) and Steve Box.
Featuring the U.S. DVD debut of Box’s award-winning short film “Stage Fright,” the
Wallace & Gromit bonus programming also provides viewers with a first-hand look at the unique artistry of stop-motion animation with behind-the-scenes footage, a tour of Aardman studios, plus a never-before-seen sneak peak at DreamWorks Animation and Aardman’s upcoming theatrical release, the madcap comedy Flushed Away (in theaters nationwide November 3, 2006), and more. The
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit DVD and VHS will be priced at approximately $19.95 (M.A.P.).
Synopsis When their town’s prized produce starts disappearing, our cheese-loving inventor and his savvy canine companion must use all their wildly imaginative inventions to try to capture a mysterious beast of epic and fluffy proportions.
THE SMALL WORLD OF WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
In any animated film, the characters’ performances belong as much�"or more�"to the animators as to the actors providing the voices. That is especially true in the world of stop-motion animation, where the animators spend countless hours bringing inanimate puppets to life, bit by infinitesimal bit.
It is almost impossible to fathom the countless hours of meticulous work and the level of concentration required to make a film in the Aardman style of animation. If you think of it in numeric terms alone: there are 24 frames per second of film time, so depending on the action in a sequence, it is possible to have 24 separate poses to shoot per character for every second in a scene, each pose involving the tiniest increment of movement for body, head, arms, legs, hands, fingers, eyes, ears, mouth, and so on. In addition, the Plasticine used is malleable, so there is constant resculpting involved.
Multiply all of that by every character in every scene, factoring in the movements of any props that are on camera, and you begin to understand the task that is literally “at hand.” Perhaps the greatest testament to the patience and tenacity of the animation team is that on days when as many as 30 sets were in simultaneous operation, the optimum goal was to accomplish a mere 10 seconds of completed film.
“Making a 30-minute
Wallace & Gromit movie is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience and care. Making an 85-minute feature is like making the Great Wall of China with matchsticks,” Steve Box laughs.
DVD BONUS MATERIALS Brim-full of bonus materials, the
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit DVD offers, as Wallace would say, “a harmless bit of brain alteration”, hours of family fun. The following details the DVD features:
CRACKING COMMENTARY Wallace & Gromit creator and two-time Academy Award winner® Nick Park and Steve Box recount the painstaking techniques of stop-motion animation that involved a crew of 250 people, 2.8 tons of plasticine, 35 versions of Wallace and 43 differently posed Gromits during the 18 months of principal photography.
DELETED SCENES Enjoy more laughs with the madcap duo with nine scenes not seen in theaters. The scenes are also available with an optional commentary by the film’s directors.
HOW WALLACE & GROMIT WENT TO HOLLYWOOD Learn how Wallace & Gromit grew from the imagination of Nick Park and became Academy Award®-winning stars.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT Enjoy a rare look into how these lovable characters were brought to life.
A DAY IN THE LIFE AT AARDMAN Experience a day of production at the famed Aardman Studios as seen through the eyes of a crewperson.
HOW TO BUILD A BUNNY A unique look at how the clay bunny models were assembled using time-lapse photos.
STAGE FRIGHTM View this award-winning short film with an insightful commentary by its creator,
Steve Box.
THE FAMILY ALBUM Colorful production stills of the elaborate sets and meticulous character development.
CRACKING CONTRAPTIONS - The Snoozatron
Wallace has invented a new contraption to beat insomnia �" poor Gromit!
- The 525 Crackervac
When you love cheese as much as Wallace, there are always lots of cracker crumbs. This is Wallace’s new invention to keep the carpet tidy.
- Shopper 13
One small step for shoppers! Wallace has developed a remote-controlled shopping cart. Join them as he and Gromit send it on an exciting mission to the grocer.
FLUSHED AWAY SNEAK PEAK An exclusive look at DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features’ computer animated comedy Flushed Away. Blending Aardman’s trademark style and characterizations with DreamWorks’ state-of-the-art computer animation, Flushed Away is a madcap comedy set on and beneath the streets of London.
In theaters November 3, 2006, Flushed Away stars the voices of Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman, four-time Oscar® nominee Kate Winslet; two-time Oscar® nominee Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Shane Richie, Geoffrey Palmer, Simon Callow and Jean Reno.
DWK: THIS WAY TO PLAY A variety of fun-filled, engaging interactive games and creative activities including:
Anti-Pesto SWAT Team Help
Wallace & Gromit to capture those pesky bunnies!
Victor Quartermaine’s Guide To Cool Proud, pompous and a penniless aristocrat, Victor Quartermaine is a handsome and debonair 40-something bachelor. Victor struts his stuff sporting a poncey hairdo and a twelve-bore, and regards himself as somewhat of a lady’s man.
Style With Lady Tottington The elegant and exquisite Lady Campanula Tottington is the vegetable loving hostess with the mostess.
DVD-Rom Printables Kids can “invent” their own fun with an assortment of creative activities and printables featuring
Wallace & Gromit, including bookmarks, coloring pages, iron-ons, masks, photo frames, recipes, stencils, stickers and much more.
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Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
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