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View Full Version : Aardman Animations...It's gone...all gone...

Rilchiam
10-10-2005, 07:05 AM
This is heartbreaking. (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/10/aardman.fire/index.html)

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.

"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."

I can't even imagine what those people are feeling right now. Has there ever been such a clean sweep of so much that was so carefully crafted?

They didn't mention Chicken Run, but I'm sure everything from that was in there too. I've got my Babs doll on my lap right now. I may never be able to watch that movie again without crying.

:(
Rilchiam
10-10-2005, 07:09 AM
Should have included this paragraph:

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.

Is "Victorian" a style of architecture? Or do they mean that the building was a century old? If so, perhaps that wasn't the best choice for a warehouse.
yojimbo
10-10-2005, 07:13 AM
Should have included this paragraph:



Is "Victorian" a style of architecture? Or do they mean that the building was a century old? If so, perhaps that wasn't the best choice for a warehouse. Victorian is both a style and a indication of age. Lots and lots of buildings in the UK are from the Victorian era.
seosamh
10-10-2005, 07:17 AM
There has also been a fire on Southend Pier (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/4325430.stm). "the world's longest pleasure pier", according to the BBC). Arson, probably; my money's on an angler dropping a lit snout.

On the Aardman Animations fire, I'd say the description of the building as "Victorian" just means it was built some time between 1837 and 1901 rather than it being of a specific architectural style. Old buildings are subject to the same fire safety laws as brand new ones so I doubt whether its age was a significant contributing factor.
WotNot
10-10-2005, 07:17 AM
Is "Victorian" a style of architecture? Or do they mean that the building was a century old? If so, perhaps that wasn't the best choice for a warehouse.
In itself, the building’s age is no indicator of its worthiness. My own home is Victorian, and considerably better constructed than 90% of the more modern houses around. Presumably, any commercial building would have had to be kept up to the standard of modern fire codes, etc.
yojimbo
10-10-2005, 07:26 AM
Creator Nick Park seems to be cut up but is putting it into perspective Mr Park, who won Oscars for animations such as The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave, said: "Even though it's precious stuff and nostalgic - and it's dreadful news for the company, in the light of other tragedies it's not a big deal." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4326286.stm
Emily Litella
10-10-2005, 07:35 AM
They didn't mention Chicken Run, but I'm sure everything from that was in there too. I've got my Babs doll on my lap right now. I may never be able to watch that movie again without crying.

:(

They did say the sets from Chicken Run were gone, but they still have the sets from the Curse of the Were Rabbit.

And Babs wasn't in the fire, she was on holiday.
FlyingRamenMonster
10-10-2005, 09:29 AM
NOOOOOOOOOO! (http://vaderno.ytmnd.com/)

D:
Mangetout
10-10-2005, 10:08 AM
Props to Park for having some calm perspective on this; sure, they were valuable items, both intrinsically and from a sentimental/historical/artistic point of view, but... their loss probably doesn't seriously affect any future work, as a lot of it is built from scratch for each production anyway.
What Exit?
10-10-2005, 10:16 AM
Such a shame, I bet they will get over this and have a lot of fun recreating whatever is needed.
Good attitude from Park.
MovieMogul
10-10-2005, 10:36 AM
As someone who has worked in and around archives with moving image related materials (props, costumes, models, mattes, 2-D art, etc.), I wonder what kind of fire retention system they had. There's no mention of it in the article.

Terrible news. :(
3catshappy
10-10-2005, 11:24 AM
im gutted!

As someone who lives in Yorkshire, (Wallace's accent), im devastated
about this.

I point the finger at Feathers McGraw!


*FMcG removes rubber glove from head.
[ wallace] " its you!!!"
mobo85
10-10-2005, 11:34 AM
I can't even imagine what those people are feeling right now. Has there ever been such a clean sweep of so much that was so carefully crafted?

The MGM studios were the victim of a fire some decades ago. Actual films were destroyed, but not the props. I'm not sure of a fire that has destroyed so many props as this one.

I wonder what Wallace is thinking right now...has the cheese survived? I can just imagine the characters coming to life, the Chicken Run stars and Gromit taking the lead to save everyone from the fire...alas, it cannot be. My hearts are with all those who brought these crackin' characters to life. Although their past creations may be gone, they still live on in the films they starred in...and hopefully there will be new creations to come.
Rilchiam
10-11-2005, 03:47 AM
Babs wasn't in the fire, she was on holiday.

That's right! I forgot.
mobo85
10-11-2005, 11:02 AM
I originally thought that the characters themselves were victims of the fire as well, but I have read that Aardman does not keep their characters archived, as Plasticine tends to disintegrate over time. Still, the loss of a great many sets and props from some very fine stop-motion films is very sad.
don't ask
10-11-2005, 11:19 AM
I originally thought that the characters themselves were victims of the fire as well, but I have read that Aardman does not keep their characters archived, as Plasticine tends to disintegrate over time. Still, the loss of a great many sets and props from some very fine stop-motion films is very sad.

You can tell the immediacy of the characters watching the productions. Often you can see the model makers fingerprints if you look closely.
MovieMogul
10-11-2005, 02:20 PM
The last time I was at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television (http://www.nmpft.org.uk/) in Bradford, UK, they had one of the sets of The Wrong Trousers as an exhibit. Can any British Dopers confirm that perhaps that one small artifact survived?
bonzer
10-11-2005, 03:51 PM
The last time I was at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television (http://www.nmpft.org.uk/) in Bradford, UK, they had one of the sets of The Wrong Trousers as an exhibit. Can any British Dopers confirm that perhaps that one small artifact survived?

There have been press reports that some material was on loan and so will have survived. No idea whether this includes those sets.

[My own memory - aside from the timeless films, of course - is of seeing the great selection of Nick Park artefacts in the exhibition of his stuff mounted by the Harris Museum in his home town of Preston sometime in the mid to late 90s. Now presumably all lost.]