News

Following the sad news that Peter Sallis has taken his last grand day out, the folks behind “Wallace and Gromit” have paid tribute to the departed actor. Sallis voiced the human half of the duo from its inception until 2010, including four short films (“A Grand Day Out,” “The Wrong Trousers,” “A Close Shave” and “A Matter of Loaf and Death”) and the feature film “Curse of the Were-Rabbit”; his gentle voice is one of the beloved stop-motion series’ most distinctive traits. Watch the video below.

Read More: Peter Sallis, Voice of Wallace in ‘Wallace and Gromit’ Series, Dead at 96

“At the time when I did it, I didn’t think this is going to make cinema history” he says as clips of the cheese-loving Wallace play. “But six years later in 1989, when the phone went and he said, ‘I finished it,’ I thought, ‘Oh, it’s only taken him six years.

Peter Sallis, who is best known for voicing Wallace in the animated Wallace and Gromit movies, has passed away at the age of 96. He died on Friday at his home in the U.K. and reportedly died peacefully. Peter Sallis' acting career lasted more than 60 years, with his first role dating back to 1947. He continued acting until 2010 before retiring from the business.

With more than 150 credits to his name, Peter Sallis was very prolific during his long career, but there are two roles for which he will always be remembered. One being Wallace, a role which he first took on in 1989 in the Wallace and Gromit short A Grand Day Out. He also played Norman Clegg on Summer Wine, the longest-running British sitcom in history. Per Deadline, his agents Jonathan Altaras Associates released this statement.

"It is with sadness that we announce that our client Peter Sallis died peacefully,...

Aardman co-founder Peter Lord grabbed a ball of clay before his conversation last week at the Fmx International Conference on Animation, Effects, Vr, Games and Transmedia in Stuttgart, Germany, and slowly molded a puppet of Morph, Aardman’s first creation, while discussing 40 years of stop-motion glory at its animation studio in Bristol, England.

From “Wallace & Gromit” to “Creature Comforts” to “Shaun the Sheep,” Aardman will be firmly dedicated to the hand-crafted technique of stop-motion as long as audiences continue to embrace it. For Lord, who co-founded Aardman with school chum David Sproxton before adding animator-director Nick Park to the creative team, it’s all about the comedy of manners and empathy.

Here are Lord’s five rules for stop-motion animation:

1. Never forget the importance of Ray Harryhausen.

When Lord was ten years old, he saw “Jason and the Argonauts” and was so amazed at the brilliance of stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen...

Aardman Animations co-founder Peter Lord said he “absolutely assumes” the famed U.K. stop-motion animation studio will make more projects with its famous Wallace and Gromit characters.

The characters — the subjects of Aardman stories including the Oscar-winning shorts A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers, as well as the Oscar-winning animated feature The Curse of the Were-Rabbit — were created by the studio’s Nick Park, who is currently directing Aardman’s upcoming cavemen feature Early Man.

“When Nick’s not drawing cavemen, he’s drawing Wallace & Gromit,” Lord said during a session Thursday at VFX and animation confab Fmx in Stuttgart, Germany. “I absolutely assume...

30 is...

...the running time of Wallace & Gromit's Oscar winning shorts A Close Shave (1995) and The Wrong Trousers (1993)

...the number of features directed by Steven Spielberg from Sugarland Express (1974) to The Bfg (2016)

...the age of Bette Davis and Hilary Swank when they won their second Best Actress Oscars for Jezebel (1938) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) respectively

...the year of Best Picture winner All Quiet on the Western Front

... and the age at which you get all dressed up to be "terminated" in Logan's Run (1976). For the good of society!

Sean Wilson Sep 16, 2016

With Kubo & The Two Strings now playing, we salute some of our favourite stop motion animated movies...

With Laika's visually sumptuous and breathtaking stop motion masterpiece Kubo And The Two Strings dazzling audiences throughout the country, what better time to celebrate this singular and remarkable art form?

The effect is created when an on-screen character or object is carefully manipulated one frame at a time, leading to an illusion of movement during playback - and such fiendishly intricate work, which takes years of dedication, deserves to be honoured. Here are the greatest examples of stop motion movie mastery.

The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898)

What defines the elusive appeal of stop motion? Surely a great deal of it is down to the blend of the recognisable and the uncanny: an simulation of recognisably human movement that still has a touch of the fantastical about it. These contradictions were put...

Perhaps sensing that everyone will be sick of looking at him by the tail end of 2017 (what with the multiple Oscar nominated transformations, the actual Oscar, and that new Fantastic Beasts franchise), Eddie Redmayne will give his ginger mug a wee break from gigantification on the big screen. Instead he'll be leading the voice cast of Aardman's Early Man which just went into production for release in 2018. The best part of the news is that Nick Park will be directing and he's been absent from that particular chair for too long. (His last feature was 11 long years ago, the Oscar winning Curse of the Were Rabbit.)

You can pencil it in for a Best Animated Feature nomination right now (albeit two years from now) because Aardman has quite a track record of delights (sorry Flushed Away!). They've got a heavy shelf of awards to prove it including Oscar nominations for...

Industry veteran to take executive producer and producer duties at new firm.

Chris Moll, who stepped down as head of film at Creative England in April, has resurfaced at burgeoning film and TV production company Catalyst Global Media.

Moll has been hired to takes on both executive producer and producer duties at the London-based firm, which launched in May.

Reporting to Catalyst co-founder and CEO Charlotte Walls, Moll will be charged with sourcing high-quality, commercially viable projects for Catalyst’s development and production slate.

He will also be responsible for expanding the company’s national and international partnerships with key talent, producers, agents, publishers and financiers, and identifying new opportunities for collaboration across film, television, digital and music.

Walls said: “Chris brings tremendous strength as an award-winning film producer and seasoned entertainment executive with passion and vision for current projects and the future of Catalyst.”

Moll said he would help build “a slate focused on both creative...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrates the work of Aardman Animations with three programs featuring the studio’s Oscar-winning and nominated Wallace And Gromit shorts on Friday, August 7, and Sunday, August 9.

Aardman’s latest film, Shaun The Sheep Movie, will be released in U.S. theaters on August 7.

Wallace and Gromit Restored – The Marc Davis Celebration of Animation

Friday, August 7, 7:30 p.m. │Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Beverly Hills

As part of the Academy’s Marc Davis Celebration of Animation series, Aardman Animations co-founder David Sproxton and Wallace and Gromit cinematographer Dave Alex Riddett will discuss the making of the studio’s Oscar-winning shorts “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave,” and the Oscar-nominated shorts “A Grand Day Out” and “A Matter of Loaf and Death.”

The program also will include the world premiere screening of the restorations of all four films, the result of a collaborative effort...

Louisa Mellor Apr 26, 2017

Puns, movie references and nods to Aardman’s past abound in Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death…

Animator Nick Park’s fifth Wallace and Gromit film, A Matter Of Loaf And Death (named for the Powell & Pressburger 1946 fantasy romance A Matter Of Life And Death, the first of many such baking-related puns) became the most-watched television programme in the UK in 2008, attracting a Christmas day average audience of 14.4 million viewers. It saw 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan, transformed into a granary, making Wallace the target of a “cereal killer” intent on ridding the world of bakers. Gromit, as ever, came to the rescue.

See related Why Alien: Isolation proves the Alien deserves another movie

We’ve scoured the half-hour short to unpack some of Aardman’s characteristic in-jokes and film references…

1. The name and look of Baker Bob, who meets an unfortunate end at the hands...

Christopher Eccleston's Safe House topped the ratings outside of soaps on Bank Holiday Monday (May 4), according to overnight figures.

The penultimate episode of the four-part drama brought in 4.18m (16.7%) at 9pm on ITV (198k/1.1% on +1). Earlier, Wild Ireland interested 2.68m (11.5%) at 8pm (147k/0.6%).

BBC Two's World Championship Snooker coverage entertained 3.31m (16.0%) between 7pm and 11pm.

On BBC One, a repeat of Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers transfixed 2.35m (10.9%) at 7.30pm, while Ve Day: Remembering Victory was watched by 2.82m (11.9%) at 8.30pm.

Channel 4's Food Unwrapped averaged 1.24m (5.3%) at 8pm (118k/0.5%), while Stranger on the Bridge was seen by 1.43m (6.1%) at 9pm (219k/1.3%).

On Channel 5, Police Interceptors thrilled 778k (3.3%) at 8pm (47k/0.2%), before Gotham rose to 945k (4.0%) at 9pm (68k/0.4%), and Person of Interest gathered 599k (3.4%) at 10pm (69k/0.8%).

Game of Thrones brought in 1.0m (4.3%) for Sky Atlantic at 9pm, while E4's Made in Chelsea rose...

Exclusive: Creative England head of film and iFeatures founder to step down next month.

Creative England head of film Chris Moll is to step down next month.

Industry veteran Moll, who founded and oversees low-budget filmmaking scheme iFeatures - also backed by Creative England - will leave to pursue other projects after three years in the role.

Moll will step down from his position on April 17 ahead of a restructure within Creative England which will include the appointment of a director of content who will work across film, TV, games and digital.

The organisation is not expected to appoint a successor to Moll until the new director is in place.

During Moll’s tenure the organisation backed films including Andrew Haigh’s Berlinale winner 45 Years, action-thriller Spooks: The Greater Good, Charles Barker sci-fi The Call Up and SXSW music documentary The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson, directed by Julien Temple.

iFeatures, which recently...

Youngsters and oldsters alike…here is the reel deal: The New York International Children’s Film Festival (Nyicff) will be making its presence known in the upcoming days. On tap for the 18th annual event will be a noted variety of creative animated films and shorts for all ages to enjoy and relish. The New York International Children’s Film Festival promises to serve up an array of animated showcases that boasts all styles and formats that should prove imaginative and appealing to our past and present childhood memories.

Please note that the Nyicff will run its operation from February 27, 2015 to March 22, 2015. Additionally, the majority of these impressive feature-length and short films have experienced critical acclaim overseas. Therefore, the impact of the Nyicff’s cinematic selections should be rewarding for ardent fans of animated film fodder designed to capture the spirit of its enthusiastic viewers.

Among the films being displayed...

Nick Park has revealed that Wallace and Gromit may not return for another adventure.

The Oscar-winning animator has said that he is not sure if the series would continue without Wallace voice actor Peter Sallis.

Park said that the 93-year-old actor is "not too well", and suffers from the eye condition macular degeneration. He has not voiced Wallace in four years.

Sallis has Ben Whitehead as an understudy for Wallace, but Park has yet to decide if he would make another project without Sallis.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary of Leith School of Art, Park said: "He's not too well. It's a big question for us, whether to keep going. We have got an understudy who has stepped in sometimes, Ben Whitehead, a young actor in London.

"He actually started off doing the stuff Peter didn't want to do, like video games, or if we needed a voice for an exhibition.

Nick Park has revealed that Wallace and Gromit may not return for another adventure.

The Oscar-winning animator has said that he is not sure if the series would continue without Wallace voice actor Peter Sallis.

Park said that the 93-year-old actor is "not too well", and suffers from the eye condition macular degeneration. He has not voiced Wallace in four years.

Sallis has Ben Whitehead as an understudy for Wallace, but Park has yet to decide if he would make another project without Sallis.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary of Leith School of Art, Park said: "He's not too well. It's a big question for us, whether to keep going. We have got an understudy who has stepped in sometimes, Ben Whitehead, a young actor in London.

"He actually started off doing the stuff Peter didn't want to do, like video games, or if we needed a voice for an exhibition.

Star Wars' R2-D2 has been named Britain's favourite robot or android character in TV and film.

A survey commissioned to celebrate the launch of new sci-fi drama Almost Human on Watch revealed that Terminator and Wall-e are also favourites of the nation.

Star Wars' C-3Po also made the Top 10, making it the most popular robot franchise.

2,000 Brits were polled to mark the premiere of Jj Abrams' Almost Human (Watch, Tuesdays at 9pm), which follows a policeman and his android cop partner.

The Top 10 favourite robot characters have been revealed as:

1. R2-D2 (Star Wars): 22%

2. Terminator (T-800, Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator Films): 19%

3. Wall-e (Disney/Pixar's Wall-e): 16%

4. C-3Po (Star Wars): 16%

5. K-9 (Doctor Who): 13%

6. Johnny 5 (Short Circuit): 10%

7. Kitt (Knight Rider): 9%

8. RoboCop (RoboCop): 9%

9. Data (Star Trek: Next Generation): 8%

=10. Sonny (I, Robot): 7%

=10. The Wrong Trousers (Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers...

Star Wars' R2-D2 has been named Britain's favourite robot or android character in TV and film.

A survey commissioned to celebrate the launch of new sci-fi drama Almost Human on Watch revealed that Terminator and Wall-e are also favourites of the nation.

Star Wars' C-3Po also made the Top 10, making it the most popular robot franchise.

2,000 Brits were polled to mark the premiere of Jj Abrams' Almost Human (Watch, Tuesdays at 9pm), which follows a policeman and his android cop partner.

The Top 10 favourite robot characters have been revealed as:

1. R2-D2 (Star Wars): 22%

2. Terminator (T-800, Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator Films): 19%

3. Wall-e (Disney/Pixar's Wall-e): 16%

4. C-3Po (Star Wars): 16%

5. K-9 (Doctor Who): 13%

6. Johnny 5 (Short Circuit): 10%

7. Kitt (Knight Rider): 9%

8. RoboCop (RoboCop): 9%

9. Data (Star Trek: Next Generation): 8%

=10. Sonny (I, Robot): 7%

=10. The Wrong Trousers (Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers...

Gromit was a cat, Wallace had a moustache, and their first adventure was meant to be like Star Wars – but with cheese. Nick Park and Peter Lord on creating a British classic

Nick Park, creator

As soon as I started filming A Grand Day Out, the first Wallace and Gromit animation, I realised I was making a film about my dad. He loved tinkering about in the shed. He didn't look like Wallace, but somehow I could see him in his eyes – although my dad's eyes didn't meet in the middle, of course.

It was 1982 and, back then, Wallace had no eyebrows, hardly any cheeks and a moustache. And Gromit was embarrassing: he had a nose like a banana, or a cross between a banana and a pear. When Peter Sallis, who voices Wallace, said "No cheeeese, Gromit" for the first time, I realised how wide and toothy I was...

Interview Simon Brew 6 Aug 2013 - 07:09

Director Gore Verbinski chats to us about his movies, including Rango, The Lone Ranger, and his sadly aborted Bioshock adaptation...

When we meet Gore Verbinski, he's a man in the throes of jetlag. One rather posh looking cup of tea later, and we settle down to chat, and find that the director of The Lone Ranger and Rango is excellent company. And it was Rango that we started with...

Can we start with a Rango question. I've always wanted to ask you this: did Clint Eastwood ever get in touch after the film was released, given that he's plainly referenced there?

No, not yet! We never asked permission, so I don't know what's going to happen if I ever bump into him.

Was there ever a risk in including 'him'?

No. We had the whole legal team go over it, and the whole parody law!

A cerebral film based on a memoir by Hitler's private secretary lifts the lid on Feathers McGraw's role in the Führer's overthrow

Downfall (2004)

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel

Entertainment grade: A–

History grade: A–

On 20 April 1945, as the second world war drew to its conclusion, Soviet forces began to shell the centre of Berlin.

People

The film is bookended by documentary footage of the splendidly named Traudl Humps, Adolf Hitler's private secretary from 1942-45. In 1947, she wrote a memoir. It was published in 2002 under her less thrilling married name, Traudl Junge. The film draws extensively on the book, especially for the relationship between Hitler (Bruno Ganz, in the performance of a lifetime) and his girlfriend, Eva Braun (Juliane Köhler). Junge paints Eva as a needy, delusional figure – dancing around her old living room "in a desperate frenzy, like a woman who has already felt the faint breath of death". Another eyewitness,...

Nick Park has launched a brand new Wallace & Gromit theme park ride in Blackpool.

The Thrill-o-Matic ride opened on April 24 at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, with Aardman's Park joined by Managing Director Amanda Thompson and Deputy Managing Director Nick Thompson.

The ride is part of a £5.25 million investment and five years of development, and takes fans through some of the animated duo's most loved moments.

It begins in a carriage shaped as a giant slipper, before being taken through scenes from A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, A Matter of Loaf and Death and The Curse of the Were Rabbit.

Nick Park, creator of Wallace & Gromit, said: "We have the perfect marriage between Wallace and Gromit and Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

"I grew up in Preston, which is just down the road so Blackpool feels like a natural home for Wallace and Gromit.

"It has been a great...

Aardman characters to launch Thrill-o-Matic ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach as part of VisitEngland's 'staycation' campaign

Two newly appointed figureheads of a campaign to breathe fresh life into English tourism are to start working next week in Blackpool – the Lancashire seaside town that, despite its long reputation as a holiday resort, has been struggling to update its appeal.

On Wednesday Wallace and Gromit, the stars of a Oscar-winning series by Aardman Animations, are to attend the launch of the world's first theme park ride to be based on their adventures in the films A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. Their creator, Nick Park, will be at their side as visitors try out the Thrill-o-Matic, the £5.25m new jewel in the crown of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park.

"I grew up in Preston, which is just down the road, so Blackpool feels like a natural home for Wallace and Gromit,...

On Thursday evening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills, the Academy invited movie fans to join in the celebration of the work of this year’s Oscar nominees in the Animated Feature Film category. Although not pictured above, director Tim Burton was on hand for the panel discussion hosted by actor Rob Riggle (Hotel Transylvania, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax).

The nominees discussed how their films were developed, talked about their creative processes, and presented clips illustrating their techniques. All were adamant in saying that animated films are not cartoons and that there is place for both stop-motion and CGI in the genre.

The Animated Feature Film nominees are:

Brave

Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

This is the second nomination for Mark Andrews and the first in this category. He made his feature directorial debut with Brave.

After interning at Disney, Andrews worked as a story-board artist on several films.

Why Watch? There is never a wrong time to enjoy some Wallace & Gromit. This particular short, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1993, is especially good for walkies. Aardman Animation has a unique sensibility that’s partially antique, engagingly modern and thoroughly British. There’s an innocence to their comedy (even when a penguin is bounce-testing a bed). Not content simply to astonish with craftsmanship that takes a large amount of time and an even larger amount of skill, these stories thrill with a grand sense of adventure and a lot of ridiculous fun. The Wrong Trousers may be their very, very best. What will it cost? Around 30 minutes. Skip Work. Watch More Short Films.

Join us lurking in the gloom as we seek out the best film scenes involving shadows – from the sinister to the comforting

This week's clip joint is by MisterIks. Think you can do better? Email your idea for a future Clip joint to adam.boult@guardian.co.uk

From the claustrophobic dread of gothic silents to the psychological shadows scattered through more modern cinema, shadows have been cast on walls, haunted the past, concealed what we may not want to see or allowed somebody (or something) to emerge into view.

The use of shadows to enrich the a film's atmosphere or narrative has been with us since the earliest cinema. For this Clip joint, I would like your favourite scenes involving shadows. My chosen scenes tend towards the horror genre, so it would to great to also see some clips where shadows offer lighter entertainment, or where shade brings respite...

Chicago – Peter Lord may be the most important and influential animation producer of the last fifty years that you probably haven’t heard of. In the ’70s, he co-founded a company with Steven Broxton that would go on to change the form of stop-motion animation — Aardman Animation. From legendary music videos to commercials to a series of short films about a cheese-loving inventor and his loyal dog, Aardman deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Studio Ghibli and even Disney when it comes to the history of animation. “Wallace & Gromit,” “Chicken Run,” “Flushed Away,” and So much more — Aardman Animation is a factory of brilliant entertainment.

The company’s latest endeavor is the clever, fun “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” a rollicking adventure featuring voice work by Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, and many more. It’s another fun Aardman flick and Lord takes director credit on...

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Written by Gideon Defoe

Directed by Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt

UK / USA, 2012

Chicken Run, Curse of the Were-rabbit, The Wrong Trousers; if any of these clay-animated films sound familiar, then Britain’s greatest cinematic exponent, Aardman Studios, will be no mystery. If those titles hold no meaning, please greet with open arms their latest film, an adaptation of the first Gideon Coe Pirate novels, The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists! or, as it is titled in North America, The Pirates! Band of Misfits!.

The plot can be described as nothing other than insane: the pirate crew, led by the charismatic Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and completed by Pirate with Scarf (Martin Freeman), Albino Pirate (Russell Tovey) and Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (Ashley Jensen), are a terrible crew, the laughing stock of the high seas and Blood Island. Forever the optimist, Pirate Captain believes that...

Chicago – Befuddled inventor Wallace and his trusted, oft-exasperated canine companion Gromit deserve to be ranked alongside the greatest comic duos in cinema history. Brought to life by Nick Park’s exuberantly inventive stop-motion animation, Wallace and Gromit are best known for their series of short subjects, including 1993’s “The Wrong Trousers,” which is surely one of the best films ever made.

Audiences hoping to find new adventures for the duo contained within this disc may be initially disappointed by its content. Wallace (voiced again by the inimitable Peter Sallis) and his wordlessly wise pup serve as hosts for this family friendly educational program exploring the modern world of wacky inventions. Consumers leery that this show merely uses bookended skits featuring the popular characters as bait to sell dry scientific lectures can rest easy. “World of Invention” is an excellent six-part series that all ages can embrace.

Blu-ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

It’s...

Our favorite British inventor (ok, maybe second to Tim Berners-Lee — we couldn’t PopWatch without the Web!) and his smart but silent dog are back in a new six-part series available on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday, Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention. In the series, which originally aired on BBC One, Wallace is in front of the camera, teaching about inventions that help with everything from space travel to housework — and trusty cameradog Gromit is producing behind the scenes. Check out Wallace’s Rube Goldberg-meets-Mr. Wizard act in this exclusive clip after the jump.

The claymation stars...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 13, 2012

Price: DVD $14.98, Blu-ray $14.99

Studio: Lionsgate

The boys are back in Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention.

Aardman Animation of England’s beloved stop-motion characters Wallace and Gromit return in Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, a six-part BBC-1 comedy television series originally broadcast in November 2010.

In this series of adventures, British inventor Wallace and his faithful canine sidekick-turned-cameradog Gromit take an enthusiastic look at some bizarre real-life inventions, from gadgets that help around the home to the mind-boggling world of space travel. Needless to say, not everything goes smoothly as they present the stuff from their laboratory/TV studio/basement at their home on West Wallaby Street.

The Wallace & Gromit franchise has been going strong for more than two decades. During this time, two of its shorts — 1993’s The Wrong Trousers and 1995’s and A Close Shave — won Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film, while another pair garnered Oscar nominations.

Be it a lone gunman taking his last chance or a labyrinthine plot involving dozens of hardened criminals, the bank robbery has long been a cinematic staple and has provided us with some incredibly tense and enjoyable movie moments.

To usher in the latest heist-gone-wrong movie (30 Minutes or Less which is released today on Blu-ray and DVD) we have two treats in store – an exclusive clip from the film to get you in the mood and then we take a look at five movie robberies which, like that of Ruben Fleischer’s film, don’t go exactly to plan..

Here’s our review of 30 Minutes or Less, and the exclusive clip looks a lot like this…

1. The Killing/Reservoir Dogs

Kubrick’s early film shows signs of the genius which would emerge and the story of one last job gone wrong is a true staple of the crime genre but...

The Wallace & Gromit digital comic has a hit a million downloads worldwide, publishers Titan have announced.

The comic was launched as a free iPhone app in November 2009 and has taken the charts by storm, hitting No1 in the UK, Us and Canada free books app store and No3 overall in the free apps chart.

Titan comics editor Andrew James said: "We are really proud that we are the first UK comics publisher to get a million downloads on iTunes, but we aren't stopping there. The new Titan Comics app for iPhone and iPad demonstrates our cutting-edge technology and our diverse range of top-quality comics."

To celebrate this, Titan is releasing new Wallace & Gromit comic adventures via its iPhone and iPad app, including the Wallace & Gromit daily strips originally printed in The Sun.

To download the free app, go to the iTunes store then search Titan Comics.

Wallace & Gromit are the...

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.

This week Cars 2 gives sequels a bad name, and Bad Teacher attempts to cash in on the R-rated comedy wave, while limited release offers A Better Life and discovers Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop. Now, if these features can’t fulfill your need for animated tales of triumph, rotten role models, immigrant-centered drama and sidesplitting tour docs, don’t fret. We’ve got a line up that’s sure keep you on the edge of your seat as you kick back in your AC!

— — —

Cars 2

Larry the Cable Guy returns to voice the buck-toothed pick-up truck Mater, who falls into a world of international espionage as his buddy Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) spins his wheels abroad. Michael Caine, John Turturro and Eddie Izzard join the free-wheelin’ cast.

Paul Merton's Birth Of Hollywood, Human Target, Lead Balloon and lots of Doctor Who in our look ahead at the UK TV week...

The holiday weekend telly schedule starts tonight, Friday, May 27th, with Paul Merton's Birth Of Hollywood at 9:30pm on BBC2. In the first of three episodes in a new series, the comedian looks at the early silent comedies of Charlie Chaplin and the pre-Police Academy Keystone Cops, and also reveals the first 'cliffhangers', for those not familiar with the serialised start of much of the earliest motion picture entertainment, with an unflinching look at the career of Dw Griffith, all in celebration of Hollywood's hundredth anniversary.

Human Target enjoys a season 2 double-bill tonight, Friday, May 27th at 8:00pm on Syfy. The first episode, Ilsa Pucci, is followed by The Wife's Tale at 9:00pm, in the first two of thirteen last ever episodes.

Qi comes to an end, True Blood season three arrives in the UK, Hugh Dennis launches Fast And Loose, and we've got lots and lots of movies coming up on UK TV too!

We start our viewing week by saying goodbye to the current series of Qi, the Stephen Fry-hosted panel show that forever ruined sunsets for me and millions by revealing in a recent episode that the gorgeous glowing orb we see on the horizon isn't really there. It's already gone, leaving behind a mere optical illusion to trick us all and make us feel stupid when we learn the truth. I'd rather know than be fooled for a lifetime, but it still smarts. The ninth series concludes tonight, Friday, January 14th at 8:30pm on BBC1, or catch the Xl version, with extra bits, on BBC2 at 10:30pm on Saturday January 15th.

Following on Qi's heels is The Tick,...

Get ready for a whole host of TV shows and movies to get you through the festive period - it's our look at UK telly...!

We've taken a scythe to the Christmas telly schedule to help you sort the geek from the chav. We hope the listing of shows and films will help brighten your holiday via the warm rays of the living room telly.

If we missed any of your favourites, please have a ho-ho-ho in the comments section, with our thanks and best wishes for a happy holiday.

Thursday December 23rd

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather Part 1 4:00pm Sky1 (repeats through 1st Jan)

24 series 8 6:00am Sky 2 (marathon consecutive run of the series' episodes)

8 Out Of 10 Cats Christmas Special 10:00pm Channel 4 (repeats 00:05am 27th Dec)

The Royle Family Christmas Special (2009) 00:45am Gold (repeats through 30th Dec)

Christmas Eve Friday December 24th

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather Part...

An Only Fools And Horses episode has been named Britain's most memorable Christmas TV moment. The 1996 comedy sequence, in which Del Boy and Rodney dress up as Batman and Robin for a party which turns out to be a wake, topped the poll by TV channel Gold. It was followed in the top 10 Christmas shows by the 1993 episode of Wallace and Gromit’s The Wrong Trousers.

Sometimes, comedy doesn't need words. Here are your suggestions for the most immaculate banana skin moment

@philwest The scene in Naked Gun where the lorry crashes into the firework factory and as everyone stares at the multicoloured, explosive mayhem, our hero says: "Move along folks – nothing to see here."

@monkey2, @smallwordsplease,

@alicol The house falling on Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill Jr

@johnfoley The mirror scene from the Marx brothers' Duck Soup cracks me up every time.

@RockyRocastle The horse that appears to be Buster Keaton wearing a dress and umbrella in Our Hospitality.

@YoghurtWeaver In The Big Lebowski, when the Dude spends ages hammering a plank against the door and then the door opens the other way.

@VirtuallyPastit Take the Money and Run: Woody Allen's character Virgil is shown performing in a marching band – as a cellist.

@julian6 The grisly black comedy of the scene in...

Doctor Who! Ashes To Ashes! Jonathan Creek! The Pacific! More Doctor Who! How's this for a terrific week for films and shows on UK TV?

We're all sat, antsy, pouring over stills and looping seconds' worth of trailers and preview snippets heralding the new Doctor into our lives.

The build up of anticipation continues and whether the offering up of alternate, past Who Doctors makes the ever-shortening wait for the new any less stinging, or eases the itch a bit, is a personal matter. But, we'll take all the Who we can get, thank you.

The Doctor-ful weekend starts today, and we think it must be the most Who-filled Easter we've seen. We'll get right to the schedules of all things Time Lordish, and the other great programmes guaranteed to make you smile, laugh - or get that puzzled expression that looks so good on you - over the next few days.

The Lady and the Reaper, Logorama, A Matter of Loaf and Death, French Roast and Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty Short Films International and Magnolia Pictures are currently screening this year's Oscar nominated live-action and animated shorts in theaters prior to the March 7, 2010 Oscar presentation. For theater listings and times check out Shorts HD.com. Below are the reviews for the five Oscar-nominated animated short films along with production videos and full versions of all five short films.

You can get my reviews of the five nominated live-action shorts right here.

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty Ireland / 6:06 minutes

Nicky Phelan's Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty serves as its own piece of revisionist story-telling as Granny O'Grimm sets down to tell her granddaughter the age old tale of "Sleeping Beauty" only to lose herself along the way in fits of rage and jealousy as the plot twists and turns. The animation is pretty good,...

Chicago – In a year where commercial products and prefabricated award bids are being celebrated, it’s refreshing to see two Oscar categories uncorrupted by popular taste. While the short film nominees of 2010 are a mixed bag at best, they offer a splendid variety of fresh artistic visions from around the world. There isn’t a Pixar film in the bunch, though a certain beloved British comedy duo make a welcome return to the category they’ve won twice before.

“The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010” will have a one-week run at Chicago’s Landmark Century Centre Cinema, beginning Friday, February 19th. They are all well worth checking out, though the animated shorts are considerably more polished and rewarding than the live-action shorts, which often play like teasers for a feature-length work. Each group of five competing shorts will be shown in separate programs, with the animated nominees accompanied by three additional shorts: Poland’s “Kinematograph,...

Listen up hi-def humbugs and Blu-ray Scrooges! This is the year you'll not just want, but need, to buy a new hi-def plasma screen and a shiny black Blu-ray player for Christmas (and/or whatever other holiday you choose to celebrate with lavish gifts). Why? Because this technology has reached its performance plateau. And it is finally at a reasonable price most of us can afford. Not only that, it serves as the one prefect gift the entire family can enjoy together. With more Blu-ray titles being released right now than ever before, there simply couldn't be a better time to dive head first into this leading technological platform.

But wait! There's one thing you don't want to overlook after all that exciting new equipment has been unwrapped. Without a stack of Blu-ray discs strategically placed in each family member's stocking with care, your gorgeous new HD flat screen becomes a delectable serving tray,...

Tweny years ago today, two clay figures went on a grand day out to get some cheese, so of course they went to the moon to get some. Since then, Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit have become two of the most recognizable faces of modern British culture.

The pair have starred in a number of 30-minute films since, including The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Matter of Loaf and Death, and one feature-length film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. And today, in England at least, they made a Google doodle to mark the occasion.

As for me, I'm off to have some cheese and cracking good toast to celebrate.

Considering the worldwide phenomenon Wallace and Gromit have become, it’s something of a mystery that the stop-motion duo’s latest adventure, the Hitchcockian “who-donut” A Matter of Loaf and Death, would go straight to home video in the States (as opposed to overseas, where the BBC debuted the film to through-the-roof ratings on Christmas Day). The upside of the arrangement is that it gives American fans an excuse to snag the entire W&G collection on Blu-ray, complete with commentaries, extras and a host of “Cracking Contraptions” shorts.

As it turns out, Loaf and Death is actually something of a letdown, trading the retro-styled charm of their three previous shorts and feature-length adventure Curse of the Were-Rabbit for faster pacing, a fair amount of CG and a bunch of recent blockbuster references (after operating in a 1940s-style time capsule all these years, does the series really need references to Aliens?...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

Yes, I know I’m a little close to the material - but you know what? I’d still recommend you pick up a copy of Shootin’ The Sh*t with Kevin Smith: The Best of SModcast (Titan Books, $14.95 Srp). It may seem an odd proposition to read transcripts of the Kevin & Scott Mosier’s podcast, but the strength of the material means...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though the clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

DVD Releases for September 22, 2009

Battle For Terra (Lionsgate, $19.98 DVD; $29.99 Blu-ray): When environmental destruction forces people to leave Earth, the remaining survivors rocket through space on a quest to find a new home. At first, it seems like the beautiful planet Terra is the perfect place to take over. But when a fighter pilot (voice of Luke Wilson) crashes on Terra, he forms an unlikely friendship with a rebellious Terrian girl named Mala (Evan Rachel Wood). Now, putting aside their differences, the young heroes join forces to protect Terra from destruction in this animated Sf adventure that also features the voices of Dennis Quaid,...

At&T U-verse customers will be the first in North America to find out what animated favorites Wallace and Gromit are up to in their latest comedic escapade. At&T and Aardman Animations today announced that At&T U-verse TV will exclusively feature the U.S. premiere of the new Wallace and Gromit short film, A Matter of Loaf and Death.

The film will make its U.S. debut to all U-verse TV customers on June 5, available for free in the U-verse TV On Demand library. Beginning June 1, clips of the famous cheese lover and his canine friend will also appear on At&T wireless devices through CV-Video (Video On Demand) and on UConnect.Att.com, a site for U-verse TV customers that features the latest U-verse TV programming and television events.

"Wallace and Gromit are followed by fans worldwide, and we're very proud to be the first U.S.

In today's technology-obsessed entertainment world, most of the animated fare is done with computers. That's not to say it's any less legit than hand-drawn animation -- because if you're working on a CG feature, you Better know how to animate in "traditional" fashion -- but I'm just explaining why the sweat behind the Wallace & Gromit films is just a little extra-special. Plus, with three award-winning shorts and a fantastic feature behind them, W & G have more than proven their worth by now.

So Yay! Aardman Animation has a new one to show us! A Matter of Loaf and Death will premiere on BBC1 come Christmas Day, so I might have to wait a few extra weeks, but boy am I psyched to see it. (I've watched The Wrong Trousers, A Grand Day Out, and A Close Shave more times than I care to mention -- and I say The Curse...

Wallace And Gromit star Peter Sallis has admitted that he had initial misgivings about the famous runaway train chase in The Wrong Trousers. Sallis said that he struggled to understand the appeal of the sequence, which sees Gromit furiously putting down train tracks as he pursues a criminal penguin. He recalled that he confronted creator Nick Park about his concerns, saying: "I remember when I was recording the voice and watching this sequence with Gromit lying down in front of the train laying the track as he went along. I said, 'Look, Nick, this isn't going to work. We can't have him laying the track as it's going along, (more)...

LONDON -- Oscar-winning animator Nick Park is turning back to the small screen for the next comic adventure starring his creations Wallace and Gromit, Park said Wednesday.

The animator is making the next adventure featuring his multi-Academy award winning claymation stars for the Beeb's flagship channel BBC1 as a television half hour.

Entitled Trouble at Mill, the adventure joins previous made-for-TV half hours The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave.

The script, co-written by Park and Wrong Trousers collaborator Bob Baker, is in preproduction now, with shooting scheduled to begin in January .

It details the story of the duo's startup baking business in their town and how they discover that the place is in the midst of a murder mystery that has seen 12 bakers disappear. It soon becomes a "matter of loaf and death" Park said.

Park says he is aiming to be finished in the fall of next year and is looking forward to a faster turnaround than making full-length feature claymation movies.