Aardman International announced today that it is heading to MIPCOM next week with its new Wallace and Gromit film, Trouble At’ Mill. The half-hour TV special is currently in pre-production with animation set to begin in January at the Aardman studios in Bristol. Aardman will be in Cannes seeking for broadcast pre-sales for the program, which is slated for a fall/Christmas 2008 delivery.
In Trouble At’ Mill, Wallace and Gromit have a brand new business and have converted their house into a granary, complete with ovens and robotic kneading arms. Huge mixing bowls clutter the place and everything is covered with a layer of flour. Although business is booming, Gromit is concerned by the news that 12 local bakers have disappeared this year. Wallace, however, is too distracted by beautiful bread enthusiast Piella Bakewell to care. In order to protect himself and his best pal, Gromit goes into sleuth mode to solve the mystery.
Before making their feature film debut in Curse of The Were-Rabbit, plasticine team Wallace and Gromit debuted in the successful 30-minute short film A Grand Gay Out, followed by the Oscar-winning The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. Park says he’s glad to be returning to the half-hour format, commenting, ‘I love making films for the cinema but the production of Chicken Run and Curse of the Were-Rabbit were virtually back to back and each film took five years to complete. Trouble At’ Mill will be so much quicker to make and I can’t wait to get back into production.’
The new film reunites Wallace and Gromit creator Nick with writer Bob Baker, who co-wrote both The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. Park unveils Trouble At’ Mill in an interview-style short film that is now available on the internet exclusively at www.wallaceandgromit.com. The special is slated to air on BBC One next year.
