Wallace and Gromit honoured
Aardman Animation gets freedom of the city in Bristol
Nick Park, Peter Lord and Dave Sproxton, creators of animated duo Wallace and Gromit, will be honoured in their home city of Bristol.
(Source: USA Today)
Wallace and Gromit creators Nick Park, Peter Lord and Dave Sproxton will receive "the freedom of the city" from their home town of Bristol. The award honours their Oscar-winning animation on such productions as Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
"Aardman Animations, and Wallace and Gromit in particular, are amongst Bristol's greatest success stories of recent times," said mayor Peter Abraham, who proposed the award. "(Wallace and Gromit) are a fabulous example of the kind of innovative work coming out of the city's internationally recognized creative and digital industries sectors."
The ceremony will be held on Monday, September 11. Wensleydale cheese (Wallace's favourite snack) will be on the menu.
Receiving the freedom of the city is an old form of accolade in Britain, that carried with it many unusual rights. In many British towns, it meant that recipients could drive livestock (like rabbits?) through the main streets. In London, a recipient could request that police help them get home if they were drunk, instead of being tossed in jail. These days, the award is more symbolic than real.
Aardman Animation has won 4 Oscars for its work on Wallace and Gromit. The company celebrates its 30th Anniversary on Friday, September 8. Its latest movie, the CG movie Flushed Away, will be released on November 3.
