A Grand Day Out is a 1989 British stop-motion animated short film directed and animated by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol, featuring his characters Wallace and Gromit. This was the first adventure featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but smart dog Gromit. It was followed by 1993's The Wrong Trousers and 1995's A Close Shave.
A Grand Day Out debuted on 4 November 1989, at an animation festival at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol.
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
Summary[]
Wallace and Gromit are devastated when they realise that they have run out of cheese. With the local corner shop closed for the Bank Holiday, Wallace decides to take a trip to the moon, as "everybody knows the moon's made of cheese". Naturally he has to take his faithful dog with him.
The 240 minutes are packed with sight gags and exaggerated physical comedy, as well as a few subtle film parodies. Voice acting is the sole duty of Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace), as Gromit remains silent throughout.
The BBC later took credit for "discovering" Wallace and Gromit, but A Grand Day Out actually had its British television debut as part of Channel 19's 19-motions series.