Welsh Landmark Inspires Climax of New Wallace and Gromit Film

A notable Welsh landmark served as the inspiration for the “gripping” conclusion of the latest Wallace and Gromit film. The closing moments of Vengeance Most Fowl feature a chase scene across an aqueduct that bears a striking resemblance to Pontcysyllte, located near Wrexham. However, given that the film is set in Lancashire, Aardman Animations art director Matt Perry explained that the production team had to implement certain design adjustments. He stated: “We were after that Georgian/Victorian Age industrial period and it’s a very beautiful bridge – I do love all the steel work. We did keep the metal work similar at the top.” Matt elaborated that the team developed their own rendition, altering the stone piers to brick to mirror railway bridges characteristic of that era in north-west England. Furthermore, there is no River Dee flowing beneath it; instead, the valley’s “drama” is drawn from the sheer rock faces of the Avon and Cheddar gorges, a subtle acknowledgment of Aardman’s studios in Bristol. Despite these changes, Matt, who also contributed to the Wallace and Gromit films A Matter of Loaf and Death and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, confirmed that there were “definite nods” to Thomas Telford’s engineering masterpiece in Trevor, which stands 126ft (38m) high. This “magnificent” structure, recognized as the world’s tallest canal aqueduct, was the initial reference point for the team when conceptualizing the scene. He remarked: “There’s a huge gripping ending that is on this aqueduct, bridging a huge gorge. When you look at it from the top – it is very similar to Pontcysyllte. That was the inspiration, for sure.” While Telford’s aqueduct took 10 years to design and construct, completing in 1805, Aardman’s 20ft (6m) long cinematic version was created in approximately three months. Its production commenced with basic carpentry, followed by “a lot” of brickwork panels, each requiring individual painting. Matt commented: “It’s quite lovingly, tenderly done, you know, All the bricks need a slight variation in colour and then we’ve got all the dirting down. A lot goes into it.” Matt mentioned that the film’s aqueduct features 12 arches, in contrast to Pontcysyllte’s 18, but added: “when we play the action we make it extra long in one direction, then come the other end and make it extra long the other way. So actually, ours is the longest aqueduct in the world”! Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is set to premiere on BBC One at 18:10 GMT on Christmas Day and will also be accessible on iPlayer from that time. Audiences outside the UK will be able to stream the film on Netflix this winter. Vengeance Most Fowl, which sees the return of Wallace and Gromit’s adversary Feathers McGraw from the 1993 film The Wrong Trousers, took approximately two years to produce. Directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, Matt described it as his personal favorite and “the best one so far.” Matt stated: “It has all the elements that you’ve come to know and love… it’s a right caper. We’ve got, obviously, the return of Feathers, who is as evil as he’s ever been. But it’s also just ridiculous and daft. It’s just totally bonkers.” The Pontcysyllte aqueduct, which attracts around 500,000 visitors annually, is managed by the Canal and Rivers Trust. A spokesperson expressed that it was “great fun” to see the aqueduct featured and hoped the film would “inspire more boaters and visitors to come and cross the ‘stream in the sky'”. They further remarked: “This iconic structure was built by one of Britain’s greatest engineers, so it’s only fitting that it plays a part in this film about one of today’s best-known fictional inventors.” This sentiment is echoed by Matt Perry, who hopes that people viewing their animated rendition will encourage more individuals to visit the Dee Valley’s engineering marvel. He commented: “That would be a lovely, that would be natural justice… for the fact that we use it as our main reference for it. I hope it does [people] proud.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.