Wallace & Gromit Props Destroyed in Fire
Source: Associated Press
October 10, 2005
While Aardman Animations' Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit opened at #1 at the box office this weekend with an estimated $16 million, the company lost most of its priceless archive of props, sets and models in a fire that gutted its warehouse in England on Monday morning.
"Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, with the news that Wallace and Gromit had gone in at number one at the U.S. box office, but instead our whole history has been wiped out," said Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff. "It's turned out to be a terrible day."
The Avon Fire and Rescue service said the roof and three interior walls of the Victorian warehouse collapsed in the blaze, which broke out at about 5:30 a.m. (0430 GMT). The cause of the fire was being investigated.
Sheriff said the warehouse contained sets, props and models from all the company's past productions, from the children's cartoon character Morph through the Oscar-winning, anthropomorphic Creature Comforts series to the Wallace and Gromit films.
Aardman said the sets and props from "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" were not caught in the blaze. The company also released Chicken Run in 2000.
Wallace and Gromit's creator, Nick Park, said the earthquake in South Asia helped put the loss into perspective.
"Even though it is a precious and nostalgic collection and valuable to the company, in light of other tragedies, today isn't a big deal," he said.
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