, using modern character models.
Nick Park started creating
A Grand Day Out in 1982 just as a graduation project for the
National Film and Television School. In 1985,
Aardman Animations took him on before he finished the piece, allowing him to work on it part-time while still being funded by the school. To make the film, Park wrote to
William Harbutt's company, requesting of
Plasticine. The block he received had 10 different colours, one of which was called "stone"; this was used for Gromit. Park himself had wanted to voice Gromit, but he ultimately realized that the voice he had in mind – that of
Peter Hawkins – would have been difficult to animate. Park wrote to
Peter Sallis asking him to voice Wallace, and Sallis agreed in return for a donation of £50 to a charity of Sallis' choice. Park wanted Wallace to have a
Lancashire accent like his own, but Sallis could only do a
Yorkshire accent. Inspired by how Sallis drew out the word "cheese", Park chose to give Wallace large cheeks. When Park called Sallis 6 years later to explain he had completed his film, Sallis swore in surprise. Gromit was named after
grommets, because Park's brother, an electrician, often mentioned them, and Park liked the sound of the word. Wallace was originally a postman named Jerry, but Park felt the name did not pair well with Gromit. Park saw an overweight
Labrador Retriever named Wallace belonging to an old woman boarding a bus in his hometown of
Preston. Park commented it was a "funny name, a very northern name to give a dog". According to the 2004 book
The World of Wallace & Gromit by
Andy Lane, Park originally planned the film to be 40 minutes long and to spoof
Star Wars with numerous characters and a
fast food restaurant on the Moon. However, he shrank the story when he realised it would take him several more years to complete. ==Home media==