- By : Sharif Sadi
- Date: 11-10-2013
- Views : 1093
- [Beihai, China]
Wallace and Gromit trail organisers in Bristol announce new exhibition starring another Aardman character, timed to coincide with the Chinese Year of the Sheep.
After dozens of 5ft tall sculptures of Gromit invaded Bristol, Shaun the Sheep is set to follow in his pawsteps.
The hugely successful Gromit Unleashed trail planted dozens of sculptures of the plasticine dog around the city. Each had been decorated by one of several artists, celebrities, companies and designers including Sir Quentin Blake, Jools Holland and Cath Kidston. Research by the project organisers says that the Gromits attracted an estimated 1.18 million visitors.
Now Aardman Animations, which makes the series of stop-motion films and TV series starring Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, have said they''re hoping to repeat the project in two years'' time, but with an ovine flavour.
David Sproxton, chairman of Aardman, said: "Gromit Unleashed is the most successful project we''ve ever done beyond what we''re usually associated with, and we''ve all been bowled over by the way that people from far and wide have responded to the sculptures and flocked into the city.
"We keep being asked ''what''s next'', and it''s certainly going to be a challenge to top this, but the project partners are keen to see if we can scale up the idea with Shaun the Sheep in 2015 and roll it out nationally — or even internationally.
"We''re very much at an exploratory stage but with 2015 being the Chinese Year of the Sheep, coupled with the charity fundraising potential and the release of our new movie, it seems like the perfect time.
"Where Gromit leads, sheep tend to follow."
The total direct impact of the Gromit Unleashed project is more than £77 million, which includes money spent on paid accommodation as well as wider spending in the city including travel, gifts and refreshments.
The wider knock-on impact of this injection of public spending is believed to have given Bristol a £123 million boost to its economy.
Last week 81 Gromit sculptures, which each weigh around 90lb, were auctioned for charity, which raised more than £2.3 million for the Bristol Children''s Hospital''s Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal.
Pixar''s Gromit Lightyear — based on the Toy Story character — was the star lot, raking in £65,000.
Watch Out, Gromit! by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and Aardman Animation''s Nick Park''s Newshound received joint second highest bids, fetching £50,000 each.
Wallace and Gromit''s Grand Appeal has pledged to raise £3.5 million to support the expansion of Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
It hopes to fund state-of-the-art equipment, family facilities and child-friendly artwork to match a £31 million investment by the NHS.
