June 2000

       

    This fab photo of Nick Park and Peter Lord plotting a daring escape from
    Aardman studios featured in a five page Sunday Times Magazine spread
    on 'Chicken Run' (May 28th).

    Apparently, there are up to 300 life-size chicken models and 140 smaller
    ones in the crowd scenes. 180 people worked on the film, and there
    were up to 28 units working at any one time. The 10 inch character models
    cost up to £1000 each and one character model - Bunty - had 3077
    feathers on her plasticene frame - So there.

    This one escapes June 30th in the UK - one week behind the US.
    If you're as hungry as I am, the Aardmarket's already stuffed with
    goodies: http://www.aardman.com

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    Got a spare £16,500? - That's how much you would have had to spend
    if you'd bought the Rupert annual that was sold at auction over the
    weekend.

    The 1973 edition features  Nutwood's most famous resident sporting
    a brown face instead of the customary white visage. Apparently 12 editions
    of the 500,000 print run featured the error. And only 3 of these are
    now thought to exist.

    The auction figure fetched twice the expected price, apparently. And to
     think, the annual had an original cover price of just 53 pence!

    You'll find plenty of Rupert information at 'The Followers Of Rupert':
     http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/~afm/rupert/followers.html

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     Top news, mainframers, Bob Dot Enzo and the gang are coming back to
     TV screens next year - Hoorah, and all that...

     ReBoot was the first computer generated TV show and ran for 3
     seasons till its mainframe was callously switched off. But the fans
     wouldn't let it die, would they? Now there are 2 new feature-length
     shows in production - Yes!

     There's a collossal following for this show on the web and the toys
     are becoming rather collected.  Me, I loved the show too. I've yet to find
     a shot from the episode that featured our very own Feathers McGraw.
     If anyone knows a site with this image I'll add a link to it on the
     Wallace and Gromit page. Happy hunting!

     Meanwhile, here's an utterly-butterly-brilliant Reboot site for ya, with
     all the spiel on the new shows (and that pic of Dot):
     http://www.inwap.com/mf/reboot/

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     It's quite good, isn't it? AngryKid, I mean - I must admit I was
     hesitant about this one, especially when Aardman talked about it
     being shot with umpteen hundred sculpted heads on a live-action
     body. But it works. And it's funny.

     Owing to a series of signing-up errors, hosts atomfilms now have my
     user-name logged as: 'howmanynamesdoihavetotypehere'!
     (honest) Let's hope you don't encounter the same glitches...

     Go see the AngryKid for yourself at:
     http://www.angrykid.com  

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     Here we go again...  According to Variety, Jimmy Murakami is
     directing an animated version of 'A Christmas Carol' here in blighty.
     The $12million production features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Kate
     Winslet and Simon Callow as the voice of Scrooge and playing
     him, too, in a live-action top and tailing. But a burning question hangs
     over the production:

     Eh, why? - Why are they making this? Have they put some amazing
     spin on the tale?- If anyone knows do tell. I know, I know, you shouldn't
     knock it till you see it. For all I know it could be the definitive version
     of  Dickens' winter tale. But it'll have to go some, I reckon, to take the classic
     'Scrooge', or indeed Disney's very sweet 'Mickey's Christmas Carol' or
     the moptastic 'Muppet Christmas Carol'. Let's hope I have to eat my own
     words, eh? - Humbug!

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     Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! - Preee-senting, for your very great pleasure,
     the first Big Knights video release featuring 6 fantastic episodes.

     Yep, those most enthusiastic knights are on vid at last. Now's your
     chance to convince the BBC they've got a hit on their hands: Buy this
      video in bulk! And when it comes out on DVD, buy it again!

     Here's a big homepage for you to peruse:
     http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/tombstone/890/index.htm

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     So go out and buy this one as well! - It's the complete Ivor The Engine
     series on one chuffingly brilliant video. Another Smallfilms classic that
     brings a nostalgic tear to the eye (probably the steam...) Mr Postgate
     and Mr Firmin, Toonhound salutes you. I reckon my TOON GODS
     section beckons you both...

      Smallfilms. Big impact:
      http://www.smallfilms.co.uk

     Both vids are on general release, so you don't need me to plug an
     e-commerce site, do you?     

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     The search goes on...

     Can someone unearth a 'Cockleshell Bay' site?
     Or this old chestnut from issues past: a 'Cloppa Castle' site?
       
     - Till next time!