A Grand Day Out

1989
U
23m

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

39K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,291

1,482

Peter Hawkins and Peter Sallis in A Grand Day Out (1989)

Animal Adventure Buddy Comedy Farce Quest Quirky Comedy Slapstick Space Sci-Fi Stop Motion Animation Adventure Animation

To replenish their depleted supply of cheese, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit travel to the moon in a homemade rocket-ship.To replenish their depleted supply of cheese, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit travel to the moon in a homemade rocket-ship.To replenish their depleted supply of cheese, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit travel to the moon in a homemade rocket-ship.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

39K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,291

1,482

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Photos61

+ 55

Top cast2

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Peter Sallis

Wallace
(voice)

Peter Hawkins

Gromit
(uncredited)

Director
- Nick Park
Writers
- Nick Park
- Steve Rushton
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The creators made Wallace say "Wensleydale" because it made his face look nice and toothy. What they did not realize was that the cheese factory where Wensleydale cheese is made was on its last legs and was about to declare bankruptcy. Happily, this film's success brought the factory back from the brink.

Goofs
When rushing to get in the ship the first time, Wallace kicks away the paint-stained ladder, which falls to the ground as they take off. Yet when they land on the moon, they use the same paint-stained ladder to get in and out of the ship.

Quotes
Wallace: No cheese, Gromit! Not a bit in the house!

Crazy credits
At the end of the credits, we see the ball which Wallace kicked continuing to float upwards.

Alternate versions
On the children's television network Sprout, the scene of the robot igniting the rocket has been heavily edited. The robot climbs into the rocket, but we do not see it breaking a pipe, spilling rocket fuel, lighting the matches, or igniting the rocket. The rocket just blasts off with no explanation.

Connections
Featured in Motormouth: Episode #4.28 (1992)

User reviews78

Review

Featured review

8/10

What a cracking start to a career

Wallace and Gromit are a phenomenon. How many stop motion animation films win Oscars, top the US and UK box office charts etc. But all that came later.

A Grand Day Out was the first Wallace and Gromit film. Low budget. More or less a graduation piece. Of course the animation is less sophisticated than in the later films. Of course the plot is a little shallow. The entire story is designed to minimise the need for sophisticated animation and to maximise the excuse for shortcomings (perhaps dogs and people would move a bit like that on a cheese moon).

Yet it is extraordinary to see how much of the Aardman genius is already there in this short film. Hilarious and clever references to other films. Mice in shades for take off. The rocket handbrake gag. Coin-operated machine gags (brilliantly recycled in Were-Rabbit BTW). And a machine (is it an Aga?) that daydreams about skiing when it sees Wallace's holiday magazines.

Of course TWT, ACS and Were-Rabbit are better movies, but this film is so worth seeing as a sign of early genius and indeed in its own right as a crude but wonderful animated film.