30 years of animation history up in flames

By Alex Morales, Bloomberg | October 11, 2005

Wallace & Gromit sets and props were among almost 30 years of materials lost when the warehouse used by Aardman Animations Ltd. burned down yesterday in Bristol, England.

''Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," an Aardman and DreamWorks SKG production, opened as the top movie in US and Canadian theaters, taking in $16.1 million in ticket sales between Oct. 7-9, according to figures released yesterday by box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

While material from ''The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" wasn't yet in storage, the blaze ruined what should have been a day of celebration for Aardman after the film's box-office results, the company events and exhibitions manager Kieran Argo said in a telephone interview from Bristol.

''Our warehouse where we store all of our sets, props, story boards, and models from earlier productions has been totally destroyed," Argo said. ''We've lost 30 years of history from Morph in the 1970s up to and including the latest series of 'Creature Comforts.' "

Firefighters were called to a blaze near Bristol's main Temple Meads railway station at about 5:30 a.m. local time, Wenna Coombs, a spokeswoman for Avon Fire and Rescue Service, said.

Coombs said the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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