'Wallace And Gromit's Nick Park Reveals Gromit Was A Cat

'Wallace and Gromit' creator Nick Park has been discussing his legendary animated characters and revealed that Gromit might well have been a cat, had he stuck to his original plans! Speaking to the Radio Times, Park explained "I had this idea about a guy who builds a rocket in the basement of his house. I thought he had to have an assistant".

Continuing, the Oscar-winning animator said "So I drew a cat called Gromit. But when I came to model the cat out of clay, I found a dog easier to make. Plus I had a packet of dog's noses from a craft shop on me", finishing, "So Gromit became a dog". Park also explained that Gromit was originally going to be a completely different character to the silent, constantly weary looking sidekick that follows Wallace around on his madcap adventures. He revealed that Gromit was to be a "bouncy, extrovert character but on the first day of shooting, he was too hard to move", adding, "I found it much easier just moving his brow. It gave him a personality, an inner, discerning mind. Suddenly he became a contrast; a child more intelligent than his father".

The hugely successful franchise has now spawned its own theme park ride, with the 'Wallace and Gromit: Thrill-O-Matic' set to open at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 2013.