Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal has worked with brands including Minions and PAW Patrol.
The Gromit Unleashed 2 charity arts trail has officially kicked off today, with The Grand Appeal revealing a number of sculptures featuring famous licensed character likenesses.
The initiative was launched with a Great Bristol Boat Chase today (July 2) at the city’s harbourside.
Featuring giant decorated sculptures of Gromit chasing arch-nemesis Feathers McGraw on the famous Bristol Ferry boats, the spectacle also saw best pal Wallace sitting back to enjoy the views alongside his Academy-award winning creator, Nick Park.
The event marks the first public viewing of sculptures ahead of the much anticipated trail.
Among the sculptures revealed were an official Minions Feathers McGraw sculpture ‘One in a Minion’, a ‘Marshall’ PAW Patrol Gromit sculpture and a ‘Space Oddi-tea’ Wallace sculpture, sporting his best fancy dress inspired by a musical icon.
In total, 67 uniquely designed sculptures of Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw will hit the streets of Bristol from July 2 until September 2 to raise money for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
The Grand Appeal has also collaborated with a host of brands, famous film directors, movie producers and film studios to put their own spin on the Aardman characters.
These include LEGO, Pixar Animation Studios, DreamWorks, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Wes Anderson Swallows & Amazons and Star Trek.
A Detect-o-Gromit Gromit Unleashed 2 app will be available to help trail fans locate sculptures and unlock special trophies; with a printed map also available at the Gromit Unleashed shop at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway and other selected locations.
A collection of miniature sculptures of Feathers McGraw specially designed by school children from Bristol and beyond, will be on display in a free exhibition at the Gromit Unleashed shop at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway for the duration of the trail, where a range of exclusive trail merchandise can also be found.
At the end of the trail, all 67 sculptures – which were painted at a top-secret location at The Bottle Yard Studios – will be displayed in a grand trail exhibition, The Greatest Dog Show on Earth 2, at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway from September 15-30.
They will then be auctioned under the wings of Concorde at Aerospace Bristol in October to raise money for The Grand Appeal.
Nicola Masters, director at The Grand Appeal said: “Gromit Unleashed 2 marks the third trail we’ve created in partnership with Aardman, and this year we are celebrating Bristol’s wonderful heritage of art and science with a truly amazing range of designs – including nine interactive sculptures, with three of these showcasing incredible feats of engineering, in a world first for arts trails.”
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