Wallace and Gromit Co-Producer endorses Animex

The 2005 Wallace and Gromit feature The Curse of the Wererabbit has been nominated for the best animated feature Oscar. The film’s Co-Producer, David Sproxton, visited the Tees Valley this week as the keynote speaker of Animex, the University of Teesside’s International Festival of Animation and Computer Games.

David said: “I looked forward to attending Animex, it’s a great achievement. There’s a lot of animation festivals of various types around the world, it’s good that’s one here in the Tees Valley. I know the North-East well, I studied Geography in Durham and my parents used to live outside Catterick.

“Animex has been running for seven years now and it’s growing year on year. It’s amazing to see this place chock a block with students eager to learn more about animation. When I was a kid you weren’t really encouraged to pursue a film career, it wasn’t on the agenda. Now it is encouraged, a huge growing industry in so many ways.”

David said of the Oscar nomination: “Doing Hollywood is like flying Concorde; everyone should have the opportunity to go once. I’m cautiously optimistic about the Oscar, there’s a good 50/50 chance.”

In addition to its Oscar nomination, the film has also dominated Hollywood’s annual animation awards, the Annies, clinching nine prizes. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit was named best animated feature. The other awards were for: directing, music, writing, voice acting, character animation, effects, storyboarding and production design.

David Sproxton is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Aardman Animations Ltd. He was the keynote speaker at Animex on the afternoon of Friday 10 February.

Organised by the University of Teesside, Animex ran from Monday 6 February to Friday 10 February and centred at the University with other venues across the Tees Valley. Together with co-founder Peter Lord, David Sproxton has overseen the development of Aardman Animations from a two-man partnership into one of the major animation houses. David Co-Produced Aardman's first feature film Chicken Run, made in association with DreamWorks and also Co-Produced the Wallace and Gromit feature The Curse of the Wererabbit in association with DreamWorks. In addition to its Oscar nomination, The Curse of the Wererabbit was one of five features nominated by BAFTA in the Best British Film category. The BAFTA results will be announced in London on Saturday 19 February, with the Oscars following on Sunday 5 March. Aardman also produce the highly popular ITV series Creature Comforts.

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