The standard-bearer of the Venice Immersive 2023 competition, the new WALLACE & GROMIT is one of the most eagerly awaited VR titles of the coming months. A fascinating story in several chapters (even if it’s very narrative-oriented, it’s still a game!), it should delight fans of this universe… and those who don’t! After a first meeting in Annecy last year, we caught up with the creative team (both directors Finbar Hawkins and Bram Ttwheam from Aardman Animation, Gameplay director Lawrence Bennett from No Ghost studio) behind Wallace and Gromit for a few more details…
Catching up with… WIP Annecy 2022 / A look at WALLACE & GROMIT: THE GRAND GETAWAY with Aardman, Atlas V, No Ghost
This interview was recorded during Venise Immersive 2023.
Feedbacks from Venice Immersive
Finbar Hawkins – The reception in Venice was fantastic. It’s always tricky to present a work to the general public for the first time, but the initial feedback on the chapters presented has been very good! We’re now working on finalizing THE GRAND GETAWAY for release in stores.
Bram Ttwheam – At Aardman, we had already produced an augmented reality project based on the Wallace and Gromit universe: THE BIG FIX UP. It was an experience that helped us gain a better understanding of virtual universes, before tackling virtual reality itself. There are obvious challenges, such as transposing characters from traditional stop motion to digital 3D (with questions about animation speed, etc.). When we met Atlas V (in France) and No Ghost (in the UK), we knew it made sense to move into these new narrative areas. They were very familiar with these issues, having already worked together.
Lawrence Bennett – THE GRAND GETAWAY is an 80-minute experience divided into 12 chapters. It was a real ambition on the production side, and for No Ghost a huge step forward after MADRID NOIR. Of course, since it’s particularly fun and entertaining, you can spend more time on it! You can come back to certain parts, and everything is quite modular.
Wallace & Gromit meets virtual reality
F. H. – If we look at our investment in time and energy, we can compare this type of production with our previous (or current) feature-length work for the cinema. In the same way, there are questions about the scenario and the vision for the universe and the heroes, the entertainment to be included in the experience… It’s not a game per se, but a videogame proposition incorporating the vocabulary of this medium – somewhere between a film, a puzzle game…
B. T. – It’s obviously less linear, even in design. We can rework elements thanks to real-time production. And that goes for Nick Park and all the studio heads who created the characters, who scrupulously followed every stage of the project to make sure we were respecting the Wallace & Gromit universe. As well as the Finbar experience linked to the characters.
F. H. – It’s practically our heritage to continue developing the universe of these characters. But at the same time, we had to take into account the singularities of the VR medium. So it’s a new chapter that fits right in with the films. It’s a fundamentally cartoonish episode, with a strong science-fiction focus, and a very family-oriented adventure.
F. H. – Initially we wanted to return to recognizable elements of the Wallace & Gromit stories. The rocket from A GRAND DAY OUT was pretty obvious to include. It immediately gave us lots of ideas for interactions and jokes. It’s a perfect setting for us. So, what next? Go into space, of course. And from there, the script built itself up in our writers’ room. We were able to make the right choices, and discard the wrong ones. It also had to be a visual challenge for us, working in new elements (like the music, for example) while retaining the recognizable elements of the characters.
L. B. – THE GRAND GETAWAY lets you play as several characters – including Gromit. Here too, it’s an excellent idea that turned out to be quite a challenge! We had to meet the demands of the universe, propose specific interactions and integrate everything into a single story. There are many possible actions, an experience that explores many possibilities linked to video games. At times, it’s like playing an arcade game… but with much more of the embodiment of VR. The result seems convincing and corresponds to the intentions of each scene, and not just a gimmick to change characters. We didn’t want to overload the experience with redundant gameplay explanations.
Today, we are thrilled to bring the Wallace & Gromit storyworld to spatial entertainment with this incredible team of creative minds. It was challenging for all of us to come together to reach the level of expectations and standards that such an IP demands, but we are convinced that the fans of Wallace & Gromit and the VR community will experience amazing immersive adventures by interacting with these two much-loved characters.
Antoine Cayrol & Arnaud Colinart, Producers and co-founders at Atlas V.
Comedy and immersive reality
B. T. – Striking the right balance for distilling humour in virtual reality is a tricky business. Expressions, jokes… Attracting attention in VR is our main challenge, and this is a fundamental difference with films. In the case of Wallace & Gromit, there’s a form of identification with the characters, their gestures in particular, which helps us to work on this subject…
L. B. – … and while we aim to capture the viewer’s attention in the first instance, there’s also a huge amount of work in designing the environments to make them warm places. You may find many clues to the Wallace and Gromit universe in each sequence. You may miss certain details and have to repeat the chapter to take advantage of them. It’s a delicate construction that was particularly stimulating for us, to make sure that the viewer had several layers of narrative available. And I really think we can go even further!
We are beyond thrilled to be taking the charming world of Wallace & Gromit into a new dimension. We are ready to offer fans an unparalleled interactive adventure.
Albyon
B. T. – The planet-in-space, sci-fi setting adapted from Wallace and Gromit will allow viewers to enjoy a truly original story – and a little strange at times. In the movies, you can’t go back, but here you can take a leisurely stroll to appreciate the details. And have a great time! THE GRAND GETAWAY is an adventure for the general public, very much a family affair. However, we’ve tried to bring our own energy to it – enhanced by interaction and the possibility of being part of it at first hand. Now it’s up to the audience to make it their own.
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