Why Wallace and Gromit Bafta wins are a ‘relief’ after 36-year legacy

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: Wallace from 'Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025 After Party at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty Images)
Wallace and Gromit are Bafta winners (Picture: Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty Images)

Wallace and Gromit finally won two Bafta Awards this weekend, and Feathers McGraw has given Aardman another unlikely achievement.

Vengeance Most Fowl aired on Christmas Day and has proved the enduring popularity of the loveable clay characters, while sinister penguin Feathers continues to be one of cinemas most evil villains.

On Sunday, the feature won in both the best animated and best children and family film categories, which has been ‘a sigh of relief’.

The movie was nominated for three prizes (Conclave took home the gong for outstanding British film), and both creator Nick Park and director Merlin Crossingham were delighted.

Speaking before the wins, Nick exclusively told Metro: ‘It’s great that it’s come back with such a force and such a reception.’

Merlin added: ‘But for me, it’s a sigh of relief, because Nick has had so much success in the past. For me, it is like a massive cherry on top to get these nominations.’

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham attend the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images)
Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham are overjoyed (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by StillMoving.Net/Shutterstock (15153398b) Wallace & Gromit with Norbot and Feathers McGraw attend the EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, UK. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. 78th BAFTA British Academy Film Awards, Arrivals, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK - 16 Feb 2025
Feathers McGraw is evil, but he takes a great selfie (Picture: StillMoving.Net/Shutterstock)

Feathers has also seen soaring popularity after his return in the film, which comes more than three decades after he first appeared in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.

‘He’s since become, apparently, the number-one character tattoo request in the UK, which I think is marvellous,’ Merlin said, while Nick quipped: ‘That’s an achievement in itself actually.’

Merlin agreed: ‘Yeah, that’s an achievement alongside the Bafta nominations!’

EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY DECEMBER 16 Undated BBC Handout Photo from Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Pictured: Feathers McGraw. PA Feature SHOWBIZ Christmas TV Wallace and Gromit. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA?Feature SHOWBIZ Christmas TV Wallace and Gromit. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Aardman Animations. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Christmas TV Wallace and Gromit. WARNING: Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' BBC Digital Picture Service. In particular, this image may only be published in print for editorial use during the publicity period (the weeks immediately leading up to and including the transmission week of the relevant programme or event and three review weeks following) for the purpose of publicising the programme, person or service pictured and provided the BBC and the copyright holder in the caption are credited. Any use of this image on the internet and other online communication services will require a separate prior agreement with BBC Pictures. For any other purpose whatsoever, including advertising and commercial prior written approval from the copyright holder will be required.
The evil penguin was the main villain in the film (Picture: BBC/Aardman Animations)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: Richard Beek, Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham accept the Animated Film Award for 'Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' on stage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
Richard Beek, Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham accepted the award (Picture: Tristan Fewings/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: Camila Cabello (2R) poses in the winners room with Richard Beek, Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, winners of the Best Children's & Family Film Award for "Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl", at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Even Camila Cabello posed for a photo with the gang (Picture: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Nick explained that Feathers’ comeback ‘wasn’t really by design’, as Aardman didn’t actually have any plans to essentially make ‘a sequel for the character’.

‘He was very much an answer to a story issue we had. At the start, it was going to be just about Wallace building a robot gnome for Gromit. It was a late breaking idea because we needed something more menacing in the story,’ he explained.

‘And there was Feathers, ready and willing. And he brought in that real sense of menace, and a personal vendetta. So it suddenly became Cape Fear with penguins – or a chicken.’

Mandatory Credit: Photo by StillMoving.Net/Shutterstock (15153398f) Wallace & Gromit with Norbot and Feathers McGraw attend the EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, UK. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. 78th BAFTA British Academy Film Awards, Arrivals, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK - 16 Feb 2025
Feathers was lurking on the red carpet (Picture: StillMoving.Net/Shutterstock)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock (15151223dr) Wallace & Gromit 78th British Academy Film Awards, Arrivals, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK - 16 Feb 2025
It was a triumphant night (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

The film itself has been triumph in the eyes of fans, critics and now award season, and Nick is glad to see that recognition while staying true to traditional techniques like stopmotion.

He added: ‘As long as we keep being entertaining and creating compelling stories and characters and comedy, in our case, we’ll keep an audience interested.’

When it comes to Feathers, Nick previously told Metro that ‘you’ve got to love your villain as much as the other characters’.

There is a real method to the madness, as Nick and his co-director Merlin work hard to make such a silent, still character so unnerving.

Wallace & Gromit : Vengeance Most Fowl,Generics,Wallace, Gromit & Norbot,Aardman Animations Ltd 2024,Richard Davies
Vengeance Most Fowl has been a huge success (Picture: BBC/Aardman Animations/Richard Davies/Stuart Collis)

‘He’s kind of expressionless, and the way he moves – which is really established by Steve Box on The Wrong Trousers, Steve Box animated Feathers and established that inner strength,’ Merlin explained.

‘We’ve really not changed him. We’ve carried him on. And he is challenging to animate because he doesn’t move – and actually, animators love moving things. That’s the reason for being animators!’

Nick insisted: ‘The power of subtlety is something that can easily be grossly underestimated.’

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