Wallace and Gromit are alive and well and in museum (From Gazette Series)

Wallace and Gromit are alive and well and in museum

WALLACE and Gromit are in residence in Explore @tBristol, a stay that happily coincides with the opening of their new feature film.

These quirky characters, as many people know, were created by Aardman Animations which is based in Bristol and is very loyal to its local community.

The Animated Adventures exhibition is now open to the public, and was produced in conjunction with the W5 Museum in Belfast and the National Museums of Liverpool.

(W5 stands for the five questions, Who, What, Why, Where, When.)

The exhibition takes visitors on an interactive journey through the science and magic of animation, capturing the process from storyboards to set design.

People, both young and old, are encouraged to get involved with making models and filming simple sequences, at the exhibition's animation stations.

Museum staff are on hand for guidance and explanations.

There are also themed shows and workshops to accompany the exhibition - Seeing is Believing, optical illusions and Crazy Claymation, making models.

But the main attraction of this exhibition will no doubt be the superb sets and wonderfully detailed models, all handcrafted, from the much-anticipated film, Wallace and Gromit, The Curse of the Were-rabbit.

Dominating the floor is the set from the film's lavish final scene with the backdrop of the majestic Tottington Hall, the venue of the film's main event - the annual Giant Vegetable Competition.

This was the largest set used in the film's production and is home to a huge magical fairground.

Fans of classic English films such as the Ealing Comedies, and indeed anyone over 40 with a good memory, will see this show with added enjoyment.

It is a painstakingly detailed depiction of a fairground of the 1950s, a brilliant piece of social history.

The exhibition also includes another ten Aardman film sets to admire.

Visitors can take a sneak peek inside Lady Tottington's sumptuous home, see Wallace and Gromit's bunny-laden basement and get a closer look at Wallace's new hair-brained contraptions. You can even see how the furry buck-toothed Were-rabbit was constructed in a stage-by-stage display.

As Kieran Argo from Aardman Animations said at the opening of the exhibition: "We are really pleased the sets and characters can live on here, and not be left forgotten in our storage sheds."

This comment is now particularly timely, in view of the fire that destroyed the Aardman warehouse in Bristol earlier this week.

Valerie Collins, @tBristol's exhibitions director, said: "Having the Aardman sets is an incredible privilege, offering once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a behind the scenes insight into their award-winning filmmaking."

The exhibition @tBristol runs until February 28, 2006 and will then tour other museums.

Entry is free, with a ticket to the Explore section of the museum.