Character Design: Wallace and Gromit

Aardman's flagship characters Wallace and Gromit are two of British Animations most beloved and memorable characters. The key to their design and success is in their simplicity. Arguably the strongest aspect of Wallace and Gromit's character designs is their silhouettes. Wallace is defined mostly by the shape of his head and exaggerated jaw which changes drastically when he talks. Wallace's face is made up mostly of primitive shapes with defined curves, which is part of what makes the design of his character to likeable and non threatening. His button nose and large ears lend a certain amount of absurdity to his design and reflect the Northern-English stereotypes the character is supposed to represent.

Wallace's design is also strong enough to withstand significant transformation. In their feature film, The Curse Of The Were Rabbit, Wallace is transformed into a giant furry 'Were-rabbit' and the characters key features still survive the transformation. The Were-Rabbit retains a lot of Wallace's key features from the shape of his face to his button nose, as well as some of the character mannerisms such as Wallace's general clumsiness and hunched posture.

Gromit, Wallace's generally more competent and intelligent pet dog is entirely non verbal, relying almost entirely on the movement of his brow and gestured body language to convey emotion and interact with other characters. Gromit's design reflects his role as the straight man, with very few notable features. The nature of the stories in Aardman's Animations means Gromit is often depicted in a variety of different costumes from a pilot to a pest control worker, the design of the character allows for a range of different costumes.

Gromit's silhouette is also one of the strongest elements of his character design. Like Wallace, the character is defined primarily by his head, which is made up of primitive shapes similar to Wallace. Gromit's head is a little more three-dimensional than Wallace's, the two have similarly shaped heads, but Gromit's comes across as less absurd and exaggerated despite being the animal sidekick. Gromits ear are the strongest aspect of the design of his head and are often used as an extension of his very limited set of facial features to convey emotion and information non-verbally.