Wallace And Gromit creator hails 'incredible thrill' of receiving fourth Oscar nomination
WATCH HERE: Teaser for Wallace and Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl
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Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park has expressed his delight after the latest adventure featuring his beloved characters received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.
Park said he was "ecstatic" about the recognition for Vengeance Most Fowl, which saw the return of notorious villain Feathers McGraw.
The BBC Christmas special marked the first film appearance in more than 15 years for the eccentric inventor and his faithful canine companion.
The nomination was announced on Thursday, following a brief delay due to wildfires in Los Angeles.
Aardman Animation Studio has a remarkable track record at the Academy Awards, having previously won four Oscars.
The studio's first Oscar triumph came in 1989 with the stop-motion comedy Creature Comforts.
Park is one of the central creative forces at Ardman
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The Wrong Trousers, the second Wallace and Gromit film, secured the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 1994.
This was followed by another win in the same category for A Close Shave in 1996.
The studio's most recent Oscar victory came in 2005 when Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit won Best Animated Feature.
Park told BBC Breakfast: "You can't expect it and we didn't make the film for this, and it still comes as an incredible thrill just to be counted up there."
The iconic Wallace and Gromit have seen awards glory before
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He emphasised the collective effort behind the film's success, saying: "Every artist loves to have their work rewarded in some way or other. And it's a great reflection on our amazing team of animators and all the talented director of photography, and everything that's gone into the music."
Aardman's creative director Merlin Crossingham shared the excitement at the studio when the nomination was announced.
"The room went silent and we were all really nervous and excited and then a huge cheer went up," he said.
The latest Wallace and Gromit adventure has already garnered three BAFTA nominations.
The film is in contention for Best Animated Film, Outstanding British film and Children's and Family Film at the BAFTAs.
The Christmas special drew an impressive average audience of 9.4 million viewers on the BBC.
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Vengence Most Fowl is up against tough competition at the 2025 Academy Awards
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Park described working at Aardman as a "privilege", noting he is surrounded by a "powerhouse of creativity" every day.
For the coveted Best Animated Feature Osacr, Vengeance Most Fowl will compete against four other films for the prestigious award.
The contenders include Disney/Pixar's Inside Out 2, which dramatises emotions in the brain, and the Latvian cat film Flow.
Also nominated are Memoir Of A Snail, starring Succession's Sarah Snook, and The Wild Robot.
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