Wallace and Gromit to mark museum's £16m revamp

Animated favourites Wallace and Gromit are to feature in the first major exhibition at a Lancashire museum when it re-opens after a four-year, £16m renovation.

The Harris museum in Preston, with its Grade I-listed building established in 1893, is due to reopen on 28 September.

Exhibits in the show, entitled Wallace and Gromit In A Case At The Museum, will include original sketches, sets and props, alongside interactive exhibits that offer a behind-the-scenes look at animation techniques.

The cheese-obsessed pair are well-loved across the city - animator Nick Park's birthplace - with statues of the comedy duo outside the market, and one of their arch-enemy Feathers McGraw by the Animate leisure complex.

The family-friendly exhibition will also showcase another of Park's creations - Shaun the Sheep.

The animator has won four Oscars for Wallace and Gromit films The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and short film Creature Comforts.

He said: "Growing up, I was always interested in Preston's history and heritage, and The Harris played a big part in that.

"I found the museum fascinating as a child. I loved exploring the artefacts.

"As a young inquisitive filmmaker, I spent time there reading all about filmmaking and animation."

The Harris - a museum, art gallery and library - hopes its overhaul will attract 450,000 visitors each year.

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