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Wallace & Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit

Wallace and Gromit film cursed by a furry animal

Wallace and Gromit film cursed by a furry animal
By Simon de Bruxelles



EVEN the fertile imagination of Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, would have difficulty making this up.
Posters for his new animated feature film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit have been banned from the Isle of Portland, Dorset, because of a local superstition.



For more than 100 years the word “rabbit” has been considered taboo and locals refer instead to “underground mutton” or just “furry things”.

The unofficial ban came to light when publicists wanted to put up posters as part of the marketing campaign for the new Wallace and Gromit film, to be released a week today.

Authorities on Portland, which is connected to the rest of Dorset by a causeway, warned that the advertisements should not appear there because they could offend local people.

The word rabbit is considered to be bad luck because the creatures’ burrowing caused land slips in the quarries, which have made Portland stone famous around the world. It was used to build St Paul’s Cathedral as well as many other London landmarks. Quarry workers were so superstitious that if they saw a rabbit they would pack up and go home for the day.

The taboo was reinforced 100 years ago when a crane operator was killed when his vehicle tipped over as the ground gave way because of rabbit burrows.

Another reason that islanders do not use the word is that sailors used to consider that seeing rabbits before they set sail was unlucky.

The only poster for the film on Portland is on the road off the island and says only “Something bunny is going on”, not mentioning the word “rabbit”.

Tim Woodcock, the Mayor, said: “There certainly is a feeling against the word rabbit, especially from the older residents.

“It is a local superstition but like any superstition, people take it seriously.”The nearest cinema that will show the Wallace and Gromit film is in the neighbouring town of Weymouth.

A spokesman from Aardman Animations, which produced the film, said: “We understand that the word rabbit is not used in Portland and we are quite happy to respect local beliefs and not use the term in advertising for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit, on the island.

“We’re therefore using a series of ads with the word ‘bunny’ instead — keeping Portland rabbit-free. But we hope local residents will travel to Weymouth to see the film.”


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/ ... 40,00.html
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There's a superstition about r*bb*ts on the Isle of Portland. I've posted about it before, but the thread seems to have disappeared....

...unlike the superstition!

POSTERS FALL FOUL OF ANCIENT TABOO

11:00 - 08 October 2005

Posters advertising the latest Wallace and Gromit film have been banned from a Westcountry town - because of a local superstition.

Bills promoting the movie's release have been prohibited from being placed on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, because they contain the word "rabbit".

The film, called Curse of the Were Rabbit, is released next week.

Authorities gave warning that the advertisements for the film, which will be shown in the neighbouring town of Weymouth, should not appear on Portland because they would offend local residents. The word has been considered taboo by residents for more than 100 years because rabbits are considered to be unlucky, as their burrowing can cause landslips in local stone quarries.

The superstition was reinforced in the early 1900s when a crane operator was killed when his vehicle tipped over as the ground gave way because of rabbit burrows.

In the past, quarry workers were so superstitious that if they saw a rabbit they would immediately pack up and go home for the day.

Furthermore, sailors from Portland used to consider seeing rabbits before they set sail as unlucky. Residents, particularly, older ones, refer to them as "underground mutton" or "furry things".

Tim Woodcock, mayor of Portland, said the superstition was adhered to by residents to this day. He said: "There certainly is a feeling against the word 'rabbit', especially from the older residents. It is a local superstition but like any superstition, people take it seriously."

The only poster for the film on Portland has been placed on a road off the island and does not mention the word, instead saying "Something bunny is going on".

A spokesman for Aardman Animations, which produced the latest Wallace and Gromit film, said: "We understand that the word 'rabbit' is not used in Portland and we are quite happy to respect local beliefs and not use the term in advertising for Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, on the island.

"We are therefore using a series of ads with the word 'bunny' instead - keeping Portland rabbit-free.

"But we hope the residents will travel to Weymouth to see the film."

[email protected]
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WMN
 
Top movie publicity. ;)
 
Wallace and Gromit posters 'banned'

So many differnt angles to this story, didn't know quite where to put it, here, general news, cryptozoology, urban legends... so i thought i'd put it here and let the mods sort it ;)

original story here


Wallace and Gromit posters 'banned'

Posters advertising the new Wallace and Gromit movie have been banned from one superstitious corner of Britain.

Posters for The Curse of the Were Rabbit have been banned from the Isle of Portland in Dorset, reports Sky News.

For more than 100 years the word "rabbit" has been considered bad luck there because burrowing caused by rabbits has caused land slips in the area's famous quarries.

Locals refer instead to "underground mutton" or, more prosaically, "furry things".

The unofficial ban came to light when publicists tried to put up posters for the new film featuring the clay duo.

Authorities on Portland, which is connected to the rest of Dorset by a causeway, warned that the adverts should not appear there because they could offend local people.

Stone from Portland's quarries is world-famous and was used to build St Paul's Cathedral as well as many other London landmarks.

But in the past, quarry workers were so superstitious that if they saw a rabbit they would stop work and go home for the day.

A crane operator was killed 100 years ago when the ground gave way because of rabbit burrows and his crane tipped over.

The only poster for the film on Portland is on the road off the island and says: "Something bunny is going on".

Mayor Tim Woodcock said: "There certainly is a feeling against the word rabbit, especially from the older residents.

"It is a local superstition but like any superstition, people take it seriously."
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File under "movie PR".

The same film managed to generate a news "story" about a small cheesemaker risking being overwhelmed by demand because his product is in the film.

The superstition is probably real - I think there are a number of variants of it in the British regions.
 
I've read that people in some parts of the country used to consider it unlucky to refer to rats by name in conversation, and instead called them "long tails". (I often use the term myself when talking about my own pet rats.)
 
So many differnt angles to this story, didn't know quite where to put it, here, general news, cryptozoology, urban legends... so i thought i'd put it here and let the mods sort it
Click to expand...

I already posted this story, on the Superstition thread:
[Emp edit: Threads merged and link removed]
 
rynner said:
So many differnt angles to this story, didn't know quite where to put it, here, general news, cryptozoology, urban legends... so i thought i'd put it here and let the mods sort it
Click to expand...

I already posted this story, on the Superstition thread:
[Emp edit: Threads merged and link removed]
Click to expand...

It had already been posted to this thread so I've wrangled all the various bits together.

And has the curse already struck??

Classic characters 'up in smoke'

By Neil Smith
BBC News entertainment reporter

The fire at Aardman's Bristol warehouse may have destroyed some of British animation's most iconic characters.

For while the company remains best known for its Creature Comforts and Wallace and Gromit shorts, it has a distinguished track record that stretches back some 30 years.

"Our history has disappeared in a couple of hours," said spokesman Arthur Sheriff.

"Everything has gone. Props, sets, models - even our awards were in there."

Three of the only things certain to survive were the Oscar statuettes for short films won by creator Nick Park, which were kept elsewhere.

Aardman Animations was established in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, who began their animating partnership when they were still in school.

The company took its name from a deadpan superhero character devised for a brief animated segment made for the BBC TV programme, Vision On.

Its association with the corporation continued when Aardman created a Plasticine character for the children's programme, Take Hart.

The now legendary Morph went on to have two highly successful series, The Amazing Adventures of Morph and The Morph Files.

Talking heads

The company received international recognition when Nick Park's Creature Comforts won the Oscar for best animated short at the 1990 Academy Awards.

But Aardman had already experimented with the talking heads format on a series of films based on real-life conversations.

The Conversation Pieces series included 1981's On Probation, about a young ex-offender, and 1983's Early Bird, which depicted an average morning at a big-city radio station.

This led to the Lip Synch series, five short films commissioned by Channel Four that again used "vox pop" recordings.

These included War Story, about one man's experiences in London during the Blitz, and the aforementioned Creature Comforts.

But Aardman was also establishing itself in TV commercials and pop videos - most notably for Peter Gabriel's hit single Sledgehammer.

Having spent a couple of summers working with Lord and Sproxton while studying at the National Film and Television School, Park joined the studio fulltime in 1985.

This allowed him to finish his graduation film A Grand Day Out - the first short to feature Aardman's most celebrated characters, Wallace and Gromit.

It was followed by The Wrong Trousers in 1993 and A Close Shave in 1995, both of which went on to win Oscars.

Subversive humour

But Park was not the only Aardman employee to court Oscar glory. Lord's 1996 film Wat's Pig also landed an Academy Award nomination, as did Peter Peake's 1998 Humdrum.

Rex the Runt, devised by Richard Goleszowski, was launched on BBC2 in 1998, its satirical and subversive humour marking the company's first venture into 'adult' cartoons.

By this time, however, the company had begun its first feature-length project, Chicken Run - the first film to be produced under a five-picture arrangement with the US studio Dreamworks.

More recent characters include Angry Kid, a red-haired, bicycle-riding adolescent who made his debut on the internet before landing his own BBC Three series.

Aardman also developed the "blob" characters featured in the digital channel's trailers.

In the pipeline is Flushed Away - Aardman's first foray into computer-generated animation - which will see British actress Kate Winslet voicing a sewer rat.

It is not yet known how much of the company's archive perished in the blaze, though its spokesman said the damage was extensive.

"Everything as far back as Morph has all gone up in smoke," he told the BBC.

"Everyone is devastated, from Nick Park downwards."

------------
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/e ... 326624.stm

Published: 2005/10/10 12:28:24 GMT

© BBC MMV
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That was tragic. Well, not as tragic as the earthquake of course.
 
I've read that people in some parts of the country used to consider it unlucky to refer to rats by name in conversation, and instead called them "long tails". (I often use the term myself when talking about my own pet rats.)
Click to expand...

Living in West Yorkshire cira 1980s, I met a few people who still subscribed to that belief, mostly of my parents generation. Still in the same city but I can't say I've come across it since, certainly never from my peers. Quite a localised thing I guess.
 
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (R1) in February

Universal Studios Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit for 7th February 2006 priced at $29.99 SRP. In their hit debut feature-length movie Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest.

Available in separate Widescreen and Full Screen editions the film is presented in English DD2.0 Stereo and DD5.1 Surround, French DD5.1 Surround and Spanish DD2.0 Stereo with optional English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles. Extras are TBC.
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www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=59635
 
And now statues!

Wallace and Gromit are set to have their own "cracking" statue in animator Nick Park's home of Preston.

The comedy duo will be sculpted in a bid to draw more visitors to the Lancashire city as Covid rules ease.

Four-time Oscar winner Mr Park said: "It is such a great honour for me, as a proud Prestonian, to see my characters Wallace and Gromit cast in bronze and given pride of place in my hometown."

The statue will be installed in August if plans are approved. Inspired by scenes from The Wrong Trousers film, it features the pair next to a bench and will go up outside Preston Markets. It was designed by Mr Park and Bristol's Aardman studios with Preston sculptor Peter Hodgkinson, who has previously made statues of the city's late football legend Sir Tom Finney and artist LS Lowry.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-57364753
 
I don't know if people are aware but soon Shaun the Sheep will become the first sheep to travel to the moon.
In the last few years he has trained with the European Space Agency, and in a few days will be onboard the Artemis 1 rocket.
There will be no human astronauts onboard, as it makes a flight to the moon and back but Shaun will be onboard as mission specialist.

https://www.aardman.com/latest-news/shaun-the-sheep-esa-artemis-i
 
Xanatic* said:
I don't know if people are aware but soon Shaun the Sheep will become the first sheep to travel to the moon.
In the last few years he has trained with the European Space Agency, and in a few days will be onboard the Artemis 1 rocket.
There will be no human astronauts onboard, as it makes a flight to the moon and back but Shaun will be onboard as mission specialist.

https://www.aardman.com/latest-news/shaun-the-sheep-esa-artemis-i
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The rocket that was unable to take off? Twice? Maybe they should discreetly pop Shaun on a windowsill somewhere... :chuckle:
 
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