CRACKING contraptions, including a flying machine, are set to make a starring role in Melbourne this summer.
If you haven't had a chance to visit the smash hit exhibition Wallace and Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image yet, then don't panic.
The popular exhibition which opened in June has been extended and will now run until the end of January.
Showcasing the amazing claymation creations of Bristol-based animation studio Aardman Animations, the exhibition goes behind the scenes of the four-time Oscar-winning studio with a bounty of 350 objects including original artworks, concept drawings, storyboards, puppets and sets.
Highlights include irrepressible cheese-loving inventor Wallace's "cracking contraptions", his dog Gromit's famous vegetable garden, sets from the children's TV show Shaun the Sheep, the flying machine from the movie-length animation Chicken Run, and the five-metre tall ship from the movie hit The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
There is also an activity space, The Studio, where visitors can get creative, building and animating their own clay characters inspired by the work of Aardman.
During the extended season there will also be special events, screenings, interactive workshops and education programs.
- Wallace and Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman, Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Federation Square, until January 29. Open daily from 10am. Tickets: $25, concs $20, child $15, family $65. Phone: (03) 8663 2200, www.acmi.net.au
