‘Wallace and Gromit’ Step Into Virtual Reality with Aardman, Atlas V, Meta Quest (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“Wallace and Gromit,” the cult British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations, is set for a virtual reality makeover.

Aardman is partnering with Meta Quest and Paris-based banner Atlas V to create an interactive, narrative-led, single player VR experience which will follow the new adventures of Wallace and Gromit.Called “The Grand Getaway,” the VR experience will revolve around Wallace and Gromit’s holidays and will launch in 2023 in the Oculus Store for Meta Quest.

It will be available on Meta Quest 2, a new VR headset enabling users to walk around, explore and get hands-on. The project is a co-production between Aardman and Atlas V, the award-winning outfit behind upscale VR experiences such as “Spheres” and “Gloomy Eyes,” in association with No Ghost in London and Albyon in Lyon.

It is funded by Meta Quest. Finbar Hawkins and Bram Ttwheam are co-directing for Aardman with the support of Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, creative director of “Wallace & Gromit.” Ben Whitehead will again voice Wallace, as he has done for previous “Wallace & Gromit” projects, following in the footsteps of the late Peter Sallis.‘The Grand Getaway’ is the next step in Wallace and Gromit’s adventures in immersive spaces, following ‘The Big Fix Up’, which combined the latest in augmented and mixed reality in an epic real-time adventure.“The entire studio is so excited about this project, which provides us with a perfect opportunity to do what we love – combining memorable characters and engaging storytelling with emerging technologies to offer fans a totally immersive experience,” said Sean Clarke, Aardman’s managing director.