New “Animate” Destination in Preston Christened with Feathers McGraw Statue

The nefarious avian adversary of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl has been memorialized with a four-foot-tall bronze statue in the form of Feathers McGraw. The work of art was unveiled to mark the opening of Animate, a £45 million-plus entertainment and leisure destination in Preston, England.

Located nearby to the Wallace & Gromit bench at Preston Markets, the new statue was debuted by the iconic animation duo’s creator, Nick Park (who was born in Preston), alongside Mayor of Preston Councillor Philip Crowe; Chris Butler and Chris Jones, the owners of Castle Fine Arts Foundry which created the statue; and Merlin Crossingham, co-director of Aardman’s BAFTA-winning Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

“As a proud Prestonian, I couldn’t be more ‘egg-cited’ to see our infamous Feathers McGraw joining Wallace and Gromit in my hometown,” remarked Park. “I’m not sure how happy Wallace and Gromit will be, though, to have their arch nemesis clutching the limelight.”

Animate is home to the eight-screen The Arc Cinema, 16-lane Hollywood Bowl bowling alley (opening in March) with gaming zone, public realm, a socializing unit and 164-space basement car park, alongside family restaurant brands Ask Italian (opening in April), Cosmo (opening soon), Taco Bell, Argento Lounge and a variety of street food outlets, and a cocktail bar in Mad Giant Food Hall (opening soon), run by Northern Lights Group.

The project was orchestrated by Maple Grove Developments on behalf of Preston City Council, which full owns the the site as part of its Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Program, and supports the Council’s Community Wealth Building commitment to foster and inclusive and ethical approach to sustainable economic development in the city.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won the BAFTA Film Awards for both the animated and children’s & family feature film categories, and is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The movie is available to stream worldwide through Netflix.

[Source: Preston City Council]