A Grand Opening at Blackpool Pleasure Beach!

BLACKPOOL, England, April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

 - World's first Wallace & Gromit ride, Thrill-O-Matic, opens -

Thrill-O-Matic, the world's first Wallace & Gromit ride, was officially opened by Nick Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Managing Director Amanda Thompson OBE and Deputy Managing Director Nick Thompson this morning [April 24] at the UK's favourite amusement park.

With an investment of £5.25 million, Thrill-O-Matic is the culmination of 2 years of love, dedication and hard work from the Aardman and Blackpool Pleasure Beach teams. The Thrill-O-Matic will delight Wallace & Gromit fans with a riveting ride through some of the most iconic scenes from their much-loved adventures.

From the moment riders take their place in the carriage for their adventure - a giant slipper - they are transported into the colourful world of Wallace & Gromit. Guests will travel through scenes from A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, A Matter of Loaf and Death and The Curse of the Were Rabbit. With minute detail such as a holiday brochure to the moon and special effects that bring Wallace's cracking contraptions to life, this ride provides over four minutes of pure fun for those on-board.

Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Amanda Thompson OBE, said: "Thrill-O-Matic is a fantastic ride that we know the family will love.

"Wallace & Gromit have a special place in the heart of lots of people so we thought it would be an ideal fit to have their first ride here at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. We are very proud of the ride and we know that families will want to ride it again and again to see all their favourite characters."

Nick Park, creator of Wallace & Gromit, said: "We have the perfect marriage between Wallace and Gromit and Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I grew up in Preston, which is just down the road so Blackpool feels like a natural home for Wallace and Gromit. It has been a great experience working with the Thompson family to create this family ride that sits right in the heart of the park, I really hope that our fans enjoy the Thrill-O-Matic as much as we have enjoyed creating it."

And if the ride itself wasn't enough, visitors to the Thrill-O-Matic can pick up exclusive merchandise from the UK's only dedicated Wallace & Gromit shop. Goodies on offer include everything from modeling kits, mugs, pin badges and even cheese-flavoured rock.

Editor's notes

About Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Pleasure Beach is a 42-acre amusement park featuring over 125 rides and attractions.  It was established in 1896 by William G Bean and his great granddaughter, Amanda Thompson OBE is the current Managing Director and the fourth generation of the family to hold this position. The park is open daily until November 3 and admission is with a wristband or Pleasure Beach Pass. Both are available at Ticket Sales on arrival or for great offers book online at http://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com For more information on deals and group bookings call 0871 222 8787.

About Aardman

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, television series and television commercials for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio's work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercials productions. http://www.aardman.com

Holidays at Home are Great

VisitEngland, the national tourist board has recruited Wallace & Gromit as Tourism Trailblazers to inspire Britons to take a holiday at home this year.  The intrepid duo have pledged to make 2013 the year they take their well-earned holidays here in the UK, and to kick start the holiday season are starring in a much anticipated television advertisement due to air on 12 May.

The £4m integrated campaign, led by VisitEngland and supported by the home nation tourist boards of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will see Wallace and Gromit take to the road exploring the country and discovering the best of the UK (including some top spots for elite cheese tasting).  The Government funded campaign, 'Great Adventure', aims to inspire Britons to book a holiday through their local travel agent.  VisitEngland is working with a number of high street travel agents and operators across the country who will be putting together exciting British holiday packages for Wallace and Gromit and the rest of their customers.