{
  "id": 5647669,
  "title": "Animator Nick Park drops bombshell that Gromit was almost a cat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/animator-nick-park-drops-bombshell-that-gromit-was-almost-a-cat",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T13:19:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/wallace-and-gromit-almost-a-cat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a groundbreaking revelation, renowned animator Nick Park has disclosed that the iconic claymation character Gromit was originally conceived as a cat before being transformed into a dog for the popular Wallace and Gromit shorts. Speaking to the BBC ahead of the 50th anniversary of Aardman Animations, the 67-year-old confessed the decision to switch Gromit's species stemmed from the challenges faced while modeling the cat. Despite the change, Park emphasized that Gromit's deadpan wit and loyalty remain unchanged, solidifying his status as the beloved and watchful sidekick to Wallace, the inventive and somewhat eccentric inventor. The decision to introduce Gromit as a dog has cemented his place in the hearts of audiences, with their misadventures across four short films and two feature-length movies, including the latest release, Vengeance Most Fowl. The revelation raises intriguing questions about how a cat Gromit might have interacted with his animated world, but for now, we can rest assured that the charming and loyal feline (or should we say, dog) companion will continue to be Gromit, the very good boy he has always been.",
  "summary": "The Wallace & Gromit stop-motion icon admits that cats are just too hard.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}