In honor of Aardman’s latest film, Early Man, here’s a ranking of their filmography, from their early Wallace and Gromit shorts to the under-seen Shaun the Sheep Movie. Feathers can be seen in The Curse of The Were-Rabbit after Victor says "eat carrot, bunny boy!", he can be seen standing in a vase on a building at the right of the screen. The next morning, whilst Gromit eats Korn Flakes when watching morning TV on a mini TV radio and Wallace dries his ears with a hairdryer, he put Wallace's slippers on his feet and took the morning paper to Wallace before Gromit, winning the latter's favor and causing Wallace to pay more attention to him rather than Gromit. Bitter and rejected, Gromit left home. A happy Feathers revealed that this was just part of his plan to get Gromit out of the way and modify Gromit's biggest birthday present (the Techno Trousers) for his own purposes. A lot of the genius of The Wrong Trousers is that the film is a battle of the wills between two characters who never talk. Wallace, the only character in the film who speaks, is utterly oblivious to the actual action going on. He doesn’t realise that he’s being manipulated by Feathers, or that he is hurting Gromit’s feelings, even when Gromit becomes so dejected that he considers running away from home.

Whether he's chasing after some cheese or just taking a leisurely stroll, the Feathers McGraw Water Metal Bottle is the perfect way for him to stay hydrated. a photo of Feathers can be seen in Shaun the Sheep: The Movie on Anthony Trumper's office wall, indicating he may have been captured by him. The film presents a world where Santa Claus (Jim Broadbent) employs hundreds of Christmas elves who help him command a high-tech spacecraft that delivers presents all around the world in record time. Santa’s eldest son Steve (Hugh Laurie) manages these operations and patiently waits to take over for his father, while his youngest son Arthur (James McAvoy), enthusiastic yet clumsy, diligently answers every kid’s letter to Santa because he’s too accident-prone to do anything else. But when one girl’s present gets lost in the shuffle, only Arthur seems to care that no child should be forgotten on Christmas Day while everyone else, including Santa, is caught up in their own petty grievances and insecurities. It’s up to Arthur, Santa’s grumpy, senile father (Bill Nighy), and an enthusiastic elf Briony (Ashley Jensen) to save the day using Evie, Santa’s old magic sleigh. Arthur Christmas is a little more conventional than Aardman’s other features, complete with familiar story beats and Christmas sentimentality, but it hits those story beats with so much commitment and complicates that sentimentality just enough that the film sings. It helps that Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith’s script features an airtight premise that endlessly riffs on the Santa story and allows for dizzyingly inventive CG animation (some of the best ever produced this side of Pixar). More than that, Arthur Christmas understands holiday fatigue, and how the season can bring out everyone’s dissatisfaction and fears. It’s only Arthur, the true believer, who never loses sight of what the season means, while the rest of his family tries to exercise their own egos. But it’s Arthur’s determination to make sure no kid gets left out that reminds his whole family that Christmas, at its best, provides a tiny light on an otherwise cold, dark day.A photo of Feathers is shown in the Shaun the Sheep Movie on the board where A. Trumper keeps photos of all the animals he has captured. That's why Wallace and Gromit came up with the perfect solution: the Feathers McGraw Metal Water Bottle! This handy double-walled metal bottle lets Feathers McGraw drink on the go, without having to lug around a heavy jug of water. In 2005 Aardman's storage facility caught fire, destroying almost all of Feathers' puppets from The Wrong Trousers, only 4 survive to this day (pictured below)

Similarly to Gromit and Preston, Feathers McGraw does not express himself with spoken words. However, while former's facial expressions and body language speak volumes, McGraw's face is always blank and impassive, giving no hint of his emotions. Wallace and Gromit are undoubtedly the superstars of the Aardman stable of characters, however their standing has been challenged in recent years by Shaun the Sheep. Shaun first appeared as a supporting character in the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, but, like Morph before him, he couldn’t be contained and now has his own TV series (five seasons so far), a feature film and a half-hour Christmas special. Shaun is well represented in both the exhibition and the ubiquitous gift shop merchandise.Prendergast later founded Oh Yeah Wow which has gone on to forge a reputation as one of Australia’s most exciting young animation studios. Now the wheel has turned full circle as the Aardman super-fan has been invited to host a discussion with Aardman founders Peter Lord and David Proxton at ACMI in honour of the new exhibition.

Of course, that means Feathers is first and foremost terrifying. But it’s also key to his status as an all-time icon, and one of the boldest, most thrilling characters ever put to the screen. Feathers Is The Anti-Gromit… Two of his kind make a brief appearance in A Matter of Loaf and Death. His face is seen on a wanted poster hanging outside the zoo, indicating he's escaped yet again. McGraw walked Wallace home and forced him into the wardrobe; Gromit attempted to intervene, threatening McGraw with a rolling pin, but the penguin holds Gromit at gunpoint and forced him into the same wardrobe with Wallace. Gromit hotwired the trousers to stamp continuously until the wardrobe's floor paneling broke off, allowing them to break free. The two tried to catch Feathers as he tried to evade them with their electric train set. He makes a cameo appearance in Curse of the Were-Rabbit: After Victor says "eat carrot, bunny boy!," Gromit flies in a toy plane. You can see McGraw randomly sitting on a building to Gromit's left.My personal Aardman experience began with The Amazing Adventures of Morph, which aired on weekday afternoons on the ABC. I credit Morph as one of the earliest influences that inspired my own experimentation with claymation on Super 8 film, and eventually led to a career in animation and visual effects. I am certainly not unique in that regard, local animator and filmmaker Darcy Prendergast also began experimenting with claymation while in high school: Feathers McGraw appeared in several episodes of the acclaimed show ReBoot. However he was never mentioned in the show. Feathers McGraw is the first Aardman antagonist to be an animal, and the first one to be silent, being followed by Preston, another Wallace & Gromit villain. A vast array of design drawings, storyboards, characters and props has been brought out for display. The exhibition includes more than 350 objects, including some classic pieces from the short films A Grand Day Out, where the characters of Wallace and Gromit were first introduced, and Creature Comforts. And alongside them is the original Academy Award the studio received in 1990 for Creature Comforts.

Feathers McGraw's model when he was in a bottle at the end of The Wrong Trousers was featured in a YouTube Short by the official Wallace and Gromit YouTube channel. Within the UK and USA the price you see is the price you pay - you won't be charged any extra fees.Even when he is finally foiled, trapped in an empty milk bottle, he seems unshaken by proceedings. Most of us move through life uncertain of our goals, plagued by anxieties. Not Feathers McGraw. Feathers is a boss, with a clear-eyed sense of purpose and iron-clad faith in his own ability. After a long battle with the penguin, Wallace and Gromit managed to trap him in a milk bottle. They then returned the diamond and turned McGraw over to the police, who imprisoned him in the zoo.