Wallace and Gromit are getting into the Christmas spirit again. This year’s festive adventure comes with another one of Wallace’s inventions that probably should have stayed in the workshop.
Barbour and Aardman have reunited for their 2026 Christmas short. This time, they are introducing the world to the Walk-O-Matic, a contraption designed to make taking a winter stroll possible without actually having to walk. And, oh, that scene where the dog gets his little jacket. Dare I say a tear came to my eye?
Directed by Steve Harding-Hill and animated in Aardman’s signature stop-motion style, the new film follows the familiar duo on a Christmas Day outing. Wallace has transformed a living room chair into a rather unusual walking machine, complete with oversized wheels made from Barbour Nimbus Chelsea Welly Boots. It’s a very Wallace solution to a problem nobody else was trying to solve.
Gromit, naturally, has a more practical approach to getting outdoors. He’s dressed for the occasion in a Barbour Sylkoil Wax Dog Coat and quarter-zip, while Wallace puts his latest invention through its paces. Their festive ramble soon goes sideways, leaving Gromit to step in and rescue his friend. The short also features a welcome appearance from Shaun the Sheep and his flock (who arrived this past Halloween with a new spooky flick of their own), giving the latest Aardman collaboration another familiar face for fans to spot.
The Walk-O-Matic follows last year’s Barbour Christmas film, which introduced Wallace’s Gift-O-Matic. That machine was supposed to take the stress out of exchanging presents. Its idea of a successful gift delivery involved a little more chaos than anyone had requested. The new short trades the gift-wrapping contraption for a walking machine. The basic Wallace formula remains intact: take an ordinary holiday activity, add an unnecessarily complicated invention, and see how long it takes before Gromit has to clean up the mess.
The collaboration also gives Barbour another chance to bring its clothing into the world of Wallace & Gromit without losing the handmade charm of Aardman’s animation. The 2026 capsule collection includes knitted scarves, hats, caps, tote bags, key fobs, and a dog coat, with the items expected to arrive in December through Barbour.com and selected retail stores. That means Gromit’s winter wardrobe could be getting a little more attention from fans this Christmas.
Last year’s campaign also included a limited run of Wallace & Gromit-inspired Re-Loved wax jackets, with proceeds donated to Oxfam. Those jackets were part of the 2025 initiative, rather than a confirmed return for this year’s collection.
For now, the best way to get into the holiday mood is to watch Wallace attempt to reinvent the simple pleasure of going for a walk. The Walk-O-Matic is here, Gromit is already dressed for the weather, and Shaun the Sheep apparently has no idea what’s about to land in his lap.
