A Matter of Loaf and Death Wallace and Gromit's latest adventure will have to wait until 2010 to be eligible for an Academy Award.
"We've missed the Oscars for this year, but it can qualify next year," creator Nick Park said as he unveiled A Matter of Loaf and Death in central London.
"We have never made films for awards, though. We do them for the fun of it."
"We were trying to get it in on time," the director told the BBC News website.
"But when it became obvious we'd never make the deadline I found it a slight relief.
"In a way, I was glad when that goal disappeared. It meant we could just get on with making the film."
"My ambition was to make the most entertaining half-hour I could," Park continued.
"You should do it for the fun of it, and not have any other ambitions in mind."
