Wallace and Gromit ride in to revamp Blackpool as a grand day out

Two newly appointed figureheads of a campaign to breathe fresh life into English tourism are to start working next week in Blackpool – the Lancashire seaside town that, despite its long reputation as a holiday resort, has been struggling to update its appeal.

On Wednesday Wallace and Gromit, the stars of a Oscar-winning series by Aardman Animations, are to attend the launch of the world's first theme park ride to be based on their adventures in the films A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. Their creator, Nick Park, will be at their side as visitors try out the Thrill-O-Matic, the £5.25m new jewel in the crown of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park.

"I grew up in Preston, which is just down the road, so Blackpool feels like a natural home for Wallace and Gromit," said Park.

The ride – the result of three years of planning by Aardman and the amusement park staff – will take passengers, seated in a giant slipper, through key scenes from the films, including A Matter of Loaf and Death and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The park promises lots of special effects and some careful detailing, such as a holiday brochure to the moon and functioning representations of some of the contraptions invented by Wallace. Themed goods, including cheese-flavoured Blackpool "Moon Rock" and modelling clay kits, will be sold in the first Wallace and Gromit merchandise shop too.

Park revealed his plan to build a ride at Blackpool when he appeared on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 2010. "It is not going to be a hair-raising, terrifying ride; it is a family-friendly ride. It's nice because they are a family-run business and Blackpool is just down the road. I used to go down there as a kid for the switching on of the lights and so it feels right," he said.

The Thrill-O-Matic ride replaces the Gold Mine run. Some veteran fans of the Pleasure Beach have been reluctant to see change – mourning the passing of the Blue Grotto cafe, as well as favourite old rides such as Turtle Chase and the Whip. Both were replaced during the modernising reign of the managing director, Amanda Thompson, great-granddaughter of William G Bean who founded the 17-hectare (42-acre) theme park in 1896.

The Aardman animator chose the site of the first Wallace and Gromit fun ride amid competing offers from around the world. Its launch will also mark the start of a crusading English summer for his two best-known creations.

For Wallace and Gromit are about to follow the likes of Julie Walters, Judi Dench, Jamie Oliver, Stephen Fry and Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint, and front campaigns to encourage people to holiday at home in England. A television advert will be broadcast early next month that will see the animated characters travelling around England in their trademark motorbike and sidecar on a road trip intended to highlight tourist attractions.

The VisitEngland tourist board has recruited the duo to inspire Britons to take a "staycation" this year in a £4.5m government-funded push called Great Adventure. Next Sunday afternoon, Wallace and Gromit will be visiting the National Space Centre in Leicester, reflecting Wallace's interest in space travel, while other destinations are expected to emphasise the importance of the British cheese industry.

According to James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, Wallace and Gromit are "a quintessentially English double-act with universal appeal at home and abroad.

"We hope this ad, which I think breaks the mould of cliche tourism ads, will capture the imagination of Britons to inspire them to visit their local travel agent and book a break at home this year."

The campaign is the second part of Holidays at Home are GREAT, a government-funded strategy launched last year and credited with generating £300m in additional tourism spending.

"The coup of landing Wallace & Gromit for the campaign's second push is great news," said the tourism minister, Hugh Robertson. "Their ad will no doubt capture the imagination, encourage people to have a fresh look at what England as a holiday destination has to offer and boost domestic tourism further."

And if anywhere needs a boost it is Blackpool, thought to have the highest level of youth unemployment in the north-west of England. The numbers of residents claiming jobseeker's allowance may have decreased from 6,226 in January to 6,179 in February, but there are thousands of young people hoping to get seasonal work at its tourist attractions this summer.

The town also faces a threat to its image as a safe place to sunbathe and swim, or ride a donkey, as it waits to hear whether the water quality of the sea is about to earn it a bathing ban.

Two years ago another of the town's traditional attractions, the illuminations along its lengthy promenade, were also tarnished by accusations from Blackpool businesses that the council were was scrimping on bulbs and had failed to repair storm damage

For Thompson, Park's decision to put his faith in Blackpool is crucial. "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," she said.

Later this summer 1.5-metre (5ft) tall Gromits will appear on the streets of Bristol – where Aardman is based. Gromit Unleashed exhibition runs for 10 weeks from July, after which the sculptures, which have been designed and created by invited artists, will be auctioned to raise funds for the Bristol Children's Hospital Charity.