After a six-year hiatus, animated characters Wallace & Gromit are returning in a series of short films available through Atomfilms.com.  Each of the ten shorts will be from one to three minutes long and will feature a storyline based on one of Wallace's mechanical inventions.  The first episode is free, the rest are available as a package for $9.95.  In the past, Wallace & Gromit have produced sales way out of proportion to the amount of material that's been produced.  The three earlier episodes, produced from 1989 to 1996,  are still available as a DVD, and various figures and other tchotchkes have been produced over the years, some of which are still available.  The release of these new stories will undoubtedly extend the life span of this remarkable pop culture franchise even further.