Aardman Animations facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aardman Animations Limited

Logo used since 2022
Aardman Animations' headquarters in Bristol
Formerly	Offshelm Limited (August–November 1986) Aards Co. Limited (The) (1986–1987)
Type	Private
Industry	Animation
Founded	1972; 53 years ago (1972)
Founders	Peter Lord David Sproxton
Headquarters	Gas Ferry Road, Bristol , England
Number of locations	Five
Key people	Peter Lord Nick Park David Sproxton
Divisions	Aardman Features Limited Aardman Digital Aardman Commercials Aardman Broadcast Aardman International Aardman Rights Aardman Effects Aardman Nathan Love Wallace & Gromit Limited

Aardman Animations Limited, often called Aardman, is a famous British animation studio. It is located in Bristol, England. Aardman is well-known for its amazing films and TV shows. They use special techniques like stop motion and clay animation.

You might know their characters like Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep, and Morph. Aardman also makes films using computer animation, like Flushed Away. Their movies have earned a lot of money worldwide. For a few years, from 2000 to 2006, Aardman worked with DreamWorks Animation.

Aardman's films are very popular and have received great reviews. Their stop-motion films are some of the most successful ever made. Chicken Run, released in 2000, is their highest-earning film. It is also the highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time. A sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, came out in 2023.

The Story of Aardman Animations

Starting Out: 1972–1996

Founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton at the 2016 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Aardman was started in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. They had a dream to make animated movies. At first, they created animated parts for a BBC show for deaf children called Vision On. The company's name came from a superhero character they made for that show.

They used clay animation for a segment called "Gleebees" in 1975. This inspired them to create Morph, a simple clay character. Around the same time, Lord and Sproxton made short animations for adults. These were called Down and Out and Confessions of a Foyer Girl. They used real conversations as the sound for these animations.

Aardman also made the opening titles for The Great Egg Race. They created the award-winning music video for Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer". In 1987, they produced the music video for "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone. In the 1980s, they also made Douglas, a trombone-playing character for a Lurpak butter TV ad.

Later, Aardman made several short films for Channel 4, including the Conversation Pieces series. These were more advanced versions of their earlier "Animated Conversations." Lord and Sproxton started hiring more animators. Three new animators directed their first films at Aardman for the Lip Synch series. One of these was Nick Park.

In 1990, Nick Park's short film, Creature Comforts, won an Academy Award. Park also created the famous clay characters Wallace & Gromit. Wallace is a funny inventor who loves cheese, and Gromit is his smart, silent dog. Their films include A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993), and A Close Shave (1995). The last two also won Academy Awards.

Growing Bigger: 1997–2007

In 1997, Aardman teamed up with DreamWorks and Pathé. They worked together to make and release Chicken Run, Aardman's first full-length movie. It was already being made for a year before this announcement. In 1999, Aardman and DreamWorks signed a big deal to make four more films.

Chicken Run was released in 2000 and was a huge success. In 2005, Wallace and Gromit returned in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The next year, Flushed Away was released. This was Aardman's first computer-animated movie.

In October 2005, a large fire at a storage building used by Aardman destroyed many old props, models, and sets. These were from past projects, so it did not stop their current films from being made. Luckily, all their finished films were stored somewhere else and were safe.

In 2006, DreamWorks Animation and Aardman decided to end their partnership. This happened just before Flushed Away was released. They said it was because their business goals no longer matched. However, it was also reported that Aardman felt DreamWorks tried to control their creative ideas too much.

From 2006 to 2007, the Ghibli Museum in Japan had an exhibit about Aardman's work. Peter Lord and David Sproxton visited and met with the famous animator Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki has always been a big fan of Aardman.

New Partnerships and Projects: 2007–2012

In 2007, Aardman made a deal with Sony Pictures to help fund and release their movies. In 2008, Aardman released a new Wallace and Gromit short film called A Matter of Loaf and Death. The first movie made with Sony was the computer-animated Arthur Christmas in 2011. This was Aardman's first 3D movie.

In 2012, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! was released. This was Aardman's first 3D stop-motion film. It was also Peter Lord's first time directing a film since Chicken Run.

Aardman also helps young animators by offering awards at animation festivals. For example, the Aardman Award at the UK's Animex Festival helps young animators with their next film.

In 2008, Aardman launched its own YouTube channel. It features shows like Creature Comforts, Morph, and clips from Wallace and Gromit films. They also started posting flash games on Newgrounds, many based on Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

In 2009, Nintendo announced that Aardman would make twelve short films using only Flipnote Studio. These films were released weekly. Also in 2009, the studio moved into a new building in Bristol.

Exciting Times: 2013–2019

In 2013, Peter Lord started a fundraising project on Kickstarter. He wanted to raise money for 12 new one-minute episodes of Morph. The project was successful, and production began in 2014 using the original stop-frame animation.

In 2015, Aardman bought a large share in a New York animation studio called Nathan Love. They announced this with a short film called Introducing: Aardman Nathan Love.

To celebrate Aardman's 40th anniversary, BBC One aired a documentary called A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman in 2015. It featured interviews with the founders and other famous animators.

From June to October 2017, an exhibition called "Wallace and Gromit and Friends" was shown in Melbourne, Australia. It showed that in early sketches, Gromit was first a cat! But Nick Park changed him to a dog because dogs are seen as more loyal pets.

In 2018, Aardman Animations announced that Peter Lord and David Sproxton were giving most of the company's ownership to its employees. This was to keep the studio independent. In 2019, Lord and Sproxton released a book about the studio's history called A Grand Success! The Aardman Journey, One Frame at a Time.

Recent Adventures: 2020–Present

In December 2020, Netflix announced a Christmas musical special from Aardman called Robin Robin. This 30-minute short film was released on November 24, 2021.

In August 2021, it was announced that Gurinder Chadha was directing a musical claymation film set in India. It tells the story of an elephant who dreams of becoming a dancer.

Aardman also started making The Very Small Creatures for Sky Kids and Apple TV in November 2021.

In January 2022, Netflix confirmed a sequel to Chicken Run called Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. This film premiered on Netflix on December 15, 2023. A new Wallace and Gromit film was also announced for a 2024 release. The children's series Lloyd of the Flies also aired in 2022–2023.

Aardman was one of the studios that worked on Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Visions Volume 2. They created the film "I Am Your Mother."

In March 2023, the factory that made the special clay Aardman uses, Lewis Newplast, closed down. Aardman bought enough clay for the 2024 Wallace and Gromit film. They later said they would find a new supplier for their clay.

In March 2024, Aardman announced some changes in their leadership. Peter Lord stepped down from the executive board to focus on creative projects.

In March 2024, Aardman and the BBC announced a new project called Things We Love. It is based on the Creature Comforts films. These short films feature animated animals with real, unscripted interviews.

On June 6, 2024, Aardman announced the title of the new Wallace and Gromit film: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

In September 2024, Cartoon Network announced that Aardman would work on an Over the Garden Wall special. In October 2024, Aardman announced they would team up with Mattel Television Studios to make a new Pingu series. In December 2024, they also announced a project with The Pokémon Company for 2027.

In May 2025, Aardman announced a new Shaun the Sheep movie called Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, set for release in 2026.

What Does "Aardman" Mean?

The company's name comes from one of its very first characters. This was a superhero created for the show Vision On in 1972. This early animation was not claymation, but cel-animated. Peter Lord has said that the most interesting thing about the name is that it "means nothing." It was just a joke that two teenagers found funny. He explained that the name came from combining "Aardvark" and "Superman" because they thought "aardvark" was a funny word. Aardman Animations became their company name when the BBC asked who to make their first payment out to.

Aardman Films You Can Watch

Aardman Animations has made many animated movies, short films, videos, and TV series. Here are some of their major feature films:

• Chicken Run (2000)
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
• Flushed Away (2006)
• Arthur Christmas (2011)
• The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)
• Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
• Early Man (2018)
• A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)
• Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
• Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (2026)
• Untitled Gurinder Chadha Film (Coming Soon)

Aardman's Different Parts

Aardman Animations has different parts that focus on specific types of work.

Aardman Features

Aardman Features Limited is the part of Aardman Animations that makes movies. They have produced eleven films so far. They have worked with companies like DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, StudioCanal, and Netflix.

Nathan Love

Nathan Love LLC is an American company that is part of Aardman Animations. Joe Burrascano started the company in 2007. It used to be called Aardman Nathan Love LLC.

Popular Aardman Characters and Shows

Aardman Video Games

Aardman has also created or helped create many video games based on their popular characters and films.

See also

In Spanish: Aardman Animations para niños