Aardman Animations facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aardman Animations Limited

Logo used since 2022
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	5
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 is a famous British animation studio. It is located in Bristol, England. The studio is well-known for its films and TV shows. They often use special techniques like stop-motion and clay animation.

You might know their famous plasticine characters. These include Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Morph. Aardman also started making computer-animated films. Their first one was Flushed Away in 2006.

Aardman's films are very popular and have earned a lot of money. Their first big movie, Chicken Run (2000), is still their highest-earning film. It is also the highest-grossing stop-motion film ever made! A sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, came out in 2023.

History of Aardman Animations

Early Years (1972–1996)

Aardman was started in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. They wanted to make animated movies. Their first work was for a BBC show for deaf children called Vision On. The company's name comes from a superhero character they created for this show.

They used clay animation for a segment called "Gleebees" (1975). This inspired them to create Morph, a simple clay character. Lord and Sproxton also made short films for adults. These were part of the BBC's Animated Conversations series. They used real conversations as the sound for their 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 made the music video for "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone. They also created "Douglas," a trombone-playing character for a Lurpak butter TV ad.

Later, Aardman made more short films for Channel 4. These were called Conversation Pieces. Lord and Sproxton started hiring more animators. New directors made their first films in the Lip Synch series. One of these directors was Nick Park.

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

Growth and New Partnerships (1997–2007)

In 1997, Aardman teamed up with DreamWorks and Pathé. They worked together to make and release Chicken Run. This was Aardman's first full-length movie. It came out in 2000 and was a huge success.

In 2005, Wallace and Gromit returned in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This film also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The next year, Aardman released Flushed Away. This was their first movie made using only computer animation.

In October 2005, a storage building used by Aardman had a fire. Many old props, models, and sets were lost. However, the company's finished films were safe in another location. The production of new projects was not stopped. Nick Park said that it was not a big deal compared to other world tragedies.

In 2006, Aardman and DreamWorks decided to end their partnership. They had different ideas about how to make films. But they ended their agreement in a friendly way.

From 2006 to 2007, the Ghibli Museum in Japan had a special exhibit. It showed the works of Aardman Studios. The founders, Sproxton and Lord, even met with famous animator Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki is a big fan of Aardman's work.

New Deals and Digital Expansion (2007–2012)

In 2007, Aardman signed a deal with Sony Pictures. They would work together to make and release new films. The first film with Sony was Arthur Christmas (2011). This was Aardman's first 3D movie.

In 2012, they released The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!. This was Aardman's first 3D stop-motion film. It was originally planned as a computer-animated movie. But Sony liked the stop-motion models so much, they asked for it to be made that way.

Aardman also helps young animators. They give 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 4mations. This was a website where people could share their own animations. They also created the BBC One Christmas Idents (short videos) for that year. These featured Wallace and Gromit. Aardman also started a YouTube channel in April 2008. It features shows like Creature Comforts and Morph.

In 2009, Nintendo announced that Aardman would make short films using Flipnote Studio. These films were posted weekly. Also in 2009, Aardman moved to a new main office in Bristol.

Recent Developments (2013-Present)

In 2013, Peter Lord started a fundraising project on Kickstarter. He wanted to make 12 new one-minute episodes of Morph. The project was successful, and new Morph episodes were made using stop-motion.

In 2015, Aardman bought a big share in a New York animation studio called Nathan Love. They announced this with a short film. Also, the British stop-motion show Digby Dragon started on Nick Jr. UK in 2016.

For Aardman's 40th anniversary, the BBC aired a documentary. It was called A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman. It looked back at the company's history.

From June to October 2017, an exhibit called "Wallace and Gromit and Friends" was shown in Australia. It revealed that Gromit was first drawn as a cat. But Nick Park changed him to a dog. A dog seemed more loyal and easier to animate with plasticine.

In 2018, Aardman announced a big change. Lord and Sproxton gave most of the company ownership to its employees. This helps the studio stay independent. In 2019, they released a book about the studio's history. It is called A Grand Success! The Aardman Journey, One Frame at a Time.

In December 2020, Netflix announced a Christmas musical special from Aardman. It was called Robin Robin and came out in 2021. In 2021, Aardman also started making The Very Small Creatures for Sky Kids and Apple TV.

In 2022, Netflix confirmed a sequel to Chicken Run. It is called Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and was released in 2023. A new Wallace and Gromit film is also planned for 2024. The children's series Lloyd of the Flies also aired from 2022–2023.

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

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

In March 2024, Emma Hardie became the new Executive Commercial and Brand Director. Peter Lord also stepped down from the executive board. He will now focus on creative projects and be an ambassador for the company.

Also in March 2024, Aardman and the BBC announced Things We Love. This new series is based on Creature Comforts. It features animated animals with real interviews.

Company Name Origin

The company's name comes from one of its first characters. This was a superhero made for the show Vision On in 1972. Unlike Aardman's famous clay animations, this character was drawn using cel animation.

Peter Lord has said that the name "means nothing." It was just a joke that two teenagers found funny. He explained that the name came from combining "Aardvark" and "Superman." They thought "aardvark" was a funny word.

Co-founder David Sproxton joked that he couldn't "find another word with more A's in it than 'aardvark'" when he was a schoolboy. Aardman Animations became their company name when the BBC asked who to make their first payment out to.

Films by Aardman Animations

Aardman Animations has made many animated films, shorts, and TV series. Here are their main 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)
• Untitled Wallace & Gromit film (2024)
• Untitled Gurinder Chadha film (To Be Announced)

Divisions of Aardman

Aardman Features

Aardman Features Limited is a part of Aardman Animations that makes movies. They have produced 9 films so far. Some were with DreamWorks Animation, some with Sony Pictures Animation, and others with StudioCanal and Netflix.

Nathan Love

Nathan Love LLC is an American company that is part of Aardman Animations. It was founded by Joe Burrascano in 2007.

Aardman Franchises

Video Games

Awards and Nominations

Aardman's films and shows have won many awards. Some major awards include the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. These were both for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Books About Aardman

• Tristan Davies, Nick Park, Nick Newman (1997); Wallace & Gromit and the Lost Slipper. Adler's Foreign Books. ISBN: 978-0-8417-2026-8
• Peter Lord; Brian Sibley (1998). Cracking Animation: The Aardman Book of 3-D Animation. Thames & Hudson Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-500-28168-0
• Tristan Davies; Nick Newman (1998). Wallace & Gromit in Anoraknophobia. Adler's Foreign Books. ISBN: 978-0-8417-2031-2
• Tristan Davies; Nick Newman (1999). Wallace & Gromit: Crackers in Space. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN: 978-0-340-71289-4
• Andy Lane (2003). Creating Creature Comforts. Boxtree Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-7522-1564-8
• Andy Lane (2004). The World of Wallace & Gromit. Boxtree Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-7522-1558-7
• Andy Lane; Paul Simpson (2005). The Art of Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Titan Books Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-84576-136-3

Images for kids

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

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  Aardman Animations' headquarters in Bristol

See Also

In Spanish: Aardman Animations para niños

• Lists of animated feature films
• List of stop motion films
• Gromit Unleashed