Entertainment
Aardman Animations marks 50th anniversary by sharing history behind classic characters
Creators reflect on five decades of stop-motion filmmaking, early creative pivots, and the global reach of Wallace, Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep.
The short version
- Aardman Animations is celebrating its 50th anniversary, reflecting on its growth from a two-person project founded in 1976 to an Oscar-winning studio.
- Studio creators revealed several early production pivots, including originally envisioning Gromit as a cat and resisting studio pressure to give dialogue to Shaun the Sheep.
- The Bristol-based studio's work helped shape modern animation, including prompting the Academy Awards to introduce the Best Animated Feature category following Chicken Run.
Key facts
- Aardman Animations was founded in 1976 by school friends Sir Peter Lord and Sir David Sproxton.[BBC News]
- Animator Nick Park originally planned for Wallace's pet Gromit to be a cat, but changed the character to a dog because modeling a cat in plasticine was too difficult.[BBC News]
- Chicken Run was produced on a budget of more than £20 million, grossed over $220 million worldwide, and remains the highest-grossing stop-motion film ever made.[BBC News]
- The Academy introduced the Best Animated Feature Oscar category the year after Chicken Run was released.[BBC News]
- Aardman executives pushed back against industry pressure to add dialogue to Shaun the Sheep, keeping the franchise silent across its TV run and 2015 feature film.[BBC News]
- According to Managing Director Sean Clarke, Shaun the Sheep has been sold into 170 countries and is currently Aardman's most valuable character.[BBC News]
- The company name originated as a joke combining the words 'Aardvark' and 'Superman' for an early superhero character.[BBC News]
Sources
- 'Gromit was nearly a cat!': Secrets from 50 years of AardmanBBC News - Top Stories