Aardman Animations’ co-founders, Peter Lord and David Sproxton, joined by their leading director Nick Park and Executive Creative Director Sarah Cox, graced the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with their presence on Sunday for a masterclass commemorating the studio’s 50th year.
The session, filled with engaging stories, lasted 90 minutes and covered the studio’s journey from past achievements to its future prospects. Aardman is renowned for its pioneering stop-motion films including the blockbuster Chicken Run, the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and the popular Shaun the Sheep series, among other cherished works.
During the event, Cox unveiled a new project commissioned by the BBC, a mixed-media series titled Let’s Go Timmy! set in the fictional Mossy Bottom.
This new series, spanning 30 episodes of 5 minutes each, features the adventures of Bitzer the sheepdog. His daily challenge is to ensure Timmy and his friends, Yabba and Apricot, arrive at Mossy Bottom School safely and punctually, despite the distractions they encounter along the way.
The production of the series is led by directors Merlin Crossingham and Daniel Bins, with Stephanie Miller producing and Lucy Pryke overseeing as the Commissioning Executive for the BBC.
Cox expressed her excitement about the series, highlighting, “Everyone adores Timmy… This series expands the Moss Bottom universe. It’s targeted at preschoolers and showcases Bitzer in a new comedic role. He’s always been humorous, but in this series, we see a different side of him as he navigates the morning school run.”
She added humorously that many parents would relate to the challenge of focusing children’s attention during a school commute.
In related updates on Shaun the Sheep, Cox announced the upcoming release of Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom, a Halloween-themed movie set to premiere globally in mid-September.
“It’s our largest and fastest production to date. The team has put in an incredible effort, and we’re thrilled about the upcoming cinematic release,” she explained.
Cox also discussed a new venture, The Almost (Untold) Story Of Danger Delilah, based on Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers.
“We’re nearing the end of our development phase, collaborating with the talented Irish illustrator and author Oliver Jeffers. We’ve adapted characters from his book into a completely new narrative,” Cox revealed.
The project, developed by Lord, Aardman director Åsa Lukander, and Senior Development Executive James Higginson, features a script by Pete focusing on Danger Delilah. “It’s about a girl who realizes her world is vanishing because she’s a character in a forgotten story. She must take control and rewrite her own tale. We’re excited to start pitching it soon,” Cox stated.
Another exciting update came from Phil Rynda, Director of Original Animation at The Pokémon Company International, who joined Cox to discuss their collaboration on Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu and shared exclusive footage of the characters.
Rynda explained that this comedic adventure series is set in the Pokémon’s Galar region, inspired by the geography of the UK. “It’s a unique Pokémon story seen through the Aardman lens, and it’s truly a dream project,” he enthused.
Reflecting on their origins, Lord and Sproxton shared that they met at school when they were 12 and began animating for fun as teenagers. Sproxton reminisced about their early work on a British TV program featuring a clumsy superhero named Aardman, a name inspired by the combination of ‘Aardvark’ and ‘Superman.’
The duo also discussed their early exploration with clay figures through the character Morph and their venture into adult animation with the 1986 short Babylon. Sproxton credited Channel 4 for its significant support of UK animation, particularly for adult audiences.
Connecting with Nick Park during his time at the National Film and Television School was another milestone. Park joined Aardman to assist with Babylon while they supported his graduation film, Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out. “Seeing Nick’s early work, we knew he had great potential. He quickly became an integral part of Aardman, excelling in his craft,” Lord concluded.
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