Key facts
- Aardman Animations was founded in 1976 by Sir Peter Lord and Sir David Sproxton.
- Gromit was originally envisioned as a cat but was changed to a dog by animator Nick Park.
- Chicken Run, Aardman's first 90-minute stop-motion feature, grossed over $220 million worldwide.
- Chicken Run's success prompted the Academy to create the Best Animated Feature Oscar category.
- Shaun the Sheep achieved global popularity without relying on spoken dialogue.
- The studio's first character, 'Aard Man', was created in 1972.
As Aardman Animations marks its 50th anniversary, co-founders Sir Peter Lord and Sir David Sproxton have shared behind-the-scenes secrets from the studio's history. Surprising revelations include that Gromit was nearly a cat and Shaun the Sheep was almost given a voice.
Founded in 1976 by Lord and Sproxton, Aardman has become a globally recognized animation powerhouse, known for characters like Morph, Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and the film Chicken Run. The studio's journey has been shaped by chance decisions and creative instincts.
Animator Nick Park, who joined in 1985, initially considered making Gromit a cat for the film 'A Grand Day Out.' However, he found modeling a cat difficult and opted for a dog instead. This decision proved pivotal, as Wallace and Gromit became Aardman's most famous characters.
The success of Wallace and Gromit led to a meeting with Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, resulting in the production of 'Chicken Run.' This ambitious project was the world's first 90-minute stop-motion feature film made from modeling clay, shot entirely in Bristol with a budget exceeding £20 million. Despite its critical and commercial success, grossing over $220 million worldwide and remaining the highest-grossing stop-motion film, 'Chicken Run' did not win an Oscar because no category for animated features existed at the time. Its impact, however, was significant enough that the Academy created the Best Animated Feature Oscar the following year.
Shaun the Sheep, who first appeared in 'A Close Shave' in 1995, has become Aardman's most valuable character, sold in 170 countries. Executives repeatedly urged the studio to give Shaun a voice, particularly for his own feature film in 2015, but Aardman maintained its commitment to silent storytelling, believing it enhanced the character's universal appeal.
The company's origins trace back to 1972 when Lord and Sproxton created 'Aard Man,' a superhero character, as a joke. Their short cartoon was purchased by the BBC, leading to the formation of 'Aardman Animations.' Their subsequent creation, Morph, a shape-shifting plasticine character, became a hit on children's television and remains an iconic figure at the studio.