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With more than 50 years of clay animation, Aardman unveiled a glimpse of a bright future this year at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, which opens June 21.
The studio’s legendary trio, co-founders Peter Lord, David
Sproxton and fellow director Nick Park, took the stage earlier today in Annecy’s main venue, the magnificent lakeside Bonlieu theater, along with Sarah Cox, chief creative director, and surprise guests, for a packed presentation full of first looks, never-before-seen footage, and delightful memories of Aardman’s history.
Aardman’s biggest reveal of the day came when Phil Rynda, director of original animation at The Pokemon Company International, joined Cox on stage to reveal first behind-the-scenes insights on the brand-new series “Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu.”
The duo delighted Annecy’s audience with behind-the-scenes insights on the project’s development and creative collaboration, featuring never-before-seen footage from the pilot and in-development production materials. With an early look at Sirfetch’d and Pichu in action, exquisite claymation and cutting-edge special effects brought forth by Aardman for this specific project, the series (coming up next year) delighted Bonlieu’s crowds, eager to know more.
Set in Pokémon’s “Galar” region, which shares many geographical similarities with the real-world U.K. (a fitting backdrop for a collaboration with Aardman), the panel also touched the project’s distinctly British sense of humor, with Gromit’s signature move even making its way in the Pokémon world. which is long associated with many of Aardman’s best-loved productions.
“It’s an honor to take part in Aardman’s panel at Annecy and talk about the shared commitment to quality, strong storytelling, memorable characters and a genuine respect for audiences and fans,” said Phil Rynda, director of original animation at The Pokémon Company International. “This project gives us a unique opportunity to tell stories from the point of view of Pokémon, made possible by Aardman’s extraordinary craft, remarkable artistry. Their warmth, and affection for this much-loved Pokémon cast are evident in every brilliantly crafted frame.”
Sarah Cox, chief creative director at Aardman added: “Aardman teams are delighted to bring the vivid physicality of stop frame animation into the Pokémon world. Director Tom Parkinson and his team have created a hand-crafted spin on the wonderful Pokémon we all know and love, with comedic storytelling that celebrates the quirks, eccentricities and charms of our heroes as they explore Galar on a delightfully offbeat Quest. Aardman and Pokémon share a strong commitment to creativity and talent on this shared quest of our own to bring joy to audiences across the world.”
Beyond that presentation, Sarah Cox also announced a newly commissioned stop-motion and 2D animated series, “Let’s Go Timmy!”, expanding the wonderful world of Mossy Bottom, which will also be back in theaters later this year with the third installment of “Shaun the Sheep” features, “The Beast of Mossy Bottom,” set for a global release in September.
In “Let’s Go Timmy!,” Bitzer the sheep dog is tasked with getting Timmy and his two best friends, Yabba and Apricot, to Mossy Bottom School safe and on time each morning! Like all excitable children Timmy and the gang are curious, full of energy, and every morning turns into a surrealist escapade as they veer off-course turning the school run into an adventure.
For this project, Aardman blends two distinct animation styles: its signature stop-motion animation combined with dynamic 2D animation, which serves to highlight the fantastical worlds of Timmy’s, Yabba’s and Apricot’s imagination. The series is directed by Merlin Crossingham and Daniel Bins, produced by Stephanie Miller with Lucy Pryke, BBC’s commissioning executive.
In the press release following up the presentation, Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning for CBeebies added: “Returning to Mossy Bottom with ‘Let’s Go Timmy!’ brings a wonderful opportunity to expand a world that’s already cherished by young audiences. It is a joyful, visually rich addition that reflects CBeebies’ hallmark: high-quality, homegrown storytelling that is both engaging and supports early years development. The series captures the humour, warmth and boundless imagination that defines Aardman’s storytelling, while introducing a playful new dynamic with Bitzer at the helm.”
Cox also revealed another new Aardman production, “The Almost (Untold) Story Of Danger Delilah,” adapted from book series “Once Upon the Alphabet” by Oliver Jeffers.
Aardman director Åsa Lukander (Coldplay’s “Daddy,” “Blue Peter”), senior development executive James Higginson and Peter Lord himself are all involved in bringing this project to the screen, creating “a whole new story” from the book and its characters.
“The script is by Pete,” added Cox. “It’s about Danger Delilah, a girl who realises her world’s starting to disappear, before understanding that she is herself a character in someone else’s story that they’re forgetting about…” In order to save herself, Delilah has to seize her own narrative, and rewrite her own story. “So she has to literally seize the narrative and rewrite her own story.” We’ve just finished a phase of development, so we’ll be ready to start pitching it soon,” concluded Cox.
Ahead of the announcements, Aardman’s legendary trio Peter Lord, David Sproxton and Nick Park dove into the studio’s history for a special opening session celebrating Aardman’s unique approach to storytelling, comedy and craft, the veteran animators welcomed several guests on stage, looking back at the 50-plus years of Aardman signature animation.
From early kitchen table experiments to iconic characters and award-winning productions, the team shared how their distinctive, handmade process has evolved over the years.
Peter Lord and David Sproxton, who were recently knighted in the King’s Birthday Honors, began their animating partnership at school, and while still teenagers created a short animated sketch called “Aardman” which the BBC bought for its Vision On series. According to Aardman, on receipt of their first cheque from the BBC, Peter and David needed a name for their bank account so in 1972 they registered the name Aardman Animations.
Through a combination of archival material, behind-the-scenes footage and conversation, the session offered insight into how Aardman continues to create award-winning animation that connects with audiences around the world, as well as what lies ahead for the studio as it evolves its craft to embrace the future of stop-motion animation and beyond.
After more than 25 years teaching their unique craft, Aardman also announced a brand-new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at London’s Royal College of Art, starting soon. The teams presented the collaboration through a quirky, hand-crafted teaser, a testament to what has and always will be at the heart of Aardman DNA: people, and the love for the animated craft.
Or, as Aardman co-founder and director Peter Lord had it: “Our animation might be ‘old school,’ but we do it for the love of the craft. Our teams are so good at their jobs, and this love shines on the screen. Basically, we keep doing what we love, and people love it too.”
More to come….
