Aardman Readies for 40th Anniversary

Aardman Animation has unveiled additional plans for its 40th anniversary in 2016 including a BBC One special and new collectibles.

April 6, 2018

Studio creates new style guide that spans four decades of content and characters.

Aardman Animation has unveiled additional plans for its 40th anniversary in 2016 including a BBC One special and new collectibles.

Bespoke animation of “Wallace & Gromit” and “Morph” has been created for the special, and a host of stars will share their experiences working with the studio including Martin Freeman, Jane Horrocks, David Tennant, Bill Nighy, Terry Gilliam, Omid Djalili, Justin Fletcher, Anne Reid, Matt Groening, John Lasseter, Timothy Spall and Hugh Grant.

“A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman” will first air on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, alongside the first ever "Shaun the Sheep" half-hour special–"Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas."

The studio has created a special 40th anniversary style guide to mark the milestone, as well. The new guide

brings together its stable of characters, focusing on its best on-screen moments from the past four decades.

Aardman is already working with existing partners such as Rainbow Designs, Danilo and Robert Harrop to bring new collectible items to the market. New partners are on board as well and include Steiff Bears for a special edition Gromit, and Isle of Man for an Aardman-themed stamps collection.