Aardman Animations is teaming up with StudioCanal to bring its animated character Shaun the Sheep to the big screen.

The feature film, which will be shot in Aardman's trademark stop-motion style, will follow Shaun and his flock as they travel to big city to rescue the Farmer.

Aardman Rights will manage worldwide merchandise and live events rights for the movie and TV series, and will continue to manage global TV DVD and digital sales for existing and new TV series in development.

“Shaun and his friends have a massive global following, and we are very excited about being able to put them into a bigger adventure for the big screen,” says David Sproxton, executive chairman and co-founder, Aardman. “We are naturally also very excited about partnering with StudioCanal for this project, their track record and expertise in international film financing and distribution seems a perfect fit.”

StudioCanal is financing and will distribute the film in the U.K., France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, as well as handle international sales.