Work, rest and clay!
Aardman Animations is celebrating its 50th birthday – and we’re all invited to the party!
Justin Sutcliffe
- Laura Rutkowski
Peter Lord is never too far away from a lump of modelling clay. “You can just take a blob and make it appear to live, fairly simply,” he says, picking up a chunk from his desk. That is how Morph – the terracotta-skinned humanoid only five inches tall, but with bucketloads of personality – was born. Morph was Lord and Aardman co-founder David Sproxton’s breakout success for the studio, but far from the last. Now this year, and many lumps of modelling clay later, Aardman is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
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To mark the occasion, visitors can get up close and personal with characters like Morph, Shaun the Sheep (whose new film, The Beast of Mossy Bottom, arrives in September) and Wallace and Gromit, in a 3600 immersive experience at London’s Lightroom.
“Clay is what we’re famous for and I like to show that off, but it’s also incredibly accessible for kids. I hope it inspires them to think, ‘Gosh, I could do that,’” says Lord. “We’re hoping to capture the magic of being in the studio, but on this extraordinary scale. It’s as if the audience are animation-sized.”
During a 50-minute show projected across the 11-metre tall walls and the floor, visitors will also see some early films Lord and Sproxton made at school. “They weren’t brilliant, but it shows that big things come from small beginnings,” says Lord.
Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park (left) with Aardman Animations co-founders Peter Lord (centre) and David Sproxton. Justin Sutcliffe
It also features new animation and behind-the-scenes material from Aardman’s films, with sketches and scenes brought to life, including the stop-motion train chase from Wallace and Gromit: the Wrong Trousers.
Above all, it spotlights the human craftsmanship required to create these detailed worlds. Is that important to Lord given the advances in artificial intelligence?
“The weird thing about AI is you don’t know where it came from, or who did it,” he muses. “What we do is handmade by people with love and care. You can see the humanity and creativity on the screen, and those things are precious.”
So, what’s next on the agenda in Aardman’s landmark year? “A blooming great party! Morph just has to be careful he doesn’t get trampled on the dance floor.”
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Larger than Life: Starring Wallace and Gromit, Shaun and More opens at Lightroom in London from 14 October 2026. Tickets are available at lightroom.uk/whats-on/larger-than-life/
Authors
Laura Rutkowski
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