{"id":645499,"date":"2026-06-18T15:20:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/645499\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T15:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:20:08","slug":"aardman-exhibition-marks-animation-studios-half-a-century-in-bristol-aardman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/645499\/","title":{"rendered":"Aardman exhibition marks animation studio\u2019s half a century in Bristol | Aardman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aardman\u2019s most famous characters, Wallace and Gromit, may be denizens of northern England but the studio\u2019s deep-rooted connection to the south-west of the UK is being celebrated in a new show<\/a> on Bristol\u2019s harbourside.<\/p>\n

The exhibition at the M Shed, just around the corner from the Aardman base on Gas Ferry Road (a name that would not be out of place in a Wallace and Gromit adventure), shines a light on the studio\u2019s 50 years in Bristol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It maps how Aardman rose from modest beginnings<\/a> in the city and began to win the nation\u2019s hearts and minds by moulding Morph for the children\u2019s programme Take Hart, before going global with beloved characters such as Shaun the Sheep and the Chicken Run gang.<\/p>\n

Figures of Morph and Chas. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

The show features puppets galore and beautifully crafted sets and describes how Aardman\u2019s creations draw on Bristol\u2019s independent, sometimes rebellious spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always had a creative identity that celebrated independence,\u201d said Ngaio Harding-Hill, the director of attractions, live experiences and archive at Aardman. \u201cI think the spirit of Bristol has always permeated our productions.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as entertaining and informing, the exhibition is also designed to inspire young people to consider a career in the industry. \u201cOver the 50 years, we\u2019ve been able to develop a great creative community in the city,\u201d Harding-Hill said. \u201cWe hope the exhibition will make people think about a career in the creative industries. If you\u2019ve got a story, got an idea, you can make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Guardian was given a sneak preview as the finishing touches were being made to the show, which highlights how south-west England<\/a> locations and products \u2013 as well as its alternative spirit \u2013 are used in Aardman works.<\/p>\n

Grimy railways arches that appear in one of the Shaun the Sheep\u2019s tales, for example, are based on Bristol Temple Meads railway station.<\/p>\n

Tottington Hall, which features in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, was modelled on Montacute House<\/a>, a late Elizabethan mansion in Somerset south of Bristol.<\/p>\n

Some references are subtle but will delight Bristolians. Tucked away in a Chicken Run<\/a> set, for example, is a tin of \u201cFly\u2019s Cocoa\u201d, a nod to Fry\u2019s, the chocolate maker founded in Bristol.<\/p>\n

Other highlights of the show include a flying machine built for Chicken Run that escaped the 2005 fire<\/a> in which much of the studio\u2019s past was destroyed. Someone involved in the production had tucked it away in their garage and handed it back after the blaze.<\/p>\n

Another set, never shown in public before, features Wallace and Gromit being held captive by their arch-enemy Feathers McGraw for the 2024 film Vengeance Most Fowl.<\/p>\n

The model 50th birthday cake. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Steve Bradley, an exhibitions and displays manager, said caring for so many national treasures was a huge responsibility. He is keen on some of the grubbier sets, such as one that has an overflowing skip as its centrepiece and a barbed wire fence with tiny plastic bags caught in the spikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though they are gritty in nature, they\u2019re still beautiful,\u201d Bradley said. \u201cThe craftsmanship is extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition\u2019s first weekend has already sold out. Visitors who want to take home a bit of Aardman will be able to buy limited-edition badges, key rings and jewellery.<\/p>\n

And before they leave, they can dine in the cafe on Aardman-themed food including pasta and sandwiches \u2013 loaded, of course, with Wallace\u2019s beloved cheese, wensleydale.<\/p>\n

Helen McConnell Simpson, a senior curator of history at Bristol Museums, said M Shed often tackled difficult areas. The statue of slave trader Edward Colston, which was thrown into the harbour in 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest, remains tucked away<\/a> in a quiet corner of the museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s really lovely to welcome families to an exhibition which is focused on joy and celebration,\u201d she said. \u201cThe world is a difficult place at the moment and it\u2019s great to have something based on warmth and community and creativity and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aardman\u2019s most famous characters, Wallace and Gromit, may be denizens of northern England but the studio\u2019s deep-rooted connection…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":645500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-645499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}