Aardman has always carried a special kind of movie magic. The studio behind Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and Flushed Away built its reputation on handcrafted stop motion worlds that feel warm and tactile in a way few modern productions match.
Now the conversation has turned to AI and how it might shape the future of animation, and studio founder Nick Park says that Aardman will explore AI, but move forward with care.
Park spoke with Radio Times about how the industry has shifted before and how the studio weathered those changes. He recalled the moment Pixar burst onto the scene with Toy Story, saying:
“When Toy Storycame out [in 1995] , we thought, ‘How long have we got?’ But we’ve managed to survive CGI. In fact, there’s been a resurgence of interest over the years in our stop motion animation. We use CGI as well, but AI is a whole new thing.”
That uncertainty is still present, but Park is approaching AI with an open mind and a firm grip on Aardman’s identity.
He explained, “Obviously a lot of people will be fearing for their jobs. We want to embrace the technology and find in what ways it’s going to be useful to us, maybe to do animation a bit quicker, but we’re going to be very cautious not to lose our values.
“The clay is our USP and we pride ourselves in that. Authenticity is the most important thing. It’s where the charm is.”
Aardman has already shown a willingness to adapt while staying true to its roots. Its most recent feature, Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, arrived in late 2024 and brought back a familiar adversary for the cheese loving inventor and his loyal dog.
The film hit Netflix, following the studio’s growing relationship with the streamer which also released 2023’s Chicken Run follow up Dawn of the Nugget. Even with these modern distribution shifts, the heart of the work is still unmistakably Aardman.
The studio’s next adventure is Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, currently set for a 2026 theatrical release. Fans of Aardman’s meticulous animation and quirky humor have plenty to look forward to while the studio figures out how AI might fit into its toolkit without replacing the handmade craft that made it beloved in the first place.
