In Conversation with Aardman

Cracking great ideas

From classic characters Wallace & Gromit gearing up to mark a milestone anniversary and a new style guide for fan favourite Feathers McGraw, through to working with innovative new platforms and welcoming fresh IP to its portfolio, it’s a busy time for Aardman. LSB finds out more from commercial director, Rob Goodchild.

It is an exciting time for Aardman as it continues to develop cutting-edge techniques and innovations, with major new titles entering production for both new and established IP, including a sequel to Chicken Run and the 30th anniversary of Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. Indeed, the brand team is focusing on a special licensing programme for Wallace & Gromit to tie in with the anniversary in 2023. Product is already in development with current licensing partners Hornby, Olympia Le Tan, The Bradford Exchange and Danilo, while Aardman will be looking for further partners across all categories at BLE (stand B160). While the characters of Wallace and Gromit will feature in the 30th anniversary celebrations, there’s another character fans will be happy to see, as Rob Goodchild, commercial director for Aardman reveals: “Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers is the first time the world met Feathers

Above: Wallace, Gromit and McGraw, the bandit penguin who has Feathers McGraw will all be celebrated in the 30th proved a firm favourite with fans. It’s a anniversary of Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers great opportunity to reintroduce the in 2023. character and give him his very own Below : Immersive Shaun the Sheep themed games style guide. This has been created are located in Electric Gamebox venues in the UK primarily for gifting, apparel and and US. stationery categories.” In terms of licensing, Aardman works with Ian Downes and Karen Addison at Start Licensing. “They are fantastic ambassadors for all our brands and always work hard to find market opportunities and niches that keep the programme feeling fresh and offer something different to the consumer,” says Rob. “Examples of this include Greetings From collections, designed for the UK tourist market and our new colouring and crafting publishing range from Search Press.” The Shaun the Sheep brand continues to flourish through much-loved content and successful licensing programmes that bring Shaun’s adventures to a whole new generation of international fans.

“The joy of being an independent studio is our freedom to partner with businesses with shared values and creative vision at early stages of their development,” says Rob. “This includes the pioneers who are building the entertainment platforms of the future. Our relationship with Electric Gamebox is a case in point, where we were the first IP to join them on their journey, and we have developed a great relationship with an inspirational team. We worked together to create an immersive gaming experience with Shaun the Sheep, which has been really well received and now rolling out through their global network.” Another initiative for Shaun the Sheep is a partnership with One Farm, offering a fun approach to exploring and understanding where food comes from. The new initiative

will be an ongoing campaign to inspire everyone to make efforts to be good global citizens. Currently in production is the eagerly anticipated sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, coming to Netflix in 2023. The team is developing a strong licensing and promotional programme for the film, with Macmillan Children’s Books confirmed as global master publishing partner. Much of the PR programme is still under wraps, but Rob is confident that there will be a lot of anticipation for the new film. “As with Wallace & Gromit, awareness of the original film is still very high, which puts us in a great position to engage that audience. We already have partners in place for plush toys and publishing, and will look to make further announcements in the coming months.” In terms of new IP, Aardman will be pushing its brand new CGI/2D comedy series Lloyd of the Flies, which launches on CITV in September 2022. The show, which is aimed at 7-11 year olds, shines a light on the weird, wonderful and sometimes bizarre world of insects and their behaviour. “We believe we have created a show every bit as good as Shaun the Sheep and our first focus is on discovery,” comments Rob. “We all know the kids TV landscape has changed, particularly with the primary school age audiences, so our priority is building partnerships and creating touchpoints that will drive them to find the show, and share with their friends.”

Left: Lloyd of the Flies is a new IP for 7-11 year olds. Below left: New colouring and crafting publishing range from Search Press for The Wrong Trousers 30th anniversary. Below: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is coming to Netflix in 2023.

The Grand Getaway

Alongside the 30th anniversary of The Wrong Trousers, Aardman will also be releasing Wallace & Gromit: The Grand Getaway - a brand new virtual reality adventure with Meta Quest, and immersive storytelling experts Atlas V. The Grand Getaway will be launched on Meta Quest 2, the all-in-one VR headset, enabling users for the first time to walk around, explore and get hands-on within the world of Wallace & Gromit, and truly be a part of the pair’s adventures.

Below: Wallace & Gromit: The Grand Getaway is a new virtual reality experience.

Inset: Pop Paper City is a new 3D craft show from LoveLove Film.

Working for others

Aardman also represents animated content from a select number of third party producers, including LoveLove Films’ Pop Paper City, a preschool adventure craft show aimed at 4-6 year olds. The show premieres on Milkshake! this autumn, with international broadcasters following on. The UK licensing business is being looked after by Val Fry and Caroline High, who are experts in the preschool market.