How a low-budget clay project became a billion-dollar animation empire
In 1972, Peter Lord and David Sproxton began with a modest dream and a handful of plasticine. Decades later, their Bristol-based studio, Aardman, has earned $1.1 billion worldwide, mastering the delicate art of stop-and-clay animation through iconic characters like Wallace & Gromit.
The origins of Aardman are rooted in the BBC series Vision On, where the founders used clay animation to create sequences for deaf children. The studio's very name is a playful nod to a 'nerdy' Superman character from that series, a pun on the phrase 'hard man'. This early experimentation with plasticine led to the creation of Morph, a simple character that became a staple of their repertoire.
While Aardman is synonymous with stop-motion, their journey has seen significant shifts in medium and partnership. Between 2000 and 2006, they collaborated with DreamWorks Animation, a period that included the massive success of Chicken Run, the highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time. However, the partnership ended in 2007 following the box-office underperformance of the computer-animated Flushed Away, with reports suggesting creative differences regarding studio control.
The studio's resilience is perhaps best illustrated by their ability to navigate both creative and physical challenges. In 2005, an electrical fault caused a fire at a Bristol storage facility, destroying over 30 years of precious props and models. More recently, the studio faced a supply crisis when the factory producing their signature Lewis Newplast clay shut down in March 2023. Despite these hurdles, Aardman continues to expand, with upcoming projects ranging from Pingu revivals to collaborations with The Pokémon Company.
Today, the studio's legacy is maintained through a unique ownership structure; in 2018, the founders transferred majority ownership to the employees to ensure Aardman remains an independent force in global animation.
Source: Aardman Animations
