Aardman exhibition showcases fifty years of animation in Bristol | Aardman

Aardman’s most famous names, Wallace and Gromit, may be from the north of England, but the studio’s deep connections to the south west of the UK are celebrated. new show at the port of Bristol.

The exhibition at the M Shed, around the corner from the Aardman base on Gas Ferry Road (a name that wouldn’t be out of place on a Wallace and Gromit tour), highlights 50 years of the studio. Bristol.

How does it show Aardman rose from scratch in the city and began winning the hearts and minds of the nation by creating Morph for the children’s show Take Hart, before going all over the world with beloved people such as Shaun the Sheep and the Chicken Run group.

The exhibition features a wide range of puppets and designs and explains how Aardman’s creations capture Bristol’s independent, sometimes rebellious spirit.

“We’ve always had an experience that celebrates freedom,” said Ngaio Harding-Hill, director of attractions, experiences and archives at Aardman. “I think the spirit of Bristol has always been present in our design.”

As well as being entertaining and informative, the show is also designed to encourage young people to consider a career in the industry. “Over 50 years, we’ve been able to create a great community of creative people in the city,” Harding-Hill said. “We hope this show will get people thinking about careers in the creative industry. If you have a story, you have an idea, you can make it happen.”

The Guardian was given a behind-the-scenes look at when the final touches were being made, showing how the South West looks. England the place and the product – and its spirit – are used in Aardman’s design.

The Grimy railway yards that appear in one of the Shaun the Sheep tales, for example, are based on the Bristol Temple Meads railway.

Tottington Hall, featured in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, has been changed The house of Montacutea late Elizabethan house in Somerset south of Bristol.

Some of the references are subtle but delight Bristolians. Entering a Chicken Run set, for example, is a “Fly’s Cocoa” tin, a nod to Fry’s, a chocolate maker based in Bristol.

Another highlight of the show is the flying machine designed for the Chicken Run that escaped the 2005 fire how much of the studio’s legacy was destroyed. Someone involved in the project put it in the garage and returned it after the fire.

Another set, which has never been shown publicly, shows Wallace and Gromit being arrested by their arch-enemy Feathers McGraw in the 2024 film Vengeance Most Fowl.

Steve Bradley, exhibition and display manager, said looking after the country’s rich heritage is a huge responsibility. He prefers grubbier sets, such as those with an overflowing diving board as a base and a barbed wire fence with small plastic bags held in pickaxes.

“Even though they are gentle in nature, they are still beautiful,” says Bradley. “The process is amazing.”

The first Saturday of the show is already sold out. Visitors who want to go a little home with Aardman will be able to purchase limited edition badges, large rings and jewelry.

And before they leave, they can dine at the cafe on Aardman-themed dishes including pasta and sandwiches – topped, of course, with Wallace’s favorite wensleydale cheese.

Helen McConnell Simpson, curator of history at Bristol Museums, said the M Shed often faced difficult environments. A statue of slave trader Edward Colston, who was thrown into the dock in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests, he lives far away in a quiet corner of the museum.

“But it’s great to welcome families to a show that’s all about fun and excitement,” he said. “The world is a tough place at the moment and it’s great to have something that’s based on love and community and is smart and fun.”