Young V&A's animation sensation

Young V&A’s exhibition about the animation of great British export Aardman is a treat for visitors young and old – not least for the opportunity to get up close to Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph and other national treasures

Photos: David Parry for Young V&A; Morph photo by Aardman Animations

There is everything to love about Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at the Young V&A. For one thing, it’s about as multi-generational a day out as you can get in a museum. Grandparents and aunties can wax lyrical about the now truly vintage Morph (remember his first incarnation in Vision On?).

Meanwhile, three generations can enjoy getting up close to Shaun the Sheep, the chickens from Chicken Run and, of course, those ‘cracking’ creations who delighted everyone, brought home a sidecar full of Oscars and other gongs and – so legend has it – worked wonders for sales of Wensleydale cheese around the globe.

Aardman, the Bristol studio, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, so it’s a really timely retrospective. Particularly welcome considering it lost a fair bit of its precious archive in a storage facility fire back in 2005. Thankfully, there is still plenty of treasure here on display, with over 150 exhibits, many of which have never been showcased before.

There is everything to love about Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at the Young V&A. For one thing, it's about as multi-generational a day out as you can get in a museum. Grandparents and aunties can wax lyrical about the now truly vintage Morph (remember his first incarnation in Vision On?). Meanwhile, three generations can enjoy getting up close to Shaun the Sheep, the chickens from Chicken Run and, of course, those 'cracking' creations who delighted everyone, brought home a sidecar full of Oscars and other gongs and – so legend has it – worked wonders for sales of Wensleydale cheese around the globe. Aardman, the Bristol studio, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, so it's a really timely retrospective. Particularly welcome considering it lost a fair bit of its precious archive in a storage facility fire back in 2005. Thankfully, there is still plenty of treasure here on display, with over 150 exhibits, many of which have never been showcased before. For children – actually for any age – it's an eyeopener on the painstaking craft that goes into stop-motion animation. And, given Young V&A's remit to keep things interactive, there are lots of practical ways to learn more about the elements involved in an animated film. The first section of the exhibition explores developing ideas and storylines. Works in this section include development sketches for Morph and some of the original sketched incarnations of Wallace & Gromit. There's also a hand-drawn storyboard for the train chase scene in The Wrong Trousers, while an interactive praxinoscope shows how images are stacked in quick succession to create a stop-motion sequence. From here, the exhibition moves on to the business of model making, showing how characters, plots and miniature sets have been created. Highlights include Lady Tottington, the rocket from Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, and also the living room that is epicentre of Wallace's inventive musings. The duo's never-before-displayed motorcycle and sidecar is also on display, along with the galleon from 2012's The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! – still the largest model Aardman has ever made. Other sections of the exhibition explore how all the elements of animation fit together, including lighting, sound and voice acting – and with behind-the-scenes videos and a daily planner to demonstrate how a filming schedule works. Visitors have the opportunity to create their own stop-motion sequences here, as well as lighting a set and filming live-action-videos – a technique used by animators to block out realistic movement for an animated scene. The final section of the exhibition looks at what happens after the production is wrapped, including adding music and special effects. Have-a-go moments here include creating Foley sound-design additions, such as the noise of footsteps, drawing, and so on. With a new Shaun the Sheep film scheduled for release in the autumn, it's good to know that Aardman is still hard at work creating movies and shorts to delight all ages. Going behind the scenes in this depth to see the many strands that make up an animated film is a rare treat. So too the chance to get right up close to the models for some of our favourite films. And for children and teenagers, it shines a light on the accessibility of this form of filmmaking. Inspiring stuff indeed or, as Wallace himself would say, a 'cracking' creation. * Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is at Young V&A until 15th November 2026. An exhibition pass allowing repeat visits is £11; under 5s and V&A members go free, and concessions available. vam.ac.uk/young — Will Becher of Aardman adjusting Wallace & Gromit on a visit to the Young V&A ahead of its major exhibition

For children – actually for any age – it’s an eyeopener on the painstaking craft that goes into stop-motion animation. And, given Young V&A’s remit to keep things interactive, there are lots of practical ways to learn more about the elements involved in an animated film.

The first section of the exhibition explores developing ideas and storylines. Works in this section include development sketches for Morph and some of the original sketched incarnations of Wallace & Gromit. There’s also a hand-drawn storyboard for the train chase scene in The Wrong Trousers, while an interactive praxinoscope shows how images are stacked in quick succession to create a stop-motion sequence.

From here, the exhibition moves on to the business of model making, showing how characters, plots and miniature sets have been created. Highlights include Lady Tottington, the rocket from Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, and also the living room that is epicentre of Wallace’s inventive musings. The duo’s never-before-displayed motorcycle and sidecar is also on display, along with the galleon from 2012’s The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! – still the largest model Aardman has ever made.

Other sections of the exhibition explore how all the elements of animation fit together, including lighting, sound and voice acting – and with behind-the-scenes videos and a daily planner to demonstrate how a filming schedule works. Visitors have the opportunity to create their own stop-motion sequences here, as well as lighting a set and filming live-action-videos – a technique used by animators to block out realistic movement for an animated scene.

The final section of the exhibition looks at what happens after the production is wrapped, including adding music and special effects. Have-a-go moments here include creating Foley sound-design additions, such as the noise of footsteps, drawing, and so on.

Young V&A's animation sensation — Shaun the Sheep puts in an appearance – a real draw now there’s a new film about this much-loved Aardman character

With a new Shaun the Sheep film out now, it’s good to know that Aardman is still hard at work creating movies and shorts to delight all ages. Going behind the scenes in this depth to see the many strands that make up an animated film is a rare treat. So too the chance to get right up close to the models for some of our favourite films. And for children and teenagers, it shines a light on the accessibility of this form of filmmaking. Inspiring stuff indeed or, as Wallace himself would say, a ‘cracking’ creation.

* Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is at Young V&A runs until 15th November. An exhibition pass allowing repeat visits is £11; under 5s and V&A members go free, and concessions are available. vam.ac.uk/young

Further reading: 6 of the best child-friendly museums