Wallace and Gromit animators respond after ‘clay shortage’ sparks fears over fate of characters

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wallace and Gromit fans have spent the weekend worrying about the fate of production studios Aardman Animations after it was reported that the stop-motion animation studios were “running out of clay”. The Bristol-based animation company behind British classics such as Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run were said to be in their “time of knead” last week when The Telegraph reported that Aardman Animations had just enough clay to allow Aardman’s animators to create one more film, a forthcoming Wallace and Gromit animation due to hit the screens next year. It was reported that there were fears over the future of the Aardman characters, since the Lewis Newplast clay, which is the material used by Aardman to create characters like the eccentric cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his loyal beagle Gromit, would no longer be available. “Much like Wallace in his workshop, we have been tinkering away behind the scenes for quite some time,” it said.” The animation studios have had a busy few years and, presumably, have been using a lot of clay since a Chicken Run sequel, titled Dawn of the Nugget, will be released on Netflix on 15 December and it will release a new Wallace and Gromit film in 2024, premiering on Netflix and the BBC.