Aardman Animations, renowned for its innovative and beloved characters such as Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, is undergoing a significant transformation in its approach to audience engagement as articulated by Emma Hardie, the executive commercial and brand director. The discussion pivots around the studio's strategic shift from a broadcast-first paradigm to a fan-centric model that prioritizes direct consumer interactions. Hardie delineates how this evolution is not merely a superficial adjustment but reflects a profound understanding of contemporary branding, where the audience is not just passive consumers but active stakeholders in the brand's narrative. This transformation is underscored by Aardman’s rich history, celebrating its 50th anniversary, and highlights the necessity for brands to remain perpetually relevant amidst the ever-changing dynamics of digital engagement and consumer expectations. Throughout the conversation, Hardie elaborates on the intricacies of this shift, detailing how Aardman's storied legacy is being leveraged to foster deeper connections with fans across diverse platforms and demographic segments. The studio is actively exploring innovative ways to engage audiences, such as through interactive social media campaigns and experiential events, which allow fans to immerse themselves in the creative processes behind the beloved characters. This approach not only enhances brand loyalty but also enriches the creative ecosystem that Aardman has cultivated over decades, ensuring that its characters resonate with both new and long-time fans alike. The dialogue encapsulates the essence of Aardman's commitment to crafting narratives that transcend traditional media, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in storytelling. Hardie's insights reveal a forward-thinking vision that seeks to integrate fan feedback into the creative process, thereby making Aardman's offerings not just products but integral parts of the fan experience. As the studio embarks on this new chapter, the implications for the animation industry at large are profound, presenting a case study in how legacy brands can adapt and thrive in the digital age while maintaining their unique creative identity.

Takeaways:

1. In this episode, we discussed Aardman's pivotal shift from a broadcast-first model to a fan-first approach.
2. Emma Hardie elaborated on the importance of audience engagement, highlighting Aardman's dedication to understanding fan expectations.
3. The podcast underscored the significance of innovation within Aardman, particularly in adapting to digital platforms and evolving content creation methods.
4. Aardman's commitment to craft and storytelling remains paramount, as they continue to develop beloved characters that resonate with audiences globally.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

1. Aardman
2. Chicken Run
3. Wallace and Gromit
4. Shaun the Sheep
5. Timmy
6. Powerwash Simulator
7. M&S
8. Pingu
9. Pokemon
10. Lego

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Kids Media Club podcast.

I'm Andy Williams.

I'm Emily Horgan.

And we have a. Jo.

We have a guest today, Jo Redfern.

We do indeed.

We're delighted to welcome Emma Hardy who is executive commercial and brand director at Aardman today.

And do you know what?

It started in Cannes, didn't it, Emma?

Always everything starts in Cannes.

We were having drinks on the quas and Emma was saying to me about how it's been a pivotal time at Aardman, this real kind of shift of mindset for the studio moving away from this kind of broadcast first mindset into a more fan first and direct to consumer mindset.

And immediately I said, okay, we need to hear more about that.

And so here we are.

So thank you for joining us today.

And I'm going to hand over to you, Emma, just tell us about this shift that's, that's underway at Aardman and what it's meant for you.

Yeah, well, thank you so much for having me.

I'm a huge fan of the podcast, so it's a real privilege.

Yeah, I think, you know, it's been.

So I joined Aardman kind of almost two years ago and it was a really interesting time.

You know, post Covid, we had, you know, amazing opportunity with some great films with Chicken Run sequel and with, you know, the Vengeance Most Foul, which has broken, you know, all known records in the BBC, which is wonderful.

But I think the studio kind of at that time was seeing, seeing, you know, what we're all seeing really is that this big pivot for brands to kind of need to be always on to be, you know, part of their fans lives in a way that hasn't kind of existed in the same way before.

And I think for us, you know, we've, we've had seven series of Shaun the Sheep.

We have had, we're making our 11th feature film at the moment, Shaun the Sheep Beast of Mossy Bottom.

And I think that that will always be part of this.

So I guess it's probably more nuanced than broadcast first to fan first.

It's almost sort of rather than broadcast specific or broadcast only, we're thinking much more about actually our audiences are as our clients as well.

You know, how can we, how can we think much more deeply about where they are and where they expect to see us?

Where do they want to see?

Wallace and Grommet, Shawn the sheep, you know, morph, very small creatures.

All of our characters should and can show up in different ways for them.

So I think what has been really exciting for me is helping to kind of pivot our brands and licensing team to be much more focused and, you know, enabled to do that.

And that's meant to, you know, a new structure and great new expertise coming in, which has been really, you know, exciting and big changes, you know, to a company that's 50 years old this year.

You know, it's a lot to kind of think about, but I think we feel as a studio quite excited and there's some, you know, early things we're trying and testing and partners we're talking to that, you know, feel like a big next step, really.

And how, how did that manifest?

I mean, as somebody who's familiar with the 50 figure, it's not, it not easy to learn new things in your 50s.

So how does that manifest when you're Aardman?

Like you said, bit of a restructure.

You've got to think about a wider skill set.

A broader skill set?

Yeah.

And I, I think it's, I mean, at its heart, actually, Aardman has always been really innovative.

I mean, Nick park joined when he was 23, I think, you know, with Wallace and Gromit film.

He was a student.

So there's that ethos of trying new things that has always been embedded.

And I think we still celebrate, you know, we've got the Aardman Academy, which started with the first Chicken Run film.

And so we've always got new talent coming through.

But I think that there is something about this, the brand growth that maybe that, that that innovation has hadn't touched, I think, until more recently and now that feels, yeah, really kind of a much more collaborative, studio wide approach to that innovation.

I guess it's thinking about, you know, we will always have our films and our series with that authored creative, you know, that's, I think that's really important to say is that's what the delight and the fascination with Aardman's comedy and characters is, is in that, you know, those creatives that have those ideas.

But I think in terms of how we grow the brand beyond the films and series, that is where we need to lean much closer into what the fans, you know, want and expect to some extent.

So thinking about, you know, I mean, you guys know a lot of this, but, you know, the experiences, you know, we've, we've had a great history of doing some amazing things, but actually leaning more into that.

We had Longleat Festival of Light, which was, broke kind of records for them, which was fantastic in terms of ticket sales.

I think before they opened.

We've just had, you know, real success, actually, with a game for Wallace and Gromit, so powerwash Simulator, which I don't know if you guys have ever tried, but that's done brilliantly for us.

And I think starting to see, you know, these other areas as key brand drivers alongside the films and series, so that they're really contributing to.

To the creative ecosystem of the brands, rather than a derivative of the films or the series.

You know, they are.

They are creative, kind of exciting experiences in and of themselves, you know, and that goes for books as well, you know, which we've done a lot of in the past.

But I think is.

It is an exciting area too.

So it's just much more collaboration between, I think, our creative teams and our brand and licensing teams to explore those narrative worlds and think about how, how can we celebrate them in different formats, how can we kind of add to that.

That's.

That's really interesting.

And do you.

Does that kind of fan, including the fans more in that kind of dialogue and having that conversation, is that inspiring new creative as well for the team?

I think, you know, we've.

We've always loved hearing what our audiences think.

I mean, you know, just seeing some of the comments after the films, but definitely, I think we want to invite fans in more.

We've.

Last year we launched a competition on TikTok for fans to show who was the biggest fan of Shaun the Sheep with the chance to be immortalized in clay as a puppet in the new film.

You know, and that's like, that's a money can't buy prize.

I mean, it's, you know, for a fan, that's so sort of bringing them in to our world.

But I think also, you know, how can we.

How can we help them feel part of the future, as you say?

And, you know, whilst we're not, you know, inviting kind of our audiences to direct the narrative of our films, you know, that's.

That's sort of with our kind of creatives and their worlds.

But I think, you know, things like.

I'm happy to.

Actually, it's a bit of an announcement for you guys, an exclusive, which is exciting.

I'm happy to share.

Is.

So it is our 50th year and so we are doing a new social series on Instagram called the Clay Offs.

And we kind of wanted to put, I guess, the power slightly into the hands of the fans to discover which of our characters stands, you know, head above and shoulders above the rest.

So across the year on our official Aardman account, all of our characters are going to go head to head in battles using cards.

And so we're inviting the fans to join in and back their favorite essentially.

So it's, it's a kind of, you know, whilst it's not directing narrative specifically, it's, it's a great insight into what our fans love about our characters and, and I'm interested to see where the final, you know, the order of the final 50.

But I think that is, you know, we love to try and yeah, encourage people to, to come into the world in that way.

The thing that I, that strikes me is that, you know, the user generated digital era that we're in now hasn't sat so comfortably with traditional pipelines of production because producing animation and stop motion animation like Aardman are known for takes so long.

Right, so how are you guys managing to find ways to make that work?

Because that's kind of, you know, it'd be lovely to bring fans in to all the detail of, you know, claymation and all that kind of stuff.

But when, you know, a shot might take three months to produce, you know, and that's just for one shot.

Like how, how are you guys managing.

To bridge the gap there?

Yeah, it's a great question and I think the, the answer is in lots of different ways and lots of experimentation.

You know, I think the, the site we're on in Bristol, we have two, two sites and actually one at Gas Ferry Road and one at Aztec west and Gas Ferry Road where the Aardman Academy is really quite a small studio where we shoot some of our commercials.

But that's actually where the Wrong Trousers was made.

And, and now of course we're in an 88, 000 square foot studio for our feature films.

But you know, there is again at the heart is innovation and, and a, you know, a sense of being clever with limited resources or time pressure or you know, budget.

So I think for, you know, some of the things we're looking at is as you say, for social.

How can you turn around something quickly that is discuss his cultural kind of relevant narrative of what's going on in the world and also which character does that feel right for?

You know, I think, you know, there's a question that's something we have to think about.

Where are we putting our characters and how are they engaging?

Is it, you know, right for one character to comment on Harry Styles new album or versus another?

You know, and how does everyone get involved in playing that?

So the have the Characters play in that world.

And then in terms of technique, you know, we have some great spaces where we encourage animators and creatives to play and to experiment.

You know, we've.

There's different techniques we've used over the past.

So some of you might remember Rex the Runt, which was a great series from back in the day, but that was all shot on plates, so, you know, rather like Kiri and Lou.

So that is a.

Is.

That's a different way of approaching it.

You know, we're looking at how we do background sets differently versus the puppet animation.

We've done a great digital first series for Timmy called Timmy Tunes last year, which was 2D, a new 2D design for Timmy.

So this, you know, there's lots of different ways where I think we're just thinking how can we interpret the characters and how can we, as you say, do it in such a way that feels authentic to what the fans expect?

Because, you know, this there is, with all this technology that we have now, there is no point using it if it undercuts what the craft and the f it is and the fans love.

So, yes, we explore technology as a tool and even, you know, thinking about different AI tech tools, but I think it is always in service of the craft.

It's, it's.

How can we use it to experiment.

And also what's the audience's expectation in different formats, what they might expect for a film versus what they might expect on social.

And TikTok is completely different.

We have all a different lexicon, a different language on those platforms.

So it's adapting our techniques as well to those platforms.

And that is one of the advantages of having such globally recognized ip, aside from the fact that you can use.

Different technologies on different platforms.

And you're right to acknowledge that there's different expectations from the audiences there.

But what underpins that and makes it easier to do, I guess, is when you've got globally recognized ip, it does stretch easier.

It's recognizable even if it's in 2D, in an interactive environment or in some short form, social content.

But actually users still really love that tactile feeling that is, you know, prevalent in the movies.

Yeah.

I want to go back to what you were saying about obviously looking at this kind of ecosystem strategy.

Now, I was really interested when you and I were chatting about just the multifaceted fandom around Aardman Carrier.

Of course, there's 50 years of it.

And what was really interesting was just when you were digging into, you've got different demographics, you've got different geographical kind of fandoms and I hadn't really thought about that.

So how are you managing and how are you planning for that?

Yeah, it's a really, I mean, ultimate is great fun because you're understanding loads of different audiences in loads of different markets.

But, you know, our fandom in the uk, for example, in Europe for Shaun the Sheep, is as one might imagine, for kids and their families and that's kind of heartland.

But in Japan it's much older demographic, it's kind of, you know, skews female and it's generally 20s and 30s.

So it's a completely different kind of basis from which to build a brand and it determines, you know, what kind of brand extensions you might go for.

So, for example, our licensing strategy in Japan looks very, very different and it is aimed at products for those demographics versus, you know, the kind of more kids oriented product lines that we might do in the uk.

Now, interestingly, because of this kind of absolute global kind of trend of seeing, you know, Korean and Japanese kind of trends coming into the uk, a lot of what we're doing in Japan is now we're thinking about how do we bring that back over here for a slightly different demographic.

And we've just done a.

A really lovely range with M S for Wallace and Gromit, which was for 9 to 16 year olds.

So, you know, that's kind of an apparel range and that, that's been brilliant to see, but that's a slightly different, you know, pitch, I guess, that I.

And with design, very kind of new design that feels much more akin to something that we might look for internationally.

So yeah, to your point, there's, we do have very different phantoms for each brand.

There's a, there's a big Aardman fandom, you know, there's a big animation kind of community that want to know what we're up to.

There's a really kind of deep fandom around Wallace and Gromit, particularly in the uk, because of that nostalgia for, and you know, seeing it on the BBC.

And then for Sean, you know, it's.

Shaun is in 170 territories around the world.

You know, our series, it's, it's, it's got incredible breadth.

But actually, you know, the benefits of Sean is because it's non dialogue that opens up a lot of opportunity for content to travel as well more freely and alongside that kind of, you know, all the other kind of product brand extensions.

But we've got, in Japan, we've got a, an amazing kind of farm Kind of experience where we have rebuilt the farmer's house from Shaun the Sheep in real life at real size and you can kind of visit it.

I've been there, it was absolutely incredible.

People get married there.

It is a. Yeah.

Whereabouts in Japan.

It's about.

It's about a couple of hours outside Tokyo and it is just.

It's a place called Rosa and Berry, English Rose garden.

And it's beautiful.

It's got workshops, there's a bakery, you can bake sha shaped buns.

But, you know, I expect to see families there because.

Because, you know, and actually it was all couples in their 20s on dates.

And that is, that is the fandom we have there.

So we do, we have.

We've restructured as.

Again, kind of in the way we work so that across our brands and licensing team, where we have content sales, we have licensing teams, we have attractions, live events, brand and digital and social.

So across each of those teams we have kind of territory experts so that we have a real scrum, if you like, of experts around Japan who all understand how to interact and support each other in growing and what the opportunities might be coming from each area and in our key markets.

That's sort of how we started to work.

And it's been brilliant actually to get that depth of knowledge and that communication kind of to grow a brand in a market that is quite different to the uk.

Just want to.

Just following up on that, I was intrigued to hear whether there are any particular characters from Aardman that really appeal in Japan that are kind of a surprise or kind of what.

What the kind of the big brands are for Aardman in Japan.

Shaun the Sheep is the biggest in Japan by far.

That's really kind of been fantastic.

But I think in terms of sort of the things that surprise us, I guess is it was wonderful to see after Vengeance Most Foul that people in China are getting tattoos, the feathers, McGraw.

And it was in the China Morning Post that was a kind of not expected, I would say.

And Grommet is hugely popular in South Korea.

You know, Wallace and Grommet as a brand.

But particularly we have a lot of Grommet plush and that does incredibly well kind of acute kind of factor.

So yeah, it's, it's really interesting to see what, what works and Indonesia does.

You know, Indonesia is probably one of the strongest territories interestingly on our socials and our YouTube.

So we're exploring kind of more live experience opportunities there.

So there's, you know, there is a lot of, yeah, regionally specific opportunities, but we, we are lucky to have a great fan base on YouTube and social.

I think we've got about 30 million subscribers on YouTube and about 10 million across our social channels.

And so that.

That data has become increasingly important in talking to those next stage of brand growth.

You know, understanding where we should focus on our efforts.

Because we are a relatively small team, I think we're in terms of brands and licensing 30 people or so across all of those different areas.

So we have to really focus and prioritize.

But I think that's you know, the benefit really of having a great squad to take the brands where we can take them.

How are you seeing that extension into real life like pay off?

Right, because it's drives revenue but also like that kind of.

It also drives fandom in of itself.

Definitely.

I mean we saw a lot of great social content around Longley.

You know, that was such an immersive experience.

I don't know if any of you guys had the chance to go but there was, you know, the scale of it was exceptional.

The crossover for international so so long is wonderful.

You know, it's a, it's an incredible location, stately home and kind of safari park.

And around each Christmas time they have an amazing lantern experience sort of walkthrough lantern experience outside that gets lit up in the evening and is just a work of art.

And they partner with incredible craftspeople to create these lantern hand painted silk.

So there was a really, you know, there's a real craft kind of alignment for us with what they do.

And we were delighted yeah to, to partner with them this year on it.

And you know, we took you through an anthology of all of our films and characters.

So everything from Morph to early man to Shaun the sheep farmers, llamas, you know, then we had an amazing West Wallaby street all recreated the actual street in lanterns and, and you know, Chicken Run was there.

I mean it was really a whole Aardman experience and music too and, and audio as well as you went around.

So it kind of again that immersion and a lot of the social, you know, that's what people love sharing is those family experiences.

And I think you know, for Aardman is, you know, for a lot of our content is really for families.

That 21.6 million on the BBC for Vengeance most Foul was definitely families.

So you know, if we can provide places that they can then take that joy and experience it together beyond sitting in front of it, you know, the TV and the cinema screen, I think that's, that is thrilling and it's I mean it was a joy to be there.

I had such a good time.

So yeah, I think our fans love that.

And you're doing something with the V and A soon as well.

Tell us about that.

So the VA is really exciting.

So that is launching very soon actually.

In February again for international issues.

What's the V and A?

Oh, thank you so much.

So the VA is the Victorian Albert Museum in London.

And it is an absolute iconic institution that supports, you know, exhibitions around all kinds of arts.

And they have a specific venue in Bethnal Green in East London called the Young V and A which is really for, you know, children and families.

And so we're partnering with them on this wonderful exhibition which is really a kind of celebration of the craft, but really invites children, families to kind of actually get stuck in like there's a lot of hands on opportunity for them to see the animation process from start to finish.

And you know, I think big part of we've got the Aardman Academy which trains, you know, next generation of animators.

But I think, you know, the big part of Aardman is supporting that next generation of creativity.

And this is a lovely way to do that with an amazing partner.

And tell us about your D2C strategy because we talked about helping kind of inviting fans in, in a slightly more participatory way.

And you know, the, the Social series and the Clayos I think is a really great way to do that.

How are you going direct to them with products and that kind of E Com kind of strategy?

Yeah, well I think that's for me that's a big priority at the moment is for us to look at that, you know, we, we have great partnerships with different licenses and products all around the world.

And because it's quite territory specific that does lead itself to kind of thinking about E commerce in quite a territory specific way as well as trying to find the global overlays where we can.

So it's, it's something that's in play at the moment.

We're working it out but you know, certainly thinking about how we can shop on TikTok shop, Instagram shop, you know, making it easier for fans.

You know, we have a great Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep online store with T Mill, which has been fantastic and, and saw, you know, particularly after the film Venice, Ms.

Files saw a real, you know, Halo across that.

But I think it is how can we consistently make it easy for fan to fans to find.

So particularly this 50th anniversary year, we're relaunching five iconic products from the 50 years, if you like.

So I can go on then the.

Backpack, that was a while back.

It was.

Well, you couldn't move for Shaun the Sheep backpacks.

Oh, so Baby Spice.

Yeah, thank you, Emma Bunting.

But that's iconic shot.

So, yeah, the Sean backpack, you know, we've got the feathers water bottle.

There's a grommet mug which was as we did a version actually with I think it was for Christmas or Comic Relief, where the nose went red as you filled up your mug.

So there's, you know, this, this us trying to find those kind of iconic products and, and, you know, bring them to consumers.

But partnerships is an area which we have done, you know, really well historically, but I think again, thinking much more strategically about where which are the partners that can really creatively add to the brand value.

And that's why the M and S apparel range was so thrilling, because it was new design with them really for that kind of new audience that, that perhaps it's coming across, you know, at age 9 to 16.

The last Wallace and Gromit film was over 16 years ago.

So this is their first time engaging with the brand and how can we make it more relevant for them?

So, yeah, partnerships and that E commerce piece are both kind of key for us.

Yeah.

And also Aardman are branching out beyond then your own brands too, because I know you.

You announced a development on Pingu.

There was an announcement on Pokemon.

So how are you guys thinking about where Aardman adds value in those sorts of relationships?

Yeah, it's amazing opportunity to partner on those IPs creatively.

The teams have been super excited and it's really from our kind of creative slate standpoint, we have really looked at kind of what is that ecology that we think we need as a studio and to both kind of creatively evolve and also from a.

A kind of, I guess, capacity perspective, how can we kind of make sure the studio is supported and active and kind of keeping creating?

And so we, you know, key pillar is obviously our own ip, Shaun the Sheet, Wallace and Gromit.

And that's a big part of our conversations around what does the future slate look like.

So there are always things in development that we're thinking about for those brands.

And.

And then, you know, there is naturally a kind of an opportunity increasingly for working with those kind of partners on their ip, you know, and Pokemon approached us kind of a few years ago and it was felt like a really exciting opportunity to do that take.

And I think what they have, you know, said that they've been excited by.

And what we were excited by is that mutual kind of respect for each other's creativity and.

And the benefit of bringing those two things together feels thrilling.

And then, you know, Pingu, I mean, it's iconic Pingu, and it is so squash and squeezy in a kind of visual way that it felt like a real natural partnership with Mattel to want to explore that together.

So I think, you know, it's important for us that we.

We keep making our own shows and our own brands, but it's definitely part of what we look at is who are those partners?

You know, we partner with Lego as well and a campaign around their animator app to create some content for them.

So there's definitely partnerships, I think feels really exciting.

But alongside our own IP and also new ip, you know, we're always thinking about that, the what's next from Aardman.

And we've got developments both, you know, from a position where we can own that through kind of more traditional broadcast models and then also with platforms where we might, you know, not have the ip, but it's a fantastic creative opportunity to develop some new characters in a new, new world.

So it's sort of.

Yeah, those three pillars, I guess, is how we look at it.

What, and what.

What are your.

What's the kind of guiding principles when you're looking to develop new ip, which.

What makes something for you quintessentially Aardman esque?

We talk a lot about being more Aardman in everything we do.

Right.

And I think that is, you know, so it's a good question.

What does that mean?

It is, I think, you know, comedy is absolutely at the heart, it has got to have that Aardman irreverence, mischief, silliness, absurdity.

Sometimes, you know, I think having that at the heart of it is really important.

The craft, which, yes, you know, a lot of the time that manifests a stop frame, but we have incredible CG and VFX teams in house that craft a lot of.

Of that work as well.

So, you know, with Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run feature films, that is always a complementary kind of combination of all of those different techniques.

So thinking about the craft, storytelling is, you know, that is stories have got to stand up and be, you know, absolutely compelling and fantastic.

And we've always got to know, want to learn more what does happen to Feathers McCall?

You know, but I think so, yeah, the comedy, the craft and the character, I think the characters, you know, we talk a lot when we're talking to brand partners, particularly when we make ads for them, you know, commercials, which we do as well, about character being critical, because particularly in the advertising space, you know, for them, that character is what makes that connection and that.

It's a huge.

It's the emotional heart of how you connect with your audience.

So, yeah, those four comedy, character, craft and storytelling are the kind of pillars, if you like, of how we look at things.

Interesting.

Just going back to the partnership with Pokemon, because just thinking about it as you were talking, it feels actually quite natural, even though they're two very different ip.

But again, there's.

There's the craft.

And Pokemon sits atop of the most valuable franchise tree for a reason, because, you know, they respect their fandom and they.

They work their fandom hard.

But it's interesting what you were saying about the designs with MNS as well.

There's so the iconic designs of Aardman and.

But actually that clash of styles with that more kind of anime and South Korean kind of sensibility that is really popular with teens.

Actually, when you put those two together, that can be really interesting.

You can still maintain the recognition of Aardman characters, but there's a new, fresh way to articulate it that feels a rich vein of opportunity for Aardman as it moves through its 50th year.

And we talk in that, we talk a lot together about keeping that character at the core in each of those iterations.

And that takes a lot more thought, I think, than people might realise, that that pose of grommet on a T shirt has actually had a huge amount of thought put into it so that it is truly grommet.

And if we're doing something with Sean or Timmy in 2D for YouTube, we're thinking, what would Shaun do in this world?

It's that character.

It comes back to that kind of the authenticity of.

Across everything we do, whether it's, you know, on a T shirt or whether it is, you know, as part of an exhibition or.

Or in a.

Something for social.

You know, it's got to feel authentic.

And so we hold ourselves to a very high standard on that.

But it's.

It's important because otherwise, you know, you.

It's what people love and you want to kind of keep that.

Yeah, there's.

There's a kind of a charm.

There's such a charm to Aardman's brand and the characters you've got.

And I think part of it is the characters and part of it is the craft.

And there's almost a nostalgic element to it as well.

And you can see how.

Yeah, it has a lot of appeal.

I mean, I.

One of the things I think lends itself to being a really fan first brand is that that's handmade feel to the stop motion.

Even though, even though there's a lot of CGI now and there's kind of a mix of other animation styles, they're always, it always has that kind of tactile kind of handmade quality to it.

And I think people look at that and they know that they couldn't do that, but there's almost a feeling that they could try and do that animation themselves.

And I think that has that real crossover with kind of fandoms as well.

It makes it a really powerful brand.

There's a, there's definitely a connection.

I mean, we're all seeing so much connection with more analog pursuits, if you like knitting and, you know, and all of that.

And I think there is something about, as you say, that connection to something handmade.

We do a lot of workshops as well where people can make a clay, shorn the sheep or feathers or grommet.

And I actually did one last weekend for my kids Scouts group which is 27 unruly 7 year olds.

But it is amazing to see how they, you know, there's an absolute thrill in that handmade, even if the outcomes are, you know, slightly creative version of what we would make.

But I think, but it was.

They weren't actually, you know, they're pretty close to what the adults do when we do them.

So she's that.

But it was.

No, it was, it's.

It's that it's a thrill to be able to invite people to connect like that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's that tactility.

But I think it's also like the characters have remained fresh.

Right.

Like, I don't know if it's because they're so irreverent or daft or it's.

Just fresh, fun and funny and it's.

It'S, you know, it's not that they don't take themselves seriously.

They sometimes they take themselves comically seriously.

But you know, that freshness of characters that hasn't aged, you know, and that's difficult, you know, even if you look back at Disney, you know, Disney movies from 20 years ago.

Right.

Not all of that has stayed super fresh.

Yep.

That relevancy is a challenge, you know, and again, that's something that remaining kind of evergreen but relevant simultaneously is a real line to walk.

I guess.

Mischief.

And I'm thinking about Shaun the sheep and Timmy.

Kind of mischief is kind of enduring, isn't it?

You know, it's always appealing.

So are eyeball rolls with Gromit and Bitzer.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

There's a wonderful irreverence there, isn't there?

There is.

There is.

Gromit is one of those characters that everybody relates to in that moment of.

The eye roll, it's like, you know, and he's.

And yet he's never said a word.

It is all in his brow.

We all know him just through his brow.

Yeah.

It's amazing the character that can come through.

And I think, you know, it's wonderful.

We invite, you know, we have a lot of people visit the studio, a lot of our partners.

And it is, you know, I'm still fangirling over it, frankly, when I get to see, you know, then we've got metal workshops that create the metal skeletons.

We've got incredible set designers who are using CAD and architecture kind of software to design the sets.

We've got, you know, it's the, the level of detail and craft that goes in is.

Is exceptional.

And it's, you know, a big part of what I'm excited about as well through our social and digital is actually lifting the lid on that on a more ongoing basis for fans.

Because, you know, a lot of our time lapses of the real film versus how you make it, where you see the hands coming in on a time lapse to sort of animate is they do fantastically well on social.

So the more we can do again to lift the lid on that craft, I think that, you know, really, fans really respond to.

Yeah.

And I remember, I think I saw Steven Spielberg talk about the Close Shave as one of his favorite movies ever.

And it reminded me of how kind of how big some of the star, how big some of the fans of Aardman are as well.

Yeah.

Favorite story relating to that since you joined.

What's that story that you say at dinner parties where you're like, did you know this?

Did you know that?

I think, oh, God, that's such a good question.

What is my favorite story?

I mean, do you know, there is.

There's almost too many.

We've actually just celebrated someone in the studio's 25 year anniversary here just before I stepped on the call.

And because there is, you know, it's 50 years.

There is.

There are so many.

I've heard, you know, anecdotes from Dave Sproxton, our founder, on being on Concord on the way to New York to do advertising pictures.

I've heard, you know, the stories of feathers McGraw, kind of the whole size of a lot of feathers, and the puppets being dictated by the joints on the metal skeleton.

You know, this metal skeleton framework, because that's as small as you can get it.

So that defines the size of the puppet.

You know, the, the stories and the detail and, and, you know, how things came to be.

I mean, Nick Parks talked about how Gromit started off as a cat.

And, you know, so there's.

There's just.

Yeah, there's.

There's endless anecdotes and I, you know, I'm hopeful in.

In this year we'll find ways across all of the things we do to bring those nuggets out for fans.

Yeah, that's so funny.

Well, tell us.

Tell what?

Just before we finish, tell us what you're excited about going forwards.

What's going forward, you're looking forward to.

Well, this year, you know, we've got.

We've got a lot happening this year that is really exciting.

A lot I cannot say yet because it's yet to be announced.

So watch this space.

Well, we've got the courts, but there's a lot more, you know, coming down the track.

And I think particularly, you know, it is still thrilling for the studio to have a feature film release theatrically like that is a huge deal.

And so to have It's Sean the Sheep, the Beast of Mossy Bottom coming out this kind of around Halloween is just, you know, a huge thing.

And it's in production.

We finished shooting towards the end of, I think, May June, so we are all guns blazing on that.

And actually, you know, even tomorrow we're seeing a latest reel and all the latest shots in that.

So it's just seeing that craft come together from the very first animatic to that finished film.

And it's looking incredible.

And it's going to be, I think, a real.

Yeah, hopefully a real success with sky and Studio Canal.

So that.

That's going to be a highlight for sure.

And of course, a 50th birthday party.

Of course.

Well, thank you so much for coming and sharing that with us.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Beast of Mossybottom.

And, Andy, do you want to do the sign off?

Yeah, I'll do the quick sign off.

So thanks again, Emma, and thank you guys for listening.

Hope you've enjoyed that discussion on how Aardman is adapting and innovating and finding new ways to connect to their audience.

And you can find us wherever you get your podcasts and we will see you next week.

Thanks for listening.