Aardman Gives Positive Update After Clay Shortage Concerns Emerge

Rotem Rusak
·2 min read
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A recent article in The Telegraph caused a big stir when it shared that beloved studio Aardman Animations might be in some sticky trouble. Aardman, of course, is known widely for its unique claymation stop-motion movies. The studio has created fan-favorite films such as Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit in its iconic style. The piece shared that Aardman’s clay of choice, Newplast plasticine, however, won’t be around much longer. This very special clay is reinforced with nylon and doesn’t require additional steps such as glazing and firing to be functional. But it turns out, only one factory in the world was making Newplast plasticine, and it closed in March. And this, The Telegraph reports, means Aardman now faces a clay shortage and is running out of its favorite material.

A family portrait from Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. An aardman production made of clay.
Netflix/Aardman Animations

Aardman has been using Newplast plasticine to make its movies since the early 1970s. And the clay’s ability to hold its shape while remaining malleable, even under intense conditions, has been a great help in creating Aardman’s intricate masterpieces. But although it does seem like Aardman will have to find a new favorite substance from which to create its movies, we don’t yet need to ring any alarm bells about the studio running out of clay and not being able to make any more films.

Aardman took to Twitter to share an update about the Newplast clay situation after great fan concern.

In full, the note from Aardman Animations reads:

We are touched about recent concern over the future of our beloved clay creations, but wanted to reassure fans that there is absolutely no need to worry. We have high levels of existing stocks of modelling clay to service current and future productions and, much like Wallace in his workshop, we have been tinkering away behind the scenes for quite some time with plans in place to ensure a smooth transition to new stocks to continue to make our iconic productions.

The Telegraph did report that Aardman had purchased all remaining stock of Newplast clay from Lewis Newplast before the factory closed its doors. And it sounds like the stock will hold out to bring many future movies to life while the company transitions to a new material. So you can settle in and enjoy Chicken Run 2: The Dawn of the Nugget when it releases fear-free. Aardman and its claymations will live to mold another day.