Aardman Animations responds to global fear over studio running out of clay

The British animation studio told fans 'there is absolutely no need to worry'

Roxy Simons
·3 min read
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<i>Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit</i>, animated by Aardman, released by DreamWorks. (DreamWorks Animation)
Aardman Animation, known for characters like Wallace and Gromit, has reassured fans that 'no need to worry' about them running out of clay. (DreamWorks Animation)
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Aardman Animation has shared a statement in response to global fears the studio is running out of clay after reports emerged that the manufacturers of the material had shut down earlier this year.

It was reported by The Telegraph that Newclay Products closed its factory in Newton Abbott in March, and that Aardman had bought up the remaining stock in light of this event.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

The Newplast clay that Aardman purchased was reportedly only enough for the company to make one more film, a new movie in the Wallace and Gromit franchise that is expected to be released next year.

News of this caused global outcry from fans who feared the studio would no longer be able to create its beloved films, with some lamenting the lack of clay and others sharing memes about trying to procure the studio more.

Julia Sawalha provided the voice for lead chicken Ginger in Aardman's classic animation 'Chicken Run'. (Credit: Aardman)
There was public outcry when it was reported the company's go-to manufacturers had closed, and the company only had enough clay to make one more movie (Aardman)

In response to this, Aardman shared a statement on social media in the hope of reassuring fan that everything would be fine.

The statement read: "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."

Aardman Animation's next movie is the hotly-anticipated sequel to Chicken Run, Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget which is being released on Netflix.

Read more: Wallace & Gromit's 30th anniversary: Gromit was nearly a cat and more weird facts about their origin

The studio is well known for its use of clay to create its stop-motion animation. First established by Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1972, the company has cemented itself as one of the biggest and most beloved British animation studios thanks to its long-running filmography, which includes the likes of Morph, Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

Shaun The Sheep and Lu-La. (©2019 Aardman Animations Ltd and STUDIOCANAL SAS All Rights Reserved.)
First established by Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1972, the company is known for its stop-motion clay animation like Morph, Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. (Aardman Animations)

According to the report from The Telegraph, Aardman is expected to try and find a new supplier of clay in the long run following the closure of Newplast.

Valerie Dearing, one of the founders of Newclay Products, told the publication: "Aardman bought a lot of our remaining stock of Newplast to keep them going. They got what they said was two years’ worth. It came to about 40 boxes, which must have been around 400 kg."

Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget will be released on Netflix on 15 December.

Watch a trailer for Chicken Run 2: