The award-winning animation studio announces a new 20-episode Season 7 and Season 3, respectively, for its 2 most popular stop-motion shows.
Award-winning, independent animation studio Aardman announced it has ordered an all-new Season 7 for Shaun the Sheep, and an all-new Season 3 for Very Small Creatures, its two most popular shows.
“Shaun the Sheep and Very Small Creatures are both made in the classic stop-motion style that first made Aardman famous, but they have so much more in common than that,” said Aardman chief creative director Sara Cox. “Both are warm-hearted character-driven comedies created with the ambition to make audiences of all ages smile. It is very exciting to be announcing these two brand new series for our young viewers – and their families – to look forward to.”
The new season of Shaun the Sheep features classic scenarios – relatable, everyday situations with a rural twist! – spun into comedy by the flock. Young viewers will see Bitzer attempting some DIY, the chaos unfolding as a tractor gets stuck in the mud, the Farmer’s ill-fated foray into beekeeping, and pick a side as Shaun and Bitzer battle it out in a camping caper. Also, the new season will feature the first-ever Shaun the Sheep two-part episode, a cliffhanger where everything that Shaun knows, and loves comes into question when he impulsively makes a wish and must face some unexpected consequences.
Shaun the Sheep, created by Richard Starzak, is Aardman’s best-performing IP to date, currently broadcast in 170 territories worldwide. With the new 20-episode Season 7, the total number of episodes produced will be 190. Seamus Malone directs the new season, with Danny Gallagher producing. Jacqueline White is senior producer/executive producer, and Carla Shelley and Cox are studio executive producers.
Partial financing of the series comes from commissioning partners CBBC in the UK and WDR in Germany, with pre-sales confirmed to additional partners, including ABC (Australia), SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), DR (Denmark), VRT Ketnet TV (Belgium) and NRK (Norway).
This show’s new season greenlight follows the success of its 2021 Emmy-winning Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, and precedes the Season 6 rollout coming in 2025.
Aardman’s popular preschool series, Very Small Creatures, commissioned by Sky Kids, received a Season 3 greenlight. The show, a spinoff of Aardman’s Morph, has been nominated for the Children’s & Young People BAFTA, a Kidscreen Award, a Prix Jeunesse International Award, and a Broadcast Digital Award. Since 2022, 30+ broadcasters picked up the series across key territories, including Canada, Benelux, China, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, and the U.S.
Season 3 (20x23’), launching in late 2024, invites young viewers back into the playroom with Pink, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Orange for plenty of SPLATS, giggles, and heart in each new adventure.
“We are thrilled to be working with Aardman’s brilliant creative team once again and look forward to our younger audiences, and their grown-ups, being able to enjoy more episodes of the Very Small Creatures,” said BBC senior head of Commissioning, 7-12 Sarah Muller. “Pink, Orange, Green, Blue, and Yellow light up the screen with their warmth, humor, and love, and their adventures in such a playful environment express the very best of young children’s curious exploration of their world.”
Aardman’s Lucy Izzard is the series creator and director, with Rob Franklin serving as senior producer, Helen Argo as executive producer, Cox as studio executive producer, and Nat McKay as creative executive.
Source: Aardman
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
