If you thought there was any end in sight to Netflix’s run of returning our childhood favourites from the well of pop culture history – firstly, uh, why? – they’re here to prove you wrong. In an announcement on their second team-up with beloved animation company Aardman, Netflix revealed that a second Chicken Run as well as a new Wallace & Gromit film are currently in the works.
Aardman is the original company behind both stories, along with Arthur Christmas, Flushed Away, Early Man, and more.
Creator and Director of WALLACE & GROMIT, Nick Park. Credit: Matt Crockett/Aardman © 2022
Nick Park, the animator, director, writer, and producer behind both Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, is overseeing both movies – as an executive producer for the new Chicken Run, and as a director for the new Wallace & Gromit.
Along with injecting nostalgia directly into our eyeballs, the Netflix-Aardman partnership is set to support emerging and diverse animation talent. Aardman is undergoing a massive hiring campaign with bursary-funded positions available.
“The range of opportunity is huge – from creative and production roles to technical fields like VFX to marketing and business functions – and we are so excited about finding and working with the next wave of talent,” Paula Newport, Aardman’s Director of People & Culture, said.
While many opportunities are located in Bristol (England), Supa-Fans may be interested in checking out remote positions with Aardman here.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is coming in 2023
Chicken Run: the film where chickens run. The first movie tied it up neatly enough – an American rooster convinces a group of egg-laying hens to dream of escape from their chicken farm, until the introduction of a chicken pie machine speeds up their plans. At the end, main characters Ginger and Rocky have guided their flock to a peaceful island sanctuary where no pesky human will steal their eggs or turn them into pies.
So, we’ve done breaking out. But how about breaking in?
In Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Ginger (now played by Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (now played by Zachary Levi) discover that all of chicken-kind faces a new threat, and only they can bring it down.
Initiate heist movie.
Reprising their roles are Jane Horrocks (Babs), Imelda Staunton (Bunty), and Lynn Ferguson (Mac). They’ll be joined by new additions including Josie Sedgwick-Davies (Frizzle), David Bradley (Fowler), Romesh Ranganathan (Nick), Daniel Mays (Fetcher), Nick Mohammed (Dr. Fry), and Bella Ramsey (Molly, Ginger and Rocky’s daughter).
Expect to see the fingerprints of Director Sam Fell (of Flushed Away fame), a familiar-feeling script by original Chicken Run writers Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, and – of course – a whole flock of chicken puns.
Untitled Wallace & Gromit film is coming in 2024
Despite Wallace & Gromit’s status as a household name, Netflix’s 2024 film will only be the second feature-length official Wallace & Gromit film ever. Instead, we’ve got four shorts, one other feature length film, two TV series, and a mountain of spin-offs.
Wallace and Gromit have done everything from picnicking on the cheese moon to sleep-bank robbery to… this.
While Netflix may not be continuing their trend of turning this childhood favourite into a gritty drama, they are taking on some themes. The 2024 Wallace & Gromit film follows an unfortunate Wallace invention, the ‘Smart Gnome’. As the Smart Gnome develops a mind of its own, Gromit must save Wallace from a spiralling over-dependence that may prevent Wallace from inventing ever again.
A cast has not yet been confirmed for this film. Since original Wallace voice actor Peter Sallis died in 2017, Ben Whitehead has been voicing the character.
Keen viewers might notice a similar feel to Curse of the Were Rabbit, with Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, Mark Burton, and Claire Jennings all returning for the production of this untitled Wallace & Gromit film.
What makes you most excited about the Aardman partnership, Supa-Fans? Is it knowing your childhood favourites are being brought back by their original creators? How about the opportunity to work with them yourself? Tell us via our socials!
