Aardman at 50: Gromit was nearly a cat, Shaun was nearly voiced

As Aardman Animations commemorates its 50th anniversary, co-founders Sir Peter Lord and Sir David Sproxton, along with animator Nick Park and managing director Sean Clarke, share intriguing anecdotes from their journey. Gromit, the beloved dog, was initially intended to be a cat, but Park opted for a dog due to the challenges of modeling a feline. Shaun the Sheep almost had a voice, yet the studio chose to keep him silent, enhancing his charm and making him Aardman's most treasured character, now sold in 170 countries. Chicken Run, the all-time highest-grossing stop-motion film, was introduced to Steven Spielberg as "The Great Escape with chickens," and its triumph contributed to the establishment of the Best Animated Feature Oscar category. The company originated in 1976 when school friends Lord and Sproxton humorously created a character named "Aard Man," with their first short later purchased by BBC Bristol's Vision On. Morph, also created in 1976, was an inexpensive and simple plasticine figure that continues to be cherished. Aardman's evolution from two teenagers experimenting with plasticine to an Oscar-winning entity is characterized by serendipitous choices and artistic vision.