Annecy 2026: Aardman Tease Their Future
It's the biggest animation show on Earth this week, as the industry and enthusiasts alike gather in Annecy, France. And among those assembled to celebrate the art of animation was the UK's biggest studio, Aardman.
The iconic trio of Sir Peter Lord, Sir David Sproxton and Nick Park took to the stage to offer a celebration of 50 years of the studio as well as looking ahead to its future. They were joined by Sarah Cox, chief creative director and surprise guests.
The first surprise guest was Phil Rynda, director of original animation at The Pokémon Company, who joined Cox on stage to offer behind-the-scenes insights into the previously announced Pokemon/Aardman collaboration Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu.
Audiences were treated to never-before-seen footage from the pilot and from the series in progress. Early footage combined exquisite stop-motion with cutting-edge effects and delighted audiences. The series is due to be released in 2027.
Set in Pokémon's Galar region, which shares a lot of similarities with the real-world UK, the series will apparently have a distinctly British sense of humour.
“It’s an honour to take part in Aardman’s panel at Annecy and talk about the shared commitment to quality, strong storytelling, memorable characters and a genuine respect for audiences and fans,” said Phil Rynda, director of original animation at The Pokémon Company International. “This project gives us a unique opportunity to tell stories from the point of view of Pokémon, made possible by Aardman’s extraordinary craft, remarkable artistry. Their warmth, and affection for this much-loved Pokémon cast are evident in every brilliantly crafted frame.”
Sarah Cox, chief creative director at Aardman added: “Aardman teams are delighted to bring the vivid physicality of stop frame animation into the Pokémon world. Director Tom Parkinson and his team have created a hand-crafted spin on the wonderful Pokémon we all know and love, with comedic storytelling that celebrates the quirks, eccentricities and charms of our heroes as they explore Galar on a delightfully offbeat Quest. Aardman and Pokémon share a strong commitment to creativity and talent on this shared quest of our own to bring joy to audiences across the world.”
Cox also revealed a return to the world of Mossy Bottom, home of Shaun The Sheep. A new series was unveiled, titled Let's Go Timmy. The series is the second spin-off to feature Timmy, following Timmy Time, and is aimed at audiences aged 3-5.
In each 5-minute episode, sheepdog Bitzer is tasked with getting Timmy and his two best friends, Yabba and Apricot to Mossy Bottom School safe and on time each morning. Like all excitable children, Timmy and his pals are full of energy and curiosity and each journey spins off into a surrealist adventure.
The series will combine Aardman's classic stop-motion animation with dynamic 2D animation, which is used for the imagination sequences. The series is directed by Merlin Crossingham and Daniel Bins, and produced by Stephanie Miller with Lucy Pryke, BBC’s commissioning executive.
Cox also revealed another new project: The Almost (Untold) Story Of Danger Delilah, adapted from book series Once Upon the Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers. Aardman director Åsa Lukander, senior development executive James Higginson and Peter Lord himself are all involved in the project, which will be a "whole new story" from the book and its characters.
“The script is by Pete,” added Cox. “It’s about Danger Delilah, a girl who realises her world’s starting to disappear, before understanding that she is herself a character in someone else’s story that they’re forgetting about… So she has to literally seize the narrative and rewrite her own story.We’ve just finished a phase of development, so we’ll be ready to start pitching it soon,” .
Peter Lord explained the unique appeal of the studio's output, and why it is so beloved around the world. "Our animation might be ‘old school,’ but we do it for the love of the craft. Our teams are so good at their jobs, and this love shines on the screen. Basically, we keep doing what we love, and people love it too.”
