The making of Baa-bour x Shaun the Sheep

Lights, sheep, action. We're back at Aardman Studios in Bristol and Christmas time is in the air. Meet the talented team at Aardman who meticulously brought our film to life with their one-of-a-kind stop-motion. From early development to designing mini Barbour's watch behind the scenes below.

From the beginning stages to doing a live-action rehearsal and acting out key moments from the animatic, we spoke with team members at Aardman about capturing the theme of gifting warmth. Mindell Bowen, production manager, talked us through the step-by-step process of making the film. Starting with the storyboards and the animatic, the schedule board is the heart of the production, and it plans everything from body language, posture, and even the look of the eyes. The animators then translate those human traits and movements into the festive Shaun the Sheep stars you see in the film. 

To add some Baa-bour magic, the Model Maker & Puppet Builders used printed Barbour fabric and samples as a reference, combined with metal wire loops to allow the animation to occur.

Created by the Aardman team

“I think there’s a real parallel between the craft that we like to imbue in our work at Aardman and the craftmanship of Barbour clothes” –  Director, Steve Harding-Hill.