An Aardman exhibition in London celebrating 50 years of the British studio has been described as a magical experience by a visitor who once feared Chicken Run. The show, titled Larger Than Life, brings together the studio's best-known characters from television and film.
From childhood fear to wonder
Taila-Nichole Thompson, writing for the Express, recalled being slightly frightened by Chicken Run as a child, noting something about how real those plasticine chickens looked stayed with her. But stepping inside the exhibition felt almost like entering Alice in Wonderland, she said, and the title Larger Than Life suddenly made complete sense.
She described feeling tiny in the massive space, with huge screens surrounding her on every side. Once the lights went down, Wallace's famous eyes suddenly appeared across the screens, and the magic had started.
A mix of classics and new scenes
What followed was a mixture of Aardman's history, familiar characters, and newer scenes that younger audiences would recognise. One moment visitors watch Wallace & Gromit, the next Shaun the Sheep appears in a Britain's Got Talent-style sequence called Barn's Got Talent.
The 50 minutes flew right past, she wrote. What interested her most was seeing how the animations were actually made. Behind-the-scenes footage showed how even the smallest movements are created, with the clay adjusted slightly, a frame filmed, and then the process repeated again and again.
Not just a history lesson
The show didn't only feature the older classics either. There were plenty of current references to keep things current rather than simply a history lesson. Around her, she saw young children being entertained by the characters, adults recognising films they'd grown up with, and animation students leaving with a better understanding of the craft.
With so much entertainment now coming through phones and iPads, she liked that the show reminded people of the enjoyment that comes from making something with your own hands. She wouldn't be surprised if a few children left asking their parents for some modelling clay, and she definitely left feeling like she wanted to create something herself.
