Jun 1, 2021

Aardman is working on the first preschool series in over a decade

Aardman Animations is bringing The Very Small Creatures to very small children. The U.K. studio behind Wallace & Gromit is producing the preschool series for Sky Kids.

The show stars the titular characters: colorful, genderless creatures who behave like toddlers, and who first appeared in Aardman's classic Morph shorts. The Very Small Creatures will be made with Aardman's signature plasticine-puppet stop motion, augmented by the “occasional graphic flourish.” It is the studio's first preschool series since 2009's Timmy Time. Sky Kids has ordered 20 three-minute episodes.

The Very Small Creatures will be directed by Lucy Izzard (animation director, Disney Junior's Nina Needs to Go!). Aardman's Sarah Cox will serve as executive creative director, Helen Argo as executive producer, Natalie McKay as development executive, and Stephanie Owen as series producer.

Sky Kids is an app featuring on-demand content for young viewers. It launched in 2016, as Sky - the Comcast-owned European pay-tv giant - ramped up its investment in children's content. The app's first original commission in this space was new episodes of Morph, and it has since greenlit or acquired several animated shows, including Alva's World, Streetcat Bob, and Moominvalley. The Very Small Creatures will also play on Sky's Now streaming service.

Meanwhile, Sky is boosting its original content across other platforms. Last week, it premiered the feature Riverdance: The Animated Adventure on pay-tv channel Sky Cinema and Now.