Aardman Animations is bringing another beloved character into the Halloween realm. The studio behind Wallace and Gromit has officially debuted its first Halloween-themed feature since 2005’s The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and this time Shaun the Sheep is getting the spooky treatment.
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is the latest stop-motion feature from the Bristol, UK-based studio. Collider broke the news exclusively, sharing the first image from the film as part of its Exclusive Fall Preview Event. The movie is set to hit U.S. theaters on September 18, 2026.
Shaun’s Big-Screen Return
Shaun the Sheep got his own spin-off series in 2007, which became a fan favorite. The series was based on the Wallace and Gromit short A Close Shave. Now, nearly two decades later, the character is headlining his own feature-length movie with a horror twist.
The film is co-directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, with a script from Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow. Aardman describes the project as continuing its “50-year legacy of hand-crafted claymation with instantly lovable characters and hysterical down-home charm.”
“50-year legacy of hand-crafted claymation with instantly lovable characters and hysterical down-home charm.”
This marks a significant moment for the studio. Aardman has built its reputation on painstaking stop-motion animation, a craft that stands in sharp contrast to the rise of AI-generated content. The studio’s approach has paid off consistently, from the beloved Flushed Away to Chicken Run, which remains the highest-grossing stop-motion animated movie of all time.
A 21-Year Gap
The last time Aardman leaned into Halloween territory was with The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in 2005. That film, directed by Nick Park, took Wallace and Gromit into horror-inspired territory and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It remains one of the franchise’s most ambitious projects.
Twenty-one years later, the studio is finally returning to spooky season. The choice to use Shaun rather than Wallace and Gromit themselves is a notable one.
The new film’s title, The Beast of Mossy Bottom, suggests a creature feature in the tradition of the studio’s earlier were-rabbit outing.
Aardman’s Track Record
Aardman has been a force in animation since the 1989 Oscar-nominated short A Grand Day Out, which introduced Wallace and Gromit to the world. The characters have remained the faces of British animation ever since.
Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, has won four Academy Awards over his career. Collider journalist Jake visited the set of Aardman and Netflix’s Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, where he spoke with Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham.
The studio has consistently pushed back against the idea that animation needs to be computer-generated to succeed, proving that care in one’s craft creates a consistent canvas for success.
The Collider Exclusive
Collider has been following Aardman’s output closely. Senior author Jake, who has written over 3,000 articles for the site covering TV and film, has also interviewed stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti. His coverage of animation has been extensive, and Collider’s exclusive debut of the new image continues that pattern.
The site’s Exclusive Fall Preview Event appears to be a seasonal push, with the Shaun the Sheep image serving as a centerpiece. Collider paired the announcement with a horror survival quiz, asking readers which iconic villain they would have the best chance of surviving against — Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Pennywise, or Chucky.
That quiz leans into the horror theme of the announcement. Aardman’s brand of horror has always been family-friendly, more spooky than scary.
What the Release Means
The September 2026 release date places the film squarely in the lead-up to Halloween. That timing worked well for Aardman before, and the studio appears to be betting it will work again.
The film continues what Aardman calls its legacy of hand-crafted claymation. Every frame of a stop-motion film requires physical manipulation of models, a slow and meticulous process that stands in stark contrast to the speed of digital animation. It is a method that has defined the studio since its earliest days.
Fans will likely get more details about The Beast of Mossy Bottom as the release date approaches. For now, the key facts are clear:
- Aardman is making its first Halloween feature in 21 years.
- Shaun the Sheep is the star of the film.
- The movie arrives in U.S. theaters on September 18, 2026.
- The film is co-directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker.
- The script comes from Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow.
The studio has built its reputation on that commitment. From A Grand Day Out to Chicken Run to The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Aardman has consistently delivered animation that feels handmade and personal. The Beast of Mossy Bottom looks set to continue that tradition.
Whether the film can match the success of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit remains to be seen. That film won an Oscar and remains a high point in the studio’s history. But Aardman has never been a studio that plays it safe, and a Shaun the Sheep horror movie is certainly a bold move.
The first image has arrived, and it confirms that Aardman is bringing its signature style to a new Halloween adventure. Shaun the Sheep is about to face a beast, and audiences will get to watch.
Source: collider.com
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