Fire up the Autochef and stock up on Wensleydale: an upcoming London exhibition takes visitors behind the scenes of Wallace & Gromit.
Celebrating 50 years of stop-motion studio Aardman, the Young V&A opens Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends in February 2026, celebrating some of its best-known characters and worlds.
Perhaps most famous among Aardman's output is eccentric human-canine duo Wallace & Gromit. Their first claymation short film, A Grand Day Out, was released in 1989, and has been followed up with three more short films, two feature-length films, and numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations.
Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Morph are also Aardman creations, and feature in the exhibition.
Over 150 objects from Aardman's archives go on display, spanning models, sets and storyboards, many of which have never been seen by the public before. Highlights include early character ideas for Wallace & Gromit, the duo’s motorbike and sidecar from Vengeance Most Fowl (2024), and hand-drawn storyboard from the train chase in The Wrong Trousers (1993), as well as development sketches for Morph.
As is the Young V&A's way, the exhibition is primarily designed for children and their families, offering interactive activities where they can give stop-motion a try, such as storyboarding and experimenting with lighting a set.
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is at the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, 12 February-15 November 2026. Tickets are available now.
