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The (still) bright and shiny Young V&A’s first two exhibitions were devoted to foreign cultures and history – very foreign and very historical in the case of the recently concluded Ancient Egypt exhibition Making Egypt, while before that its first exhibition Japan: Myths to Manga took a look at centuries of Japanese iconography and its impact on contemporary pop culture.
For its third exhibition, it’s time for something a little different. As the title suggests, Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is an exploration of a rather more recent, rather more homegrown cultural phenomenon. Tying in with the 50th anniversary of the world’s most famous stop motion animation studio, it will take young audiences behind the scenes at Aardman and its iconic roster of claymation characters, from the eponymous man and dog to Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, and even ’70s legend Morph.
There will be over 150 items on display, ranging from puppets and early character sketches for Aardman characters, to early examples of stop motion animation from the V&A archives.
But perhaps the real highlight will be interactive bits that take children behind the scenes of how an Aardman film is made – interactive activities will include storyboarding, designing characters, experimenting with lighting a set ands creating live action videos.
Although the exhibition is suitable for all ages, the optimum audience is ages eight to 14. As ever with Young V&A temporary exhibitions, your £11 entry fee gets you reentry throughout its run.
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is at the Young V&A Feb 12-Nov 15 2026.
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