Following the closure of the Aardman Animation’s only clay supplier, the studio currently only has enough supplies left for one more film.
How does a claymation studio operate when there’s no clay left? That’s the question facing Aardman Animation following the closure of its one and only clay supplier, Newclay Products. According to The Telegraph, Newclay announced its closure in March of this year, at which point Aardman moved quickly to buy all of the company’s remaining clay reserves.
That was around 400 kilograms of the stuff, which is said to be enough for the studio to finish the current projects in its production pipeline, including a Wallace And Gromit project that is due for release next year. Beyond that, however, things look less certain. Given that current economic forces are making production costs spiral, not to mention that it clearly looks to be a seller’s market given the rarity of the materials, we hope that Aardman can find a reliable supplier that ensures the studio’s brilliant work can continue, uninterrupted.
Podcast: In conversation with Nick Park – Wallace And Gromit, Chicken Run, Aardman, Early Man and lots more
It’s not like you can just buy this stuff anywhere, either. Lewis Newplast is ‘a nylon-reinforced air-drying clay’ that makes it perfect for modelling work, not to mention robust enough not to melt under all of those hot lights, we’d imagine. The studio’s next film, Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget is set to hit Netflix on the 15th of December. We’re sure lots of you will be tuning in to see that one, so take a moment to appreciate all of the clay on display and hopefully, Aardman will be able to find a solution to its problems sooner rather than later.
Read more: Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget review | Poultry In Motion
