Aardman partners with Sky to release new animated feature in UK cinemas and VOD, with STUDIOCANAL distributing internationally.
Animation fans will be headed baaaack to the woods - sans pumpkins - of Mossingham in 2026 when the all-new Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom hits cinemas. Sky has just announced that it has partnered with famed animation studio Aardman for the third stop-motion feature in the Shaun the Sheep franchise, handling distribution in UK cinemas and on the Sky Cinema VOD platform, with STUDIOCANAL as a global partner outside the UK.
In the film, residents of Mossy Bottom Farm are looking forward to Halloween - until the clumsy Farmer trashes the Flock’s beloved pumpkin patch! When Shaun turns MAD SCIENTIST to fix the problem, things rapidly spiral out of control... With The Farmer missing and a wild beast roaming the woods of Mossingham, all the ingredients are in place for a monstrously fun family adventure.
Couldn’t have written it better myself…
The film is written by Mark Burton (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Paddington in Peru, Shaun the Sheep Movie) and Giles Pilbrow (Horrible Histories, Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas), with Steve Cox (Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas) and Matthew Walker (Lloyd of the Flies) directing. Richard Beek (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) produces; Nick Park, Peter Lord, Carla Shelley and Sarah Cox serves as Studio Executive Producers.
This film follows the recent success of the studio’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which broke viewing records in the Christmas period as it became the most-watched animated film broadcast on British television since modern viewing records began in 2002. The film was awarded two BAFTAs, for Best Animation and Best Children and Family Film, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film, bringing Aardman’s total number of BAFTAs to 17, alongside its four Academy Awards.
Andrew Orr, Executive Producer and Head of Originals for Sky Cinema said, “Shaun is a household name, so it’s huge news for us to be welcoming him and the flock to our 2026 Sky Original film slate. It’s an honor to work with Aardman at such an exciting time for the studio, with a film that we know fans of all ages will love. Expect laughs, spookiness and some brilliantly entertaining new characters.”
“Shaun the Sheep is an iconic character, beloved by viewers of all ages around the world,” added Sarah Cox, Chief Creative Director at Aardman. “In our new animated movie, we bring family-friendly thrills to this light-hearted, spooky Halloween adventure. Expect smashed pumpkins, wayward science, and a wild hairy beast on the loose in Mossy Bottom – all delivered with the Flock’s trademark joyous comedy.”
2025 marks 30 years since Shaun’s first appearance in Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave; the series is one of Aardman’s best-performing properties. It has been broadcast in 170 territories worldwide, with its seventh series airing later this year. The first Shaun the Sheep feature film was nominated for several awards including a BAFTA and an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and was one of the highest-grossing animated films of 2015. The second, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, was also Academy Award and BAFTA nominated. In 2021, Aardman also released a half-hour special, the International Emmy-winning Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas.
Sky’s longstanding relationship with Aardman includes Morph, the first Sky Kids Original commission in 2016. Sky also has Make Your Own Movies with Merlin and Epic Adventures of Morph airing and are in production of Season 3 of BAFTA nominated hit pre-school show, The Very Small Creatures.
Source: Sky
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
