If the news out of the Telegraph today about Aardman Animations facing a critical shortage of the specialised clay they use to make their stop-motion films has you feeling ready to lose your head in panic like the hens of Chicken Run, then we're suggesting everyone calm down. Yes, the factory that makes the Lewis Newplast clay that works under hot studio lights and stands up to the rigors of the animation process has shut down after Aardman bought out the remaining supply. Which meant it might only have enough of the material to make one more film. But that's not the end of the story.
Following up on the new piece, the Aardman team hit social media to assuage fears that the clay shortage is impacting the company…
So, yes –– no need to run around in a desperate panic over the future of Aardman Animations. The company has Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget due in cinemas on 8 December ahead of its landing on Netflix on 15 December. The team is also working on a new, untitled Wallace and Gromit film, which will be out next year.