Shaun the Sheep is gearing up for a third feature film, with Aardman Animations and StudioCanal on Wednesday unveiling plans for Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.
Sky will be the U.K. distributor releasing the movie in cinemas and on Sky Cinema. Independent studio Aardman, known for its stop-motion franchises, including Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, has partnered with Canal+ unit StudioCanal as the global partner outside the U.K. in the companies’ fourth collaboration following Shaun the Sheep Movie, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmaggedon, and Early Man.
StudioCanal will launch worldwide sales at Cannes.
“Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom sees the residents of Mossy Bottom Farm looking forward to Halloween – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch!” reads a synopsis for the new film. “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.”
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom 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) and will be directed by Steve Cox (Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas) and Matthew Walker (Lloyd of the Flies).
Richard Beek (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) serves as producer, with Nick Park, Peter Lord, Carla Shelley and Cox as studio executive producers.
Shaun the Sheep is “one of Aardman’s best-performing properties, broadcast in 170 territories worldwide” on TV, with a seventh season airing later this year, according to the company.
“Shaun the Sheep is an iconic character, beloved by viewers of all ages around the world. In our new animated movie, we bring family-friendly thrills to this light-hearted, spooky Halloween adventure,” said Sarah Cox, chief creative director at Aardman. “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.”
Anna Marsh, CEO of StudioCanal, deputy CEO of Canal+ & chief content officer of Canal+, and Ron Halpern, executive vp, global production at StudioCanal, said: “We are so delighted to be in development and pre-production on Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.”
They added: “We have taken such pride in establishing Shaun the Sheep and the flock as a cinematic must for audiences across the globe and in this – our third feature film in the franchise – we have a tantalizing seasonal hook in Halloween with thrills, spills, surprises, a touch of science and characters old and new. We cannot wait to reveal more of this highly anticipated family treat in the coming months.”
This new Aardman feature 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 company noted. The film also won two BAFTA Film Awards.
