Top 10 Aardman Short Films

When people think of the animation juggernaut that is Aardman, generally they’ll look to the highly successful feature films that have been produced by the incredible studio over the past two decades, such as ‘Chicken Run’, ‘Curse of the Were-Rabbit’, ‘Flushed Away’ etc. However, the roots of the company lie in their beautifully animated short films that date all the way back to the 1970s. I’m a massive fan of Aardman and their groundbreaking claymation style, so I’m very excited to do my ranking of the Top 10 Aardman Animations short films.

Honourable mentions: Stage Fright, Adam, Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas

10. Going Equipped

So simplistic and yet so powerful, ‘Going Equipped’ features a young man in a single room talking about his experience of being in prison. Intercut with grungy, dreary footage of places that were important to the man’s life, the film is based on a real-life interview given by a young offender. Whilst the only animation is of the man himself as he walks around the bare room with nothing but a chair and table to interact with, the realist nature of his actions, movements and facial expressions clearly show a great level of care and detail in the work, and adds an extra level of poignancy and emotion to the story he tells. It’s melancholic, downbeat and quite harrowing, most notably during a shot of an upside-down woodlouse struggling to right itself whilst our protagonist speaks of his lonely, sad childhood.

9. Sledgehammer

On the complete opposite end of the scale to ‘Going Equipped’, this is nothing but fun! The music video to Peter Gabriel’s hit ‘Sledgehammer’ is perfectly accompanied by the stop motion and claymation of Aardman, which include shots of trains flying around Gabriel’s head, his face becoming part of the sky and clouds and two cooked chickens dancing. Gabriel had to lie under a sheet of glass for 16 hours whilst the video was shot around him, but he later admitted that the single wouldn’t have been the hit that it was without the video. It’s one of the most inventive music videos ever created and as well as winning a lot of awards, always ends up on lists of the best music videos.

8. Wat’s Pig

Aardman constantly prove that it doesn’t matter how beautiful your animation is, as long as you have the story to back it up, and nowhere is this more clear than ‘Wat’s Pig’. The story revolves around two royal twins that are separated at birth in medieval times, only to be reunited as adults. It’s beautifully directed by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord who, for the majority of the film, splits the screen into a side-by-side reflection of the two boys lives. The split-screen concept is a great method of storytelling that is utilised here and the film is an impressive nod to silent cinema, with little to no dialogue.

7. War Story

Another film based on a real interview tape, ‘War Story’ takes a different approach to ‘Going Equipped’ by also animating the scenarios told by the interviewee, who this time is a war veteran recounting stories of living in England during the Blitz. Whilst the director could have simply kept the animation to the man coming home from work, taking a bath, eating dinner etc. it’s injected with that Aardman eccentricity and imagination that is present in the majority of their short films, such as his reflection staying in the mirror after he’s brushed his teeth and the house being physically slanted by the animator's giant hands on the screen. ‘War Story’ also benefits from being really funny as the ridiculous stories get paired with whacky animation that combines to create a kind of pseudo-documentary with a lot of heart.

6. Humdrum

Another genius concept is elegantly brought to the screen in a shift in style from Aardman’s usual claymation. ‘Humdrum’ focuses on two living shadow puppets who attempt to relieve themselves of boredom by playing a game of shadow puppets. The film uses an incredibly unique form of cut-out animation to great effect as the characters maintain clear expressions and emotions throughout. It is filled with great humour from a strong screenplay, mainly circling around the two over-the-top, sarcastic Scottish shadow puppets and the absurdity of their situation. It’s very funny, very inventive and very bizarre; probably a good description for most of Aardman’s work.

5. Ident

I’ve seen ‘Ident’ god knows how many times and I still don’t know what it is. And yet I love it; maybe even because I don’t understand it. ‘Ident’ is one of those films which are near impossible to describe and has to be seen to be believed. Full of creative characters, an absurd setting and an incomprehensible plot, this is Aardman at its most weird and whacky, and yet it’s so absurd that you can’t help but go along with it and be drawn into it. I’d love to think that there is some big allegorical meaning behind the film, that it’s a commentary on the nature of man and his eternal struggle to be free of normal life and be something bigger and better, but I genuinely think it’s the psychedelic concept of someone who may have taken a few too many ‘certain substances’ (as Monty Python’s Graham Chapman used to say). Either way, I don’t care. It’s impressive to look at and entertaining to watch.

4. Late Edition

I love ‘Late Edition’, mainly for how simple it is. There’s nothing special about the animation or the story; it’s just a depiction of normal conversations recorded from an office of a magazine. As well as being a really interesting insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of a magazine, it’s a perfect depiction of the brilliant animation that Aardman produce. Each character looks, moves and feels incredibly realistic; this studio really can produce some unique animation that no-one else in the world is doing. It’s funny, charming and you desperately wish you could spend longer with these characters than the 5 minute running time allows you to.

3. Next

If you wanted to see what it would be like if William Shakespeare auditioned to get into heaven by performing a show referencing all his plays, then ‘Next’ is the film for you. It’s Aardman's most visually stunning piece as it compiles staggeringly beautiful set pieces with wit and an ingenious analysis of the Bard’s work. Backed up by a beautiful soundtrack of Tudor styled music, it’s easy to rewatch ‘Next’ over and over to try and spot every reference on screen. Shakespeare’s use of a prop dummy allows for some great humour (especially some of the more romantic plays) and despite not saying a word, the film is able to skilfully as well as hilariously capture the spirit of each of Shakespeare’s 37 plays.

2. Creature Comforts

This is the genius concept that really started things off for Aardman. Having vox pop style interviews dubbed onto animated animals talking about the pros and cons of zoos was one of the first major ideas of Nick Park produced for Aardman which deservedly won the studio and Park their first Oscar. The film skilfully takes a variety of people’s views and opinions, from residents of an old people’s home to the family of a local shop owner, and contorts them to fit the potential views of armadillos, terrapins and gorillas on their living conditions within captivity. It’s an eye-opening film which cleverly provides a balanced view on the issue (a Puma talks of not having enough space whereas a Tarsier feels safe and well looked after) and provides a good platform to start a conversation on this important topic. It’s a groundbreaking film which has been an inspiration for many and has gone on to spawn more short films, a collection of adverts and a successful TV series.

1. Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers

Could it have been anything else? Wallace and Gromit have become a British institution and easily Aardman’s most recognisable outings. Although I could have gone for any one of the duo’s hugely entertaining outings, ‘The Wrong Trousers’ wins it for me. Feathers McGraw is a hilarious character (particularly the fact that no-one can recognise him when he wears a glove as a hat) and provides some brilliant moments. Perhaps the highlight of the film is the fantastically well-animated finale of Gromit chasing after Feathers on a model train track. It’s a staggering feat of the genre which will go down as one of the best scenes in animation history. Wallace and Gromit are endearing and full of charm, it’s impossible to not love their films. They were always going to top this list and it’s easy to see why. Nick Park wrote himself into the history books of film with this incredible invention and it’s the high point of Aardman’s eclectic filmography.