Aardman Animations is approximately halfway through the production of its new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. The stop-motion movie is being created at the Aztec West industrial estate in Bristol by a team of around 300 staff.
The film is described as a horror movie, though its scares have been softened for an audience with an earlier bedtime. Co-director Matthew Walker noted that an initial home invasion sequence was deemed "too intense." Inspirations for the film include Nosferatu, Frankenstein, The Shining, and Weird Science, alongside a Psycho allusion.
Aardman, which was founded in 1976, is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. The studio has received four Oscars and 18 Baftas.