Wallace & Gromit’s world, built one frame at a time

Wallace and Gromit's train chase moves at a breathless pace. At the workbench, however, that movement was made by repeatedly shifting a puppet a little and taking a frame. Part of Aardman's appeal lies in the contrast between on-screen chaos and the patient work behind it.

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at London's Young V&A explores stop-motion production. Opened in the studio's fiftieth anniversary year, 2026, it runs until November 15. More than 150 objects include models, sets, sketches, and storyboards laying out the sequence of a scene.

Among the exhibits is the hand-drawn storyboard for the train chase in The Wrong Trousers. The rocket from A Grand Day Out and the duo's living-room set also appear. Props easily overlooked in a finished scene reveal how much of a world had to be built before the characters could move.

Visitors can also develop characters, light a set, and make sound effects with everyday objects. The exhibition explores live-action reference footage used to plan movement before animation. Moving a puppet is one part of work that also coordinates lighting, sound, and editing.

Clay and other materials make the characters, but materials alone do not produce everything seen on screen. Puppet makers, camera crews, voice performers, and sound artists contribute in sequence. Behind a familiar joke or playful chase, sketches and models reveal many more hands at work.