2026 is Aardman’s 50th anniversary year and this exhibition celebrates their iconic characters and worlds, as well as their craft and storytelling. The exhibition will take you behind the scenes of stop-motion animation and show you how Aardman brings clay to life.

From the initial sketch right through to the final effects, the exhibition will show you just how Aardman do it. You’ll find out how storytellers and sketch artists draw out their ideas, how the modelmakers build sets and puppets and how the directors, animators and film crew work together to make these small worlds feel so large.

Aimed at children and families, the exhibition will let you try your hand at different parts of stop-motion animation. Budding animators will find tips and hints on how to make your own cracking stories at home, from sketching out a storyboard, to designing expressive characters, and even creating the right lighting.

There are more than 150 items on display, including never-before-seen models, sets, and storyboards from Aardman’s archives. The early sketches for well-loved characters like Morph and Gromit are there as well as the storyboard for that iconic train chase in The Wrong Trousers. The sidecar from Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is on display for the very first time, as well as set pieces from favourites including Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Robin Robin and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!

Tickets are on sale now, and the exhibition pass allows you to visit as many times as you like between February and November, so there’s no need to do it all in one go. You can come back and take in something you missed at a second visit, or remind yourself just how they did something you’ve been working on yourself. As always, V&A Members can visit the exhibition for free.

Visit Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends. The cracking exhibition opens at Young V&A on 12 February 2026!