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First look review: Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition

Young V&A announces a new Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition to coincide with their 50th anniversary – Hannah Cornish gives us the lowdown on what to expect.
Hannah Cornish
Written by Hannah Cornish 26 November 2025 - Last edited 19 March 2026
Wallace and Gromit clay figures posed outside Young V&A, with Wallace giving a thumbs-up and the museum’s distinctive signage visible above the entrance.
Wallace & Gromit outside Young V&A. Photo by David Parry for the V&A.
Everything you need to know about Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at Young V&A exhibition

  • Where: Young V&A, Bethnal Green (E2 9PA)
  • When: 12 February 2026 – 15 November 2026
  • Why: To celebrate 50 years of stop-motion studio Aardman
  • Price: £12.50 for adults, free for under-4s

Calling all animation fans! London is about to welcome a truly cracking exhibition that celebrates Britian’s most beloved clay duo. Opening in February 2026 at the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends promises an immersive journey into the whimsical world of stop-motion magic.

What is the new Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition about?

Timed to coincide with Aardman Animations 50th anniversary, Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends pulls back the curtain on the creative process behind classics such as Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph and Chicken Run. 

Discover how these iconic characters go from sketchbook doodles to screen stars and explore the various stages of production – from storyboarding and model-making to filming and post-production.

Close-up of Wallace and Gromit clay figures being positioned on a patterned floor inside a bright, spacious gallery with high ceilings and a large “DESIGN” sign in the background.

More than 150 fascinating objects from Aardman’s archives are set to be exhibited, many never seen before, with highlights including:

  • Early character sketches of Wallace, Gromit and Morph
  • The original storyboard for the train chase in The Wrong Trousers, a 1993 classic
  • Wallace & Gromit’s motorbike and sidecar from Vengeance Most Fowl, 2024
  • Miniature sets and props from Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget 

Highlights of the new Wallace & Gromit exhibition

Promising to be more than "just" an exhibition, Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends has interactive elements incorporated into the experience.

Visitors can:

  • Try their hand at stop-motion animation
  • Experiment with lighting and set design
  • Create their own storyboards and characters
  • Touch samples of puppet materials

There will also be optical illusion toys and early examples of stop-motion from Young V&A’s own collection, adding historical context to Aardman’s craft.

Why you’ll love the Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at Young V&A exhibition

Whether you grew up with Wallace’s love of Wensleydale or Shaun’s mischievous antics, the Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition is a celebration of creativity, humour and storytelling.

It’s a rare chance to peek behind the scenes of Oscar-winning films and discover what makes Aardman’s work so charming and loveable.

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit – what not to miss

We had the privilege of attending the preview before it opened to the public, and here's what not to miss:

A close up photo of a small model film set lounge with a dining table, portraits on the walls and Wallace and Gromit sat around the table, used for Wallace and Gromit films.

  • Get up close and personal to a number of iconic Wallace and Gromit model film sets and see the intricate detailing of the sculptures, interior and props. I especially loved the attention to detail in the breakfast spread on the table, the jam and honey pots looked so realistic!

A model miniature film set takes centre stage, with stage lighting around the model. A control pad sits just out of shot, where you can adjust and play around with the colours and light intensity of the set

  • Try your hand at adjusting light intensity and colour on a reconstructed scene from the 2024 film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. It was really interesting playing around with the light and colour levels and learning how much of an impact the light and colour can have on setting a specific mood in a scene.

A glass cabinet displaying clay figure lower faces and mouths, displaying how to clay figures were given expressions to talk

  • There are so many fun interactive elements at the Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and friends exhibition. From sketching out storyboards and designing expressive characters to creating your own mini stop-motion animation film. A personal favourite for me was the clay face exhibit, displaying how the mouths are expressively shaped and sculpted to create sentences and phrases.

How to book tickets

Tickets for Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends are on sale now and can be booked online on the Young V&A website.

Cheese the day and book early to avoid disappointment!