Case study

Aardman Academy

15 April 2025

Partnering with Aardman Academy has been an amazing experience.

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The expertise available through Aardman – the BAFTA and Academy Award®-winning animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Morph – is now directly accessible to students at the University of Canterbury.

In 2024, Kōawa Studios made a landmark move by signing a five-year exclusive agreement with the Aardman Academy, the training arm of the world-renowned stop-motion studio. This partnership makes UC the only educational institution in New Zealand specialising in Aardman stop-motion animation, with the potential to transform the animation landscape in Aotearoa.

"We’re delighted that Kōawa Studios – University of Canterbury has renewed its partnership with Aardman Academy. It’s a privilege to continue working alongside them, united by our passion for storytelling, creativity, and nurturing the next generation of animation talent in Aotearoa and beyond." - Mark Simon Hewis, Head of the Aardman Academy.

The Aardman Academy emerged from a critical need for animators during the making of Chicken Run, now the highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time. Since then, it has trained hundreds of elite animators, directors, and model makers globally.

"As a university committed to accessible, flexible and future focused education, we’re delighted to be working with the Aardman Academy, who bring to our students over 40 years of experience and innovation." - University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey.

As part of the lecturer development programme, School of Product Design Lecturer Oana Jones, traveled to their HQ to get some training directly from the source. She was able to learn about professional stop motion techniques and see examples applied to their IP including Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Grommit. This professional development has lead to improvements in our stop motion delivery for 2025 in DISC241, and she is trying to further encourage students to do stop motion as a part of their project courses.

"Working with Aardman in 2024 was invaluable to providing industry insights and specialist knowledge for our students. Their knowledge and expertise not just in stop motion, but also across sound, storytelling and practical advice for improvement has allowed our students to push their work and provided them with encouragement and excitement." - School of Product Design Lecturer Oana Jones.