New 'Wallace & Gromit' and 'Chicken Run' Animations to Debut on Netflix

Aardman Animations is beloved for its Plasticine stop-motion storytelling. Though the studio launched in the 1970s, it wasn't until 1989 that it became a household name on both sides of the pond with the introductions of Wallace & Gromit. The former is a beloved, bumbling English inventor whose love of cheese is one of his defining characteristics; the latter is his best friend, the far more intelligent yet silent pup who saved his bacon. The initial three shorts, A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave, were Oscar-winning cult favorites and led to major motion pictures like Chicken Run and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was the Wallace & Gromit feature film released in 2005. Since then, there's been Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death in 2008 and 2012's Wallace & Gromit at the Proms. However, despite Aardman's success with the Shaun The Sheep movie and spinoffs, there has not been any word on more Wallace, Gromit, or the chicken cult of Ginger and Rocky. But with Netflix seeing success with streaming Shaun the Sheep shorts and movies under its Family banner, it's going on all in more Aardman shows and films, including new Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run stories.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will be coming to Netflix in 2023. The sequel will star Thandiwe Newton (Line of Duty) and Zachary Levi (Shazam!) as Ginger and Rocky, replacing Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson, who starred in the original film. It will be followed by Nick Park's return to his Wallace & Gromit roots with a new as-yet-untitled feature-length film starring the beloved duo, expected out in 2024.