Aardman expands partnership with Sky

Aardman and Sky Kids have launched a second series of The Very Small Creatures, a stop-motion animated pre-school series. A box set of 20 episodes will air on Sky Kids; the first 10 episodes launched on Friday 30th June broadcast daily at 8am and 5pm, and more episodes will be available from 2nd October.

The spin-off from Aardman’s hugely popular Morph series, The Very Small Creatures follows the adventures of five, toddler-like clay creatures who explore a child’s playroom when no one is around. Through interacting with objects they find, the creatures learn about their physical world, themselves and each other.

Themes of inclusivity and celebrating our differences lie at the heart of the show; The Very Small Creatures are depicted as a diverse group of individuals who always respect one another, celebrating each other’s unique voices and coming together to create something special.

Lucy Izzard, Director of The Very Small Creatures at Aardman, said: “It’s great to be back in the world of The Very Small Creatures for more fun with our five colourful friends. For series two, we get to know each character a little bit more as they squish, yodel, meow and doodle their way across our screens. We’ve got trips to space, train rides, dance routines, more cute outfits and epic ice-skating scenes! With the intoxicating toddler laughter throughout, I hope the giggles on screen encourage giggles from very small people at home.”

At the same time, Aardman and Sky have released Morph Thingy-Ma-Bobstacle Course game as an exclusive launch title on Sky Live, the new interactive camera from Sky. The game uses Sky Live’s AI-powered body tracking and gesture control to physically direct Morph along a series of epic obstacle courses, and super-fun treadmill terrain, collecting buttons, dodging shapes and battling bosses to reach the furthest distance possible and top the leader board. The game is designed to be playable by anyone and fun for all the family.

Morph Thingy-Ma-Bobstacle Course was produced by Aardman’s in-house Games and Interactive team who have a wealth of experience in developing games and immersive content for both established and new platforms with technical expertise which spans both Unity and Unreal game engines. The ambition was to engage fans of Morph in a new and immersive way using the unique capabilities of the Sky Live technology. The game was a collaboration with Sky, for whom Morph is a key brand, and also features a cameo from The Very Small Creatures.

Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content at Sky UK said: “We know how much families and kids love The Very Small Creatures, so we are thrilled to launch series two on our Sky Kids channel and On Demand.  The creativity and joy Aardman bring to every aspect of this series makes it must watch for kids of any age and adults too!

The recent launch of Sky Live provides families the opportunity to get fully immersed in their favourite shows and characters.  The new Morph game gives so much opportunity for families to be active and have fun together.”

Gavin Strange, Creative Director for Morph Thingy-Ma-Bobstacle Course at Aardman, said: “We’re always super excited about bringing our characters to life on new platforms and offering exciting ways for people to interact with their favourite Aardman creations! It was such a joy translating the stop-motion tactility that people love about Morph into a realtime game engine. In Morph Thingy-Ma-Bobstacle Course, we’ve brought together brand-new tech with that classic claymation style for a hands-on fun-filled Morph game. Cheered on by The Very Small Creatures and antagonised by Chas, we hope that families enjoy dodging, dipping and racing along with Morph from the comfort of their homes!”

The launches coincide with a Morph sculpture trail in central London, featuring 56 super-sized Morph sculptures painted by a variety of celebrities and artists including Tom Fletcher, Ade Adepitan and Martin Dougan. The trail is the city’s first step-free art trail and has been put on by Whizz Kidz, the UK’s leading charity for young wheelchair users. It will run until 20^th August when the trail ends and the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise money for the charity. Sky Kids and Sky VIP are Presenting Partners of the art trail.

The Very Small Creatures is available to watch on Sky Kids and NOW. Morph Thingy-Ma-Bobstacle Course is available to play on Sky Live. Find out more about Sky Live at Sky.com/live. Watch the gameplay video below: