Bristol (United Kingdom) (AFP) – In a Bristol basement, animators painstakingly reposition small clay models, preparing the latest frame of Aardman Animations’ latest stop-motion movie, a Halloween offering titled “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.” The company — also behind favourites Wallace and Gromit — has perfected the technique over five decades, during which time it has won four Oscars. “Essentially, the shot that you do is a live performance,” says the film’s director Steve Cox, “so the animators are like our actors, really.” The upcoming “Beast of Mossy Bottom” is the third full-length film starring the mischievous, savvy Shaun the Sheep, and is due to be released in the UK on 18 September.
