Early in the day, the moment I stepped through the doors of Young V&A, I found myself not just in an exhibition, but in the very kitchen where half a century of magic has been cooked up. Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends lays bare that famous British genius that breathes life into plasticine.
Right at the entrance, you are greeted by Peter Lord’s modest note scribbled in the corner of a 1980 sketchbook: “A brown lump of plasticine. What will become of it in the future?” Watching the story of how that shapeless blob eventually transformed into Morph, the cheeky sheep Shaun, and of course the cheese-loving Wallace with his loyal companion Gromit is an absolutely cracking experience.
Lentils for Rockets, a Mustachioed Wallace
The exhibition is structured like a meticulously planned production process, from the birth pangs of an animation to post-production. Wandering inside, I couldn’t resist sharing a few “tasty” details I learned:
Wallace’s Evolution: Did you know Wallace was originally conceived as a mustachioed postman? His face was much narrower and more expressionless until voice actor Peter Sallis delivered that iconic “Cheeeese.”
The Devil in the Details: Seeing that the rivets on the orange rocket that takes Wallace & Gromit to the Moon are actually glued lentils made me admire the Aardman team’s ingenuity even more.
Engineering Marvels: The galleon from The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! is so massive and heavy that you can feel in your bones the immense patience required to move these gigantic sets millimeter by millimeter during stop-motion shooting.
We’re Not Just Looking — We’re Rolling Up Our Sleeves
The exhibition’s greatest triumph is turning the visitor from a passive observer into an active part of the set. The “hands-on” areas are so rich that the excitement of the children around me (and, I confess, child-at-heart adults like myself) was a sight to behold.
Playing with the lighting in the prison cell of the infamous villain Feathers McGraw lets you understand how dramatically a scene’s atmosphere can shift with light alone. Meanwhile, clacking coconut shells together like a Foley artist to create horse footsteps, or building your own stop-motion scene, helps you grasp the laborious yet joyful craft behind animation.
A Moment When Time Stands Still: The Train Chase
For me, the absolute highlight was seeing the original storyboards and set layout of the legendary train chase sequence from The Wrong Trousers. Examining Nick Park’s comic-strip-style sketches felt like looking at the “first draft” of one of cinema history’s most iconic action scenes—as weighty and magical as if you were reading the script notes for the final scene of Casablanca.
Inside Aardman never speaks in a didactic or condescending tone. On the contrary, it encourages children to ask questions, understand mechanisms, and create their own characters. Learning that it took four years from the moment a joke was scribbled on paper to its appearance on screen makes you realize once again why every second on screen is so precious.
Visitor Information
Exhibition: Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends
Venue: Young V&A, London
Dates: February 12 – November 15, 2026
Vibe: Fun, educational, nostalgic, and utterly inspiring.
