Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom to join Sky Original film slate in 2026

Shaun the Sheep fans are in for a baaaarilliant treat in 2026, as Sky announces their partnership with multi award winning studio Aardman to release Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom as a Sky Original feature film.

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom sees the residents of Mossy Bottom Farm looking forward to Halloween – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the Flock’s beloved pumpkin patch! When Shaun turns MAD SCIENTIST to fix the problem, things rapidly spiral out of control... With The Farmer missing and a wild beast roaming the woods of Mossingham, all the ingredients are in place for a monstrously fun family adventure.

Aardman has partnered with Sky as the exclusive UK distributor, releasing in cinemas and on Sky Cinema, and STUDIOCANAL as the global partner outside the UK.  Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is the third stop-motion animated feature film from Aardman’s globally loved brand.

2025 marks 30 years since Shaun’s first appearance in Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave and the series is one of Aardman’s best-performing properties. It has been broadcast in 170 territories worldwide, with its seventh series airing later this year. The first Shaun the Sheep feature film was nominated for several awards including a BAFTA® and an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film and was one of the highest-grossing animated films of 2015. The second, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, was also Academy Award® and BAFTA® nominated and was widely praised by critics. In 2021, Aardman also released a half-hour special, the International Emmy-winning Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas.

Adding this ‘beastly’ Shaun the Sheep film to Sky’s slate is a continuation of a longstanding relationship with Aardman, with Morph being the first Sky Kids Original commission in 2016. Sky also has Make Your Own Movies with Merlin and Epic Adventures of Morph airing and are in production of Season 3 of BAFTA nominated hit pre-school show, The Very Small Creatures.

Andrew Orr, Executive Producer and Head of Originals for Sky Cinema said: “Shaun is a household name, so it’s huge news for us to be welcoming him and the flock to our 2026 Sky Original film slate. It’s an honour to work with Aardman at such an exciting time for the studio, with a film that we know fans of all ages will love. Expect laughs, spookiness and some brilliantly entertaining new characters.”

Sarah Cox, Chief Creative Director at Aardman said: “Shaun the Sheep is an iconic character, beloved by viewers of all ages around the world. In our new animated movie, we bring family-friendly thrills to this light-hearted, spooky Halloween adventure. Expect smashed pumpkins, wayward science, and a wild hairy beast on the loose in Mossy Bottom – all delivered with the Flock’s trademark joyous comedy.”

Anna Marsh CEO of STUDIOCANAL, Deputy CEO of CANAL+ & Chief Content Officer of CANAL+ & Ron Halpern EVP Global Production at STUDIOCANAL expand "We are so delighted to be in development and pre-production on SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM launching worldwide sales at Cannes. We have taken such pride in establishing Shaun the Sheep and the flock as movie stars and in this - our third feature film in the franchise – we have a tantalising seasonal hook in Halloween with thrills, spills, surprises, a touch of science and characters old and new. We cannot wait to reveal more of this highly anticipated family treat in the coming months. It’s a genuine pleasure to be back in partnership with Aardman for Shaun’s very welcome return and in SKY we have a UK partner who share our passion and ambition to bring Shaun the Sheep (and friends) to the biggest possible audience with his timeless appeal and in his home territory" 

This new Aardman feature film follows the recent landmark success of the studio’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which broke viewing records in the Christmas period as it became the most-watched animated film broadcast on British television since modern viewing records began in 2002. The film was awarded two BAFTAs, for Best Animation and Best Children and Family Film, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film, bringing Aardman’s total number of BAFTAs to 17, alongside its four Academy Awards.

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is written by Mark Burton (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Paddington in Peru, Shaun the Sheep Movie) and Giles Pilbrow (Horrible Histories, Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas) and will be directed by Steve Cox (Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas) and Matthew Walker (Lloyd of the Flies), with Richard Beek (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) as Producer, and Nick Park, Peter Lord, Carla Shelley and Sarah Cox as Studio Executive Producers.

Download 4:5 image carousel for social here, 16:9 shot here, Shaun and Timmy 4:5 here.

For more information, please contact Charlie Harris (charlie.harris@sky.uk) or Molly Goring (molly.goring@sky.uk)

Sky connects and entertains millions of people across Europe. At the heart of everything we do, is a belief that people deserve better. For decades, we’ve shaken up every category we entered to give people what they love, to make life a little easier and to provide great value. That’s how we bring millions of customers the joy of a better experience in TV, broadband and mobile.

In TV, we offer the best sports coverage, unmissable TV and the smartest ways to stream and aggregate the TV you love. In broadband, we power homes and businesses, with a fast, reliable connection. In mobile, we bring people closer, with plans at unbeatable value. And now, you can even keep your home connected and protected, through our smart insurance. We design our products to fit seamlessly into your life, with service whenever and however you need it.

That’s how we do better for customers. And we believe in better for society too. We power the cultural economy in the UK and beyond, making award-winning news, original sport, and entertainment. We contribute billions to UK GDP, creating and sustaining thousands of jobs and sharing both our journalism and our coverage of the arts, free of charge. We are cutting emissions and making recyclable, energy-efficient products, and we give back, through free internet access and digital skills for under-served communities and young people.

Sky is owned by Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company.  

Aardman is an employee-owned company, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. An independent, multi-Academy Award® and BAFTA® award winning studio, it produces feature films, series, advertising and interactive entertainment. Current animated productions include series 7 of Shaun the Sheep and a third series of The Very Small Creatures. 

Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Morph– is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning, comedic content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. Recent celebrated projects include the double-BAFTA® award-winning Wallace & Gromit film Vengeance Most Fowl which premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day 2024 and was released on Netflix globally on the 3rd of January 2025, the BAFTA® nominated feature film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Academy Award® nominated short film Robin Robin, International Emmy® award winning Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas and BAFTA® nominated preschool series The Very Small Creatures. 

The studio runs the Aardman Academy, its world-class training facility delivering excellence in film and animation training and mentoring for students around the world. The Aardman Academy offers a variety of courses from intensive one-day workshops to its flagship seven-month In-Studio Stop Motion course. All courses are delivered by industry-leading tutors and mentors with decades of experience. The Aardman Academy is an integral part of the business, representing the studio’s inclusive ethos and commitment to nurturing the animation talent of the future.

In November 2018 it became an Employee-Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come. www.aardman.com

STUDIOCANAL, CANAL+’s in-house studio, is one of Europe’s leading film and series studios, with worldwide production and distribution capabilities. It operates directly in nine major European markets including Austria, Benelux, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, and offices in the United States and China. STUDIOCANAL finances, produces, and distributes 80 films per year. It owns one of the most prestigious catalogues in the world and the largest catalogue of European titles, boasting more than 9 400 titles from 60 countries. With a catalogue spanning 100 years of film history, STUDIOCANAL has invested close to 25 million euros into the 4K restoration of nearly 1 000 classic feature films over the past 7 years. 

STUDIOCANAL also produces over 15 series each year, including local creations and premium international co-productions, and distributes its scripted productions and CANAL+ Originals globally (2,000 hours of current and library content in distribution). Projects are produced in-house by STUDIOCANAL or through its worldwide network of production companies, including 2e Bureau, STUDIOCANAL Original, Flab, Kissman, Pernel and Upside in France; Birdie Pictures, Red Production Company, Urban Myth Films, Strong Film & Television, and Sunny March TV in the UK; Bambú Producciones and Te Espero en Marte in Spain; Lailaps Films and STUDIOCANAL Series in Germany; Opus TV in Poland; Sam Productions in Denmark; Dingie in Belgium; and The Picture Company in the United States.

canalplusgroup.com/en/group/content-production-distribution-and-other