Aardman Animations developing a Shaun the Sheep movie

Aardman Animations has announced that it is to bring one of its most beloved characters to the big screen, partnering up with StudioCanal to produce the movie debut of Shaun the Sheep.

First seen in the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit short A Close Shave, Shaun the Sheep made the jump to television in 2007, and is currently headlining his third series on CBCC. The feature film will be shot in Aardman's trademark stop motion stule, with Richard Starzak and Mark Burton writing and directing.

The official synopsis reads: "When Shaun’s mischief inadvertently leads to the Farmer being taken away from the farm, Shaun, Bitzer and the flock have to go into the big city to rescue him, setting the stage for an epic adventure."

"Shaun and his friends have a massive global following and we very excited about being able to put them into a bigger adventure for the big screen," said David Sproxton, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Aardman. "We are naturally also very excited about partnering with StudioCanal for this project, their track record and expertise in international film financing and distribution seems a perfect fit.”