Join us to celebrate the artists behind Aardman's Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget coming to Netflix on December 15, 2023!

We're excited to welcome director Sam Fell and Aardman founder Peter Lord for a panel and Q&A. Come by opening night to hear Sam and Peter talk about their behind-the-scenes experience on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, and stay to view all the gorgeous concept art on display.

This exhibition will be available to view for a limited time and will be on display in the gallery October 22nd to 29th

PANEL / SIGNING DETAILS (OCT 22)

• $5 admission. Reserve your seat with an admission ticket via Eventbrite HERE (Available on Monday 10/9 at Noon PST)
  
• The $5 admission cost can be applied to any purchase made in the gallery on the day of the panel.
• In-person guests will receive a FREE film poster at check-in, while supplies last.
• Please arrive 10 minutes early to check in.
• Walk-ins / standbys will be accepted until capacity is reached.
• Only 2 signing items per person. 
• There is no signing fee.
• Photos of the artists are encourage but no photos with the artists.

EVENT DETAILS

ABOUT CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET

From the multi Academy and BAFTA award-winning Aardman (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep), and Academy Award® and BAFTA-nominated director Sam Fell (ParaNorman and Flushed Away, respectively), comes Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the beloved and highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time, Chicken Run. Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!

Sam Fell started his career as writer/director of the short film The Big Cheese for 3 Peach Animation/Channel4. He then joined Aardman Animations as a director and animator on commercials and short projects like Pop, Chump, Peter Lord's' Oscar-nominated short film Wat's Pig, and the BBC series Rex the Runt. During that time he also developed a children's TV series called Rabbits! and several feature animation projects including Flushed Away. When Flushed Away was greenlit to become Aardman’s first CG project he moved to Los Angeles to direct the movie (with David Bowers) at Dreamworks Animation studios. The film was nominated for a BAFTA in 2007. From 2008 to 2009 he directed (with Rob Stevenhagen) The Tale of Despereaux for Universal Studios in London at Framestore. From there Sam moved to Portland, Oregan to direct Laika's second feature film ParaNorman (with writer/director Chris Butler) which was released in August 2012 and nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA in 2013. Since then he has been directing commercials and developing long form projects.

Peter Lord is Co-Founder and Creative Director of Aardman. He co-founded Aardman with his long-time collaborator, David Sproxton, in 1972. As a director, Lord has been honoured with two Academy Award ® nominations for Best Animated Short, the first in 1992 for Adam, and for Wat’s Pig in 1996, and Best Animated Feature for Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists in 2013. He has also earned BAFTA nominations for Adam, The Amazing Adventures of Morph, War Story and Chicken Run and, as a producer for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Moving to Bristol in 1976, Lord and Sproxton built Aardman into one of the world’s leading model animation studios. In 1978, Aardman was commissioned by BBC Bristol to make two short films entitled Animated Conversations. The resulting Down and Out and Confessions of a Foyer Girl, both co-directed by Lord and Sproxton, broke new ground in animation by using recordings of real-life conversations. That led to a series of five Conversation Pieces for the UK’s Channel 4, all of which were co-directed by Lord and Sproxton, including Early Bird and On Probation. Expanding into music videos, Aardman collaborated with director Stephen Johnson and the Brothers Quay to create Peter Gabriel’s award-winning video Sledgehammer. In 1987, Lord created the video for Nina Simone’s My Baby Just Cares for Me. Two years later, Channel 4 again commissioned Aardman to create the five-picture Lip Synch series, which included Lord’s War Story. Lord’s other directing credits include Going Equipped and Babylon. Together with Sproxton, Lord has also played a major role in encouraging and promoting new directors. His executive producer credits with Aardman include Creature Comforts, Rex the Runt, HumDrum, Stage Fright and The Pearce Sisters as well as the spectacularly successful series of films starring Wallace and Gromit including, most recently, A Matter of Loaf and Death.

In November 2018, Aardman became an Employee Owned organisation, ensuring that the studio remains independent and securing the creative legacy and culture of the company for the future.