‘Wallace and Gromit’ Creators Debut 360 Animation Short ‘Special Delivery’

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British animation studio Aardman, responsible for creating Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, are back and this time they’re in 360 degrees as they debut they’re latest short film ‘Special Delivery’ via Google’s 360 film initiative ‘Spotlight Stories.

Aardman Animations are one of the most well respected in their fields, having specialised in animated entertainment since the company’s inception in 1972. They’ve consistently pushed boundaries (both technical and creative) and their most beloved franchises, Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep have delighted families worldwide with their unique sense of style and wit.

Now, the studio takes to immersive entertainment with the release of their latest short, Special Delivery, a film debuting on YouTube’s 360 showcase ‘Spotlight Stories’. The 4 minute story is an ingeniously constructed tale of Santa Clause and a curious Caretaker’s quest to find and secure his building from the interloper.

It’s an interesting piece, carefully shot with the action drawing your attention around your 360 view as you try to spot where Santa will turn up next. It’s a delightfully animated, comedic short that’s typical of Aardman in many ways. And, although the action is primarily front and centre, as is the case with most of the company’s work, don’t neglect the real 180 degrees as there are plenty of lovely touches and Easter eggs to find outside of the main story.

A nice extra is the Aardman talking about the making of Special delivery and the challenges and creative opportunities the new 360 format brings.

You can watch Special Delivery now on YouTube, using the dedicated app on mobile platforms for use in Cardboard headsets or via your Chrome or Firefox browser on desktop (embedded above).

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Based in the UK, Paul has been immersed in interactive entertainment for the best part of 27 years and has followed advances in gaming with a passionate fervour. His obsession with graphical fidelity over the years has had him branded a ‘graphics whore’ (which he views as the highest compliment) more than once and he holds a particular candle for the dream of the ultimate immersive gaming experience. Having followed and been disappointed by the original VR explosion of the 90s, he then founded RiftVR.com to follow the new and exciting prospect of the rebirth of VR in products like the Oculus Rift. Paul joined forces with Ben to help build the new Road to VR in preparation for what he sees as VR’s coming of age over the next few years.