The Aardman Studios magic at Lisbon´s Puppet Musem

The Magic of Aardman Studios was a landmark exhibition at the Museu da Marioneta (Puppet Museum) in Lisbon — the first exhibition in Lisbon by the British studio Aardman, which was founded in Bristol in 1976 by David Sproxton and Peter Lord. The show brought together 47 puppets, 8 sets, and various storyboards and sketches, displayed within the atmospheric Bernardas Convent, where the museum is located. It was organized in partnership with MONSTRA, the Lisbon Animation Festival, with the original characters from beloved productions, including Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts, Timmy Time, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, Morph, and Early Man. Aardman films have been a regular presence at the MONSTRA Festival since 2008, and the festival has previously brought several Aardman guests to Lisbon, including directors Nick Park, Mark Burton, and Richard Starzak. The 2019 edition was particularly notable for the presence of co-founder Peter Lord himself. Fernando Galrito, Artistic Director of MONSTRA, described Aardman as a studio with a very European and humanist culture, making the partnership a natural fit. The exhibition ran at the Museum, offering Portuguese audiences a rare opportunity to see up close the handcrafted artistry behind some of the most celebrated stop-motion animation in the world.