Meet the stars of Early Man in Wotton-under-Edge

February 2018 half term brings the latest stop-motion comedy from Aardman to the Electric Picture House Cinema in Wotton-under-Edge – as well as a chance to meet some of the filmmakers who worked on the project, and the puppet stars.

Early Man (PG) is the new prehistoric comedy adventure from four-time Academy Award-winning director Nick Park and Aardman, the creators of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. Shot in Aardman’s own distinctive style, the film takes audiences on a journey into an exciting new world, unleashing an unforgettable tribe of unique and funny new characters.

Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of courageous caveman hero Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his best friend Hognob, as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy, Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), and his Bronze Age City to save their home.

Early Man (PG) runs at the Electric Picture House from Friday 9 – Thursday 15 February. The screening on Saturday 10 February at 3pm, will be introduced by the film’s Animation Director (and Wotton-under-Edge resident) Will Becher, along with his colleague Emma Diaz and others. Afterwards, there’s a chance to question the animators and see some of the puppets and props from the film.

After a degree in animation at Edinburgh College of Art, Will joined Aardman Animations as a trainee assistant animator on Wallace & Gromit's Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Since then he has worked on feature films, commercials and TV shows including The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists, Creature Comforts and Shaun the Sheep the Movie. Will directed the most recent series of Shaun the Sheep.

Early Man is the largest production mounted by Aardman in its 40-plus year history. Around 150 people have been directly involved with the production, and at its peak 33 animators were working on the film. 273 puppets were required, made by 23 different modelmakers over a 30-month period. Every individual puppet was created over a period of more than 10 weeks, with the model making team completing a total of 18 Dug puppets, and eight of each member of the Stone Age tribe. An astonishing total of 3,000 interchangeable mouths were crafted for the film’s characters by hand.

Tickets for Early Man: Meet the Filmmakers cost £7.50 for adults, £6.40 for students and over 60s, and £5.50 for children under 12. Book at www.wottoncinema.com or by calling 01453 844601.

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