Aardman, the award-winning UK studio, is bringing interactive augmented reality trails to attractions in the UK and Australasia this summer. The trails will feature much-loved family IP Shaun the Sheep and recently released Lloyd of the Flies.
These new digital family entertainment packages are now available for licensing to venues and attractions globally.
The organisation is known for producing enduring character brands. Its initial interactive trail, the Hide & Sheep AR trail, features multi-BAFTA and International Emmy-winning Shaun the Sheep, and to date, it is licensed at 15 visitor destinations across the world.
Fun with the Flock
Building on the success of the Hide & Sheep AR trail, Aardman has announced that it is releasing Shaun the Sheep: Fun with the Flock this summer.
The apps, created wholly in-house by Aardman’s Interactive team, enable partner venues and attractions to host their own Shaun the Sheep-themed augmented trails. The trails encourage visits by inviting families and kids to explore the site alongside the popular characters.
The AR apps are available on iOS and Android and are free to download. Partner venues are given a unique download code that allows them to tailor the app with customised marketing and messages. The software also generates photographs and videos for guests to share with their friends and family that feature the venue’s branding. Host attractions also receive personalised download data, capturing the trail’s visitor engagement.
The Shaun the Sheep trails can be found at attractions across the UK. Hide & Sheep is licenced across P&O Cruises‘ family-friendly ships, all five RHS Gardens, and the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. This summer, Fun with the Flock will debut at Hestercombe Gardens in Somerset and Adventure Play at Blenheim Palace.
See also: Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep heads to RHS Gardens this summer
In addition to the UK locations, visitors may now experience the Shaun the Sheep trail apps at farm-themed attractions Paradise Country in Australia and Agrodome in New Zealand, where the character is a permanent fixture.
Shelley Burnett, Agrodome business manager, says: “Augmented reality is such a fun way for our younger visitors to experience Agrodome, here in Rotorua in New Zealand. I also get the impression it’s the parents that are just as keen to help Bitzer find the flock!”
Bug Hunt
This year, Aardman is collaborating with the Royal Entomological Society (RES) to develop a new trail package featuring characters from the popular CITV comedy series Lloyd of the Flies.
The Lloyd of the Flies Bug Hunt event takes visitors on a minibeast adventure and features Aardman’s AR Bug Hunt app. Lloyd, the RES’s first Insect Ambassador, launched the Bug Hunt at the recently relocated RHS Chelsea insect garden in Stratford Cross.
The Bug Hunt will be at the Bodnant Garden National Trust property in North Wales throughout the summer, where it will be available in both Welsh and English.
Families follow the trail with Lloyd and his friends and can use the special AR app to ‘shrink’ down to the size of a fly and observe the world through insect eyes. Families take a series of interactive challenges with encouragement from the show’s characters, who appear amongst the flowers. The Lloyd of the Flies AR Bug Hunt app is suitable for children of all ages and is available for free on both the App Store and Google Play.
Lorna Probert, executive producer – interactive and games, Aardman, comments: “At Aardman, we have a wealth of expertise bringing character IP to these more emerging formats; developing engaging and characterful immersive experiences, for our own brands and for those of external clients.
“Our in-house team have created a robust augmented app framework designed to encourage visitors young and old to explore and connect with their surroundings, bringing delightful memorable moments families and friends can share together.”
International partnerships
Molly Van Den Brink, attractions and live experiences manager, Aardman, says: “The successful rollout of our AR trail app programme over the last few years is truly testament to the value our characters can bring to attraction partners worldwide, with our trails enhancing a visitor experience rather than detracting from it and engaging families with our characters as they explore an attraction in a unique and novel way, watching as they appear in 3D before their eyes!
“Visitors experiencing the trail feel a sense of completion, guided to visit attractions and areas within them which they may not have experienced before and using this AR technology to engage with our audiences ensures our brands remain at the forefront of modern technological advances. The bespoke marketing tool within the app offers venue partners a unique way to both encourage customised UGC and measure trail engagement.
“We are really excited to see the apps continue to grow and launch across the UK and internationally over the coming months at such a wide variety of popular visitor attractions!”
The team is now working on a new interactive AR trail experience for Wallace and Gromit, following the successful launch of the Shaun the Sheep and Lloyd of the Flies apps.
In All Systems Go, families can join Wallace and Gromit in completing challenges, posing alongside the characters, and preparing the rocket for launch.
Museums, science centres, and other space-themed attractions will be the primary licence targets for this new experience, to centre around the brand themes of invention, science, and space exploration.
All Systems Go will launch later this year to coincide with the release of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which will be available on Netflix and BBC in the winter.
Aardman recently announced that its Shaun the Sheep IP will be heading to The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre at Northumberland National Park this summer.
