Walsall animator releases Black Country-inspired film made at Oscar-winning Aardman Animations

Leo Wright wrote, animated and directed The Big Bad Wolf and the five-minute animation has been entered into film festivals across Europe. His previous short films earned him recognition and Royal Television Awards but he said working at Aardman Animations was a dream come true.

For six months Leo worked at the world-famous Aardman studios near Bristol, where iconic characters like Morph and Wallace and Gromit were created, to create a plasticine Black Country world.

Leo, who studied animation at Staffordshire University learning the painstaking techniques to create his own world on film, was overjoyed to work with Nick Park's team.

He said: "As a child I would write to my childhood heroes Nick Park, David Sproxton and Peter Lord, never expecting the chance to make a film at their studio. After finishing my degree in animation and winning two Royal Television Awards, the opportunity for me to make a short film at Aardman Animations arose.

"The opportunity gave me six months from January - June this year to develop and animate a short film at the iconic Aardman studios with the support of Oscar winners such as Suzie Templeton and David Sproxton and Peter Lord, the creators of Morph and founders of the studio."

Leo wanted to use the opportunity to bring the Black Country alive in animation, and began writing in every local icon and landmark he could think of.

Ensuring the film reflected his home region, Leo included orange chips, Wolves and Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory amongst other iconic landmarks. And the shops are all named after local heroes like Frank Skinner and Noddy Holder.

Leo wanted to use the fable of the Three Little Pigs after discovering Walsall had the highest pig population in Victorian England, and added the big bad wolf into the mix.

He told the Express & Star: "Having always loved the Black Country heritage and classic fairytales, I took the concept of the Three Little Pigs and put them in the Black Country and thought it would make a great animated short film. Partly because the highest pig population in the UK was once in Walsall (for slaughtering in the Victorian era).

"Another iconic animal of the Black Country is the wolf (Wolves) so I billed the film ‘The Big Bad Wolf. It follows the story of the Three Little Pigs after they discover the power of the humble brick and forged ahead into an Industrial Revolution. Wolves became outcasts and lived life on the streets with pigs AKA the Porky Blinders, protected by their bricked-up factories, streets and back-to back houses.

"This is a film about inclusivity and not judging a book by its cover, which seems so relevant in this day and age."

Leo enlisted John Homer to narrate the film to add to the authenticity - he is known for being the face of the Black Country Living Museum and his TikTok shorts as a 1920s granddad went viral.

The film is finished and Leo, now in his early 20s, and Aardman will try and get it shown at film festivals and hopefully get nominated for animation awards.

He said: "Now the film is done it will travel the film festival circuit before being posted on social media - which is @leowrightstudios on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, as well as my website - leowrightstudios.com.

"My hope and aspiration is for these characters to be enjoyed in the Black Country and exhibited and enjoyed as an introduction to the Black Country of old for children. This film has been a labour of love and I hope you can see my love of the Black Country, our history, my family history and creativity in the film."