Rob Munday

From features to commercials, the name Aardman is one that has become synonymous with a certain brand of exuberant and entertaining production in the world animation. The release of a new short from the studio comes with a guarantee of grin-inducing fun and latest film Ray’s Big idea is no exception. Following a determined sea-creature as he struggles to make a better life for himself, Steve Harding-Hill’s 3-minute short packs a lot of laughs, adventure and (as expected) stunning animation into its brief run-time.

Although focusing on a prehistoric fish and his quest to escape the overcrowded primordial ocean that he calls home – Ray’s Big Idea is a surprisingly relatable tale, with its themes of progress and determination making it a story easy to identify with. Alongside, its simple but fun premise, Aardman’s latest short is – as you would expect – rocking a rather fetching visual style. A jaunty journey through a thoughtfully-designed primitive land, Ray’s Big Idea delivers some seriously impressive character design for a film consisting largely of fish and if that’s not a hook [get it – fish..hook! *sigh*], I don’t know what is.

4-years since we last featured an Aardman short on our site, lets hope they don’t leave it so long next time – even if the studio’s style doesn’t fit your tastes, there’s no denying the quality of the work. It’s well-produced, wholesome family-fun…and we could all do with a large slice of that every now and again.