Apple and Aardman create magical Wallace and Gromit Christmas light show using iPhone 16 Pro

Apple has revealed how it collaborated with Aardman, the animation studio behind iconic creations like Wallace and Gromit, to produce a massive light show projected onto a famous London landmark this year.

For those unfamiliar with the iconic British duo, Wallace is a cheese-loving, bumbling inventor, while Gromit is his long-suffering, loyal, and remarkably intelligent dog.

Aardman, who are also the creative geniuses behind Chicken Run, teamed up with Apple to create a magical four-minute Christmas animation. The short film features two towering Christmas trees decorating the iconic 331-foot-tall wash towers. Each tree is loaded with presents, and every gift has a handwritten tag with the names of the animators’ kids.

The magic was captured using eight iPhone 16 Pro Max devices, using the 5x telephoto lens in ProRAW mode. In true stop-motion style, they shot 6,000 individual frames, assembling them into a stunning 6K video. Mounted on motorized heads, the iPhones captured multiple angles, so that the animation felt alive and vibrant.

It’s not the first time that iPhones have been used to produce films. ReadWrite has previously reported how the California-based company launched its first scripted film, Submerged, using Apple Immersive Vision for Vision Pro. For the 2018 psychological thriller, Unsane, director Steven Soderbergh used three iPhone 7 Plus phones, shooting 4K video with an app called FiLMiC Pro controlling shutter speed, color and focus.

Apple’s marketing head, Greg Joswiak, praised Aardman’s artistry, pointing out how the combination of their creativity and the iPhone’s technology resulted in something truly heartwarming.

Joswiak added: “Wallace & Gromit are a much-loved and iconic duo, and we’re delighted that they will be lighting up Battersea Power Station for Londoners this year.

“It’s great to see the skill and ingenuity of Aardman, and how they’ve used the most advanced iPhone we’ve ever made to produce something so joyful.”

Gavin Strange, Aardman’s director said: “This project has been a dream to direct — a cinematic fusion of tech and art.”

The animator continued: “Shooting stop-motion animation on iPhone with the legendary Wallace & Gromit, to then be projected onto the iconic Battersea Power Station, makes this unique in so many ways. I hope that this Christmas, everyone feels inspired to start shooting their own stop-motion masterpieces, and I’m excited and proud of what we’ve all created.”

Even the tech giant’s CEO, Tim Cook, complimented the result. Taking to X, he said: “The stop-motion animation was #ShotOniPhone and will surely get people into the holiday spirit.”

Thank you to the brilliant Aardman for creating this amazing Wallace & Gromit animation on London’s Battersea Power Station! The stop-motion animation was #ShotOniPhone and will surely get people into the holiday spirit. pic.twitter.com/VC6hTN2WEi

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 1, 2024

The light show has just gone live at Battersea Power Station in south London, which will be on display every day from 5pm to 10.30pm until Dec. 31. Apple’s headquarters in the United Kingdom, happen to be in the same building.

Featured image: Apple / Aardman

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