The trails will feature 120 specially-painted giant statues of Shaun the Sheep, who first shot to fame in the 1995 film, A Close Shave. A variety of celebrities and artists, including Shaun’s creator Nick Park, have been commissioned to create their own Shaun design.
With 60 sheep heading to London and another 60 to Bristol, each statue will be inspired by its location. The 2015 launch will coincide with both the opening of Shaun the Sheep the Movie and the Chinese Year of the Sheep.
The London trail will be available to explore for eight weeks from March, taking fans of the sheep to destinations such as the City of London, Westminster and the Southbank. The Bristol tour will launch in July and continue on into August.
Following the conclusion of the trails, both flocks will go on display to the public before the sheep are auctioned off to raise money for Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity and The Grand Appeal. Companies are currently being encouraged to join the likes of Big Bus London, Burges Salmon and Rolls-Royce as sponsors of the flock.
Park said: "The Shaun in the City trail means so much to me. Shaun is such a well-loved character with fans all over the world. He will add such colour to our streets and I am sure many will flock to the City to be part of the fun.
"I am particularly looking forward to working with so many talented artists and seeing how they will use Shaun as their canvas."
Nicola Masters, director at Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity, added: "This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved with the world’s first Shaun in the City trail, staged in the heart of the capital and designed to draw international attention and visitors from across the globe, whilst raising vital funds to support children in hospitals."
Shaun in the City follows Aardman Animations’ 2013 art tour, Gromit Unleashed, which saw 1.18 million people visit statues of the animated dog in Bristol.
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