Richard Phelan

Year of Graduation: 2005

  • Course BA Animation
  • School Wolverhampton School of Art
  • Nationality British
  • Career industry Animation
  • Current job title Head of Story
  • Current Company Aardman Animations / Bristol

My time at Wolverhampton set me on the path to becoming the filmmaker I am today.

I really enjoyed my time studying at the University of Wolverhampton. The lecturers were all professional filmmakers in different techniques providing a great range of influences to explore. There was a strong emphasis on experimenting with techniques, allowing us to push ourselves and discover the types of stories that interested us and what we wanted to tell. The University also had a fantastic film reference library of cinema from around the world.

I'm currently working as Head of Story on Aardman Animations' upcoming feature film, Chicken Run 2.

Richard is an OSCAR and BAFTA nominated director. He graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 2005 and went on to receive his MA in Animation Direction from the National Film and Television School in 2011. He has worked as a Story Artist on animated feature films, television series, and commercials. He has also written several episodes of the award-winning series, Shaun the Sheep.

The University of Wolverhampton provided me a space to explore and discover the type of filmmaker I wanted to be. It opened up my horizons to the vast scope of what animation could do and created a great environment to try things.

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