Almost two months after ending a pretty unprofitable relationship with Dreamworks, the animation geniuses at Aardman Features teamed up with Sony Pictures. Aardman also named a new creative director, Sarah Smith. I know that sounds like a made-up name but it’s probably real and Ms. Smith was good enough to release the names and brief descriptions of Aardman’s upcoming project. The fine folks at Variety published the list and now we are bringing it right to your table, or computer screen.

Peter Lord, who directed Chicken Run in 2000, is going to try to capture some of the pirate-related interest by basing a movie on the “The Pirates!” book series written by Gideon Defoe. Defoe’s books have been likened to Monty Python and “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Defoe, Lord and a few other guys are working on the screenplay. Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Ware-rabbit co-director Steve Box will head up The Cat Burglars. The title is meant literally as the plot follows stray cats who steal milk.

Aardman is also going to release a Christmas movie about how Santa runs a high-tech military style operation and a Nick Park directed movie not starring Wallace or Gromit. I can’t wait to see all of these movies as Aardman has not let me down yet. Even Flushed Away, which did poorly at the box office, was witty, exciting, and entertaining. Bring back the moving clay and dry English humor.