Aardman Animations are best known for their “claymations” models and animation technique.
The last two films, made by Aardman Animations in partnership with Dreamworks - Flushed Away and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit – both made losses, but the latter movie went on to win the Oscar for best animated feature.
Open Season was the first release in 2006 from Sony Pictures' animation division and starred comic and actor Billy Connolly as the leader of some squirrels.
Sony co-chairman Amy Pascal said: "We couldn't be more excited about working with the entire Aardman team.”
