THE latest creation of animation company Aardman -- home of Wallace and Gromit and Morph -- will be launched exclusively on the internet next month.

The first episodes of Angry Kid will only be available on Atom Films' website.

Angry Kid might be from the same stable as some of the animation world's cutest characters, but there's nothing sweet about him.

Michael Rose, Aardman's head of film and TV productions, said: "He's anarchic, irreverent and definitely not suitable for family viewing -- perfect for the internet."

Dressed in 70s Parka, Angry Kid shares his life to camera in a series of one-minute episodes. Relentless, idiotic and frequently stubborn, his pre-teen sensitivity has, so far, led to several near car crashes, run-ins with the police and considerable experimentation with his own body. His irritable Dad just wants to send him to the children's home but mum still loves her "little poppet".

It is thought to be the first time a major production house has launched a new series exclusively on the web.

Dave Sproxton, co-founder and managing director of Aardman, said: "We believe the internet could prove to be one of the most exciting platforms for entertainment distribution." Michael Cornish, managing director of Atom Films Europe, said: "The work we are doing with Aardman shows what the internet can offer in terms of an entertainment experience in the future. TV and cinemas limit when and how you watch quality entertainment. The internet is overcoming these obstacles. By releasing this primarily over the internet, a potential audience of hundreds of millions of people across the world can enjoy each of Aardman's Angry Kid episodes the moment they are released." Angry Kid has been created and animated by Darren Walsh at Aardman's studios

in Bristol. The first episode will be available to download as a Quicktime Movie from midnight on Sunday May 7 with the remaining 24 episodes posted up at regular intervals over the following weeks.

The company says that using a standard 28.8k modem, each episode will take approximately six minutes to download. With a faster modem, download times should decrease dramatically.

And expect your e-mail inbox to be bulging with Angry Kid clips -- Aardman is actively encouraging free distribution of the animated films via e-mail.

Aardman's own site is worth a look for fans of all things animated.

http://www.angrykid.com

http://www.atomfilms.com

http://www.aardman.com