In December 1997, Aardman and DreamWorks (later DreamWorks Animation) announced that their companies were teaming up to co-finance and distribute "Chicken Run", Aardman's first feature film, which had already been in pre-production for a year. On 27 October 1999, Aardman and DreamWorks signed a $250 million deal to make an additional four films that were estimated to be completed during the next 12 years. Along with the deal their first project was announced, titled "The Tortoise and the Hare". Intended to be based on Aesop's fable and directed by Richard Goleszowski, it was paused two years later because of the script problems. On 23 June 2000, "Chicken Run" was released to a great critical and financial success. In 2005, after ten years of absence, Wallace and Gromit returned in Academy Award-winning "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". The following year "Flushed Away", Aardman's first computer-animated feature, was released.