Nick Park
Nick Park is a British animator, director and writer best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts and Shaun the Sheep. Park has been nominated for an Academy Award a total of six times, as well as receiving five BAFTA Awards including the BAFTA for Best Short Animation.
His interest in animation began at an early stage in his life, and at the age of 13, he began making films with the help of his mother and her home movie camera. His father was an amateur inventor which may also have played a role in Nick Parks creativity. He then went on to study animation at the National Film and Television school in Buckinghamshire. It was during his time here that he created the characters that eventually developed into the well-loved Wallace and Gromit.
Park created the characters for his graduation project and used traditional stop-motion techniques to bring his characters to life. However, he did not actually have the film complete in time when he finished his course.
I really love Parks work, in particular Wallace and Gromit. The well renounced animator stated that Wallace was very like his dad “because of his whole attitude to life” which I find so inspiring that he created such an enjoyable show based off someone close to him. The visual look of Wallace was inspired by a postman he knew called Jerry, and Gromit’s cultured character is perhaps inspired by the character Snowy in Tintin as this was Parks favourite watch when he was growing up.
In 20005, the first full-length Wallace and Gromit film was released, called The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. What I love about Nick Parks work is that if you asked anybody, they would know what Wallace and Gromit is. The concept of stop-motion production having such an engraved effect in people’s minds is awe-inspiring, how an artist can bring people together over a shared memory of watching Wallace and Gromit. I find his work inspiring and enjoyable, unique, and effective.