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When the family acquired an 8-millimeter Bell & Howell movie camera, young Nick\u2019s father encouraged him to make little animation films by creating flip books and felt cutout characters.<\/p>\n
In an interview, Park discussed his childhood, his homemade Oscars outfit, and the time he sat next to Queen Elizabeth II. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cVengeance Most Fowl\u201d is very current in terms of technology and artificial intelligence: The robotic gnome seems to develop a mind of its own. Was this your idea?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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I had been toying around with the idea of Wallace inventing a smart, robotic gnome to help Gromit in the garden. The idea was full of potential for high jinks in the garden, but it was lacking a sinister element that\u2019s always in the Wallace and Gromit films. Then I suddenly thought of bringing back the bird, Feathers McGraw. Screenwriter Mark Burton latched on to the idea immediately.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about: can we trust the people who are controlling the tech that we put our trust in?<\/p>\n
One wonders whether it\u2019s an attempt to make Wallace and Gromit move with the times?<\/strong><\/p>\nFor my part, I\u2019ve never seen the need to do that: update Wallace and Gromit in that way. I think it\u2019s just a happy accident.<\/p>\n
Why not? Wallace and Gromit is a quaint and quintessentially British concept, and it could lapse into obsolescence.<\/strong><\/p>\nWallace exists in a time warp that\u2019s somewhere between the 1950s and almost today, but not quite. The point is to keep the references not too contemporary, because I think Wallace and Gromit is universal. Yes, there are comments on today, and contemporary jokes, but we tend to stay away from popular culture. We have to keep the stories inventive and with an edge. We try to find something a bit new in each film, but there has to be familiarity.<\/p>\n
I was a bit nervous to introduce too much tech, because the Wallace comics world is more about inventions. But I think tech lends itself to comedy, because half the time, it\u2019s doing annoying things that aren\u2019t working properly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Wallace was inspired by your father, wasn\u2019t he? Your father had a garden shed where he would invent gadgets.<\/strong><\/p>\nThings aren\u2019t always consciously based on somebody. You just think them up, and they probably come from a lot of different sources. My father was not an inventor as such. He just loved working with wood and building furniture in the garden shed. Like Wallace, he would think of something we needed in the house and make it. My mum would say, \u201cI wish I had something to put the kettle on,\u201d and he\u2019d immediately go, \u201cRight!\u201d Like in a cartoon, you\u2019d hear sawing and hammering and drilling, and then he\u2019d come out a few weeks later with this thing.<\/p>\n
I remember that when I was animating Wallace initially, there were times when, even though my dad\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t touch in the middle, I could see his face \u2014 when I was making him frown, or in whatever expression. It was uncanny.<\/p>\n
Is it true that when you were nominated for an Oscar, you had no time to buy a bow tie for the ceremony and made one yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\nYes. I bought some elastic, and this glittery green wrapping paper, and some Sellotape. I just made it in about half an hour. The fashion page of one newspaper called it \u201ca travesty of taste!\u201d<\/p>\n
Where do you get the patience to make stop-motion animation?<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019ve always loved things that take a long time. I remember my mother teaching me to knit when I was about 8 years old. I love learning slowly. I like playing golf, I love painting, and I\u2019ve always done a bit of fishing and bird watching.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It may take three days to do a shot, but what a shot it is, and what wonderful comedy that people are going to enjoy. It\u2019s artistically satisfying. If you\u2019ve got a great idea for a poem or a story, you don\u2019t think how many words it might take. A lot of patience goes into writing 500 words.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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You\u2019ve described yourself as being quietly ambitious.<\/strong><\/p>\nThat\u2019s true. It\u2019s more just making a mark. I\u2019ve always been fairly quiet. As a boy, I used to love drawing in the corner. I probably felt invisible a lot of the time.<\/p>\n
When the animation came along, I was amazed that it was getting the attention. I didn\u2019t always want it. The work itself should earn it. I don\u2019t understand people wanting to be a celeb for just being on a show.<\/p>\n
You were once invited to a lunch with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and sat next to her. What was that like?<\/strong><\/p>\nThere were about a dozen people. I didn\u2019t know why I\u2019d been invited, and I was surprised to be seated next to the queen. She was talking mostly to the person on the other side, then finally turned to me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n