"Disney and Pixar not withstanding, Britain's Nick Park is the undisputed, undefeated king of animation," Richard Harrington asserted in the Washington Post. Using Plasticine models in the stop-action technique commonly known as "claymation," writer and director Park has collected three Academy Awards for his films in just six years. His first film, A Grand Day Out, introduced the tandem of Wallace and Gromit and the duo's popularity has increased exponentially with each new film. The adventures of the endearingly guileless inventor and his long-suffering canine companion typically involve a struggle with technology run amok and feature a wealth of visual detail and humor. "The most important thing in animation is not the technology but strong characters and a compelling story," Toy Story director John Lasseter told Alan Burdick in the New York Times Magazine. "Nick Park clearly understands this and proves it with his ability to take a...