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A GRAND DAY OUT
Nick Park is animated. He’s talking about inspiring the next generation to follow in his footsteps from shy Preston schoolboy to multi-Oscar winning filmmaker.
It’s a timely discussion given where he is sitting. The Harris in Preston has just undergone a £19m transformation and sits at the heart of the city’s culture-led regeneration drive.
Proud Prestonian Nick is here to officially open the revamped museum and library, as well as a fascinating exhibition of his creative work.
Among other things, it explores his early life growing up in the city and its influence in the birth and development of his internationally loved creations, Wallace and Gromit.
The 66-year-old filmmaker and animator believes there are opportunities for Lancashire’s young creatives to make their mark. And in a phrase that might have come from the mouth of his plasticine hero Wallace, he advises: “Just have a crack.”
The four-time Academy Award winner says: “In my day the film industry seemed a million miles away. I never dreamt of working in the creative industry because it wasn’t on the radar of job opportunities or career choices.
“However, I was lucky enough to have parents who said if you have got something, follow it.”
Warming to the theme he adds: “I’d say just have a go. Today you can get apps on your smart phone and computer to make films.
“Get creative and have a crack at it. Have an idea that’s not too big. Make a lot out of something small, not the other way around. That’s what I did with Wallace and Gromit.
“I never envisaged it becoming as big as it is today. I just dreamt of creating characters. I was inspired watching a documentary about Disney, and the drawing of a mouse character. I went away thinking, ‘I’m going to make my own characters’.”
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IN VIEW
BIG INTERVIEW
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