Animated films don't generally have a strong appeal for me, but I make an exception for Wallace & Gromit movies, “Chicken Run,” “Creature Comforts” and anything else from Aardman, so I was eager to read “A Grand Success! The Aardman Journey, One Frame at a Time” by Peter Lord and David Sproxton.

Lord and Sproxton met as schoolboys and began making brief animated films, inspired by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python. Lord had the more creative mind, while his friend was more comfortable with technology and photography. Between the two of them they had what it takes to make Plasticine figures move on film. Soon they were making short films for British television, which led to their work on the Pee-wee Herman show in America, then Wallace & Gromit (and the genius of Nick Park), a series of Oscars and finally a thriving studio in out-of-the-way Bristol.

The two old friends fill their book with odd trivia that will amuse admirers of their work. Aardman, the name of their company, was actually the name of their first character, a comic superhero named Aardman. Gromit was a cat before he became a dog. Wallace's celebrated fondness for Wensleydale cheese actually rescued Wensleydale cheese. The creamery that produced it had been threatened with closing before the films significantly increased demand for the cheese. “Chicken Run” was inspired by “The Great Escape.”

Aardman was courted by Hollywood and made films for both Disney and DreamWorks, while resisting efforts to purchase their most popular characters. Eventually they were freed from their contracts and able to make their own films in their own way, with the British humor intact.

They could have used some help with their book, however. Their narrative often shifts awkwardly from talking about themselves in third person to first person before switching back again. In one instance, a quote from Sproxton on one page is repeated word for word on the very next page. So the book may not quite be the grand success the movies are, yet true fans will love it as I do. ( )