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Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman Studios, and one of the people responsible for bringing about the golden age of animation in which we live, is a man with a not unsurprisingly whimsical way of expressing himself.  When I spoke with him on April 10, 2012, there was no denying the whimsy, nor the passion he has not just for animation, but for the meticulous and time-consuming efforts necessary to produce the detailed stop-motion variety with which he made his mark. One thing I was most curious about was the use of CGI mixed with stop-motion in PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS, as well as whether or not his previous film, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS, an entirely CGI effort, was a commentary of sorts on the effect CGI has had on old-fashioned hand-craftsmanship. His answers were suitably erudite and pithy for a man with a perfect sympathy for both subtle and slapstick humor. I was also able to get his reaction to the fire that destroyed much of Aardman's stored collections, which had the charm of the unexpected to it.