Perhaps the biggest revelation here is how advanced the British are in the specialized area of claymation, particularly when it comes to using this technique to delineate character. (A substantial amount of this work comes from TV commercials, though perhaps the best in the lot, saved for last, is Nick Park’s 1989 Oscar nominee Creature Comforts, a short in which zoo animals describe their living conditions.) Unfortunately, the length of the program presents some problems; 110 minutes of compressed bombardment ultimately becomes a kind of punishment, regardless of how good the work is. But taken in reasonable doses, this is mainly delightful. Among the more prominent animators are David Stone, Peter Lord, Candy Guard, Joanna Quinn, David Anderson, and Richard Ollive, who contributes a lovely re-creation of a turn-of-the-century comic strip that recalls Winsor McCay. (JR)