Hiddleston massaged for Early Man

Early Man is set, as its name suggests, in the early days of mankind's history, and sees a group of isolated cavemen and women coming up against some technologically savvy Bronze Age people.

During one scene, Hiddleston's Bronze Age character Lord Nooth is being massaged by a boar, but he was struggling to make a convincing noise, which is where Park comes in.

"He was kind of cracking up anyway at the whole scene.. and trying to rub his own shoulders, so I offered to do it," Park told AAP.

"And so we did it and that's the take that really worked, and that's what causes that warble.

"I had to pinch myself and think, this is so surreal, I'm massaging Tom Hiddleston - some would pay money to do that!"

The film centres around caveman Dug, voiced by Eddie Redmayne. It's up to Dug to convince Lord Nooth to leave his valley alone, by pitting the two tribes against each other in a game of soccer.

Park says he was originally inspired by the cartoons of Gary Larsen, which often feature cavemen bearing clubs.

"At first it started with the ball being small, something like a baseball, but then I wondered what if cavemen invented football," he said.

Fans of Park's other creations will delight in Dug's sidekick, the wild (or maybe tame) boar called Hognob massaging Lord Nooth, who is as silent as Gromit but enjoys the best visual gags.

Park says his silent characters are what animation is all about for him.

"One of the things I enjoy the most is getting a character to communicate by expressions and visual mannerisms," he says.

And it's the expressions that clay figures allow that has kept him to this particular medium over the years.

"It's because you're treating and manipulating the clay, it gives it that nuance and realism if you like."

* Early Man opens in Australian cinemas across the school holidays, from March 29

Australian Associated Press