Bill Plympton's fans will need disclaimers before settling into his latest feature offering, Revengeance: The animation pioneer didn't write it, and the characters are not drawn in his usual style. Though his pacing and framing tendencies are evident, this film finds the artist serving the vision of a much less famous animator, Pasadena's Jim Lujan. Set in a cartoonishly seedy version of California's Inland Empire, this lowlife tale of bikers and reality-show politicians diverts without quite justifying its presence as a feature, though many fans of both artists will be pleased with what appears to be a happy collaboration.
Animated...
Animated...
- 10/16/2017
- by John DeFore
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With animated food orgies, grotesque depictions of living objects hacked to pieces, and F-bombs galore, “Sausage Party” shatters taboos with glee. Now, its creators are getting the last laugh.
Co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg first conceived of the deranged animated comedy nearly a decade ago, and every studio passed on it. “We really naively thought everyone in Hollywood would be very enthusiastic about an R-rated comedy about a hot dog trying to uncover the meaning of existence,” Rogen told a New York crowd filled with members of the Academy’s animation branch last weekend. “We were wrong.”
Years later, with the help of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, “Sausage Party” came to vulgar life under the guidance of veteran animation directors Conrad Vernon (“Shrek 2”) and Greg Tiernan. To date, the movie has grossed over $138 million worldwide, well over its reported $19 million budget, inspiring distributor Sony to mount an...
Co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg first conceived of the deranged animated comedy nearly a decade ago, and every studio passed on it. “We really naively thought everyone in Hollywood would be very enthusiastic about an R-rated comedy about a hot dog trying to uncover the meaning of existence,” Rogen told a New York crowd filled with members of the Academy’s animation branch last weekend. “We were wrong.”
Years later, with the help of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, “Sausage Party” came to vulgar life under the guidance of veteran animation directors Conrad Vernon (“Shrek 2”) and Greg Tiernan. To date, the movie has grossed over $138 million worldwide, well over its reported $19 million budget, inspiring distributor Sony to mount an...
- 11/15/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Last month Bill Plympton's outrageously funny and dazzling animated romance "Cheatin’" opened in theaters across the country and on Vimeo on Demand. The award-winning film was Kickstarter-backed by Pylmpton's fans around the world and has received widespread critical acclaim. Now, the “King of Indie Animation” has returned to Kickstarter to ask animation fans to support his new Tarantino-esque animated feature film, "Revengeance." The film, a biker revenge dark comedy, mark’s Plympton’s eighth animated feature. You can check out an exclusive preview of the movie Here.
For the first time in his career, Plympton is collaborating on a film; co-creating "Revengeance" with underground animator and cartoonist Jim Lujan ("Sanjourno Must Die," "Spike and Mike," "Freakdaddy"). The talented voice cast includes Dave Foley ("The Kids in the Hall"), Kristina Wong, Lalo Alcaraz, Ken Mora, Jim Lujan himself, and actor Matthew Modine.
Modine, a long-time supporter of independent animation, is best known as “Pvt. Joker” in Stanley Kubrick’s "Full Metal Jacket," and as “Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley” in Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight Rises." He can next be seen in this Summer’s new TNT drama, "Proof," opposite Jennifer Beals. He previously voiced two short films ("Santa," "The Fascist Years" and "The Flying House") by Plympton and executive produced Plympton’s "Cheatin’."
“Bill’s new feature with Jim Lujan looks like a blast. I’m excited to voice both ‘Sid,’ a biker gang member, and ‘Master,’ a cult leader! It’s fun doing character work like this and I love traditional hand-drawn animation,” said Matthew Modine.
Plympton will produce, animate, and direct "Revengeance" while Lujan will write, design, compose music, and voice many of the characters. Producer Adam Rackoff who served as Executive Producer on Plympton’s "The Flying House" and "Cheatin’" is returning to Executive Produce "Revengeance." The film has already begun production and is based on an original screenplay written by Lujan.
Plympton’s Cheatin’ was a Kickstarter darling. The campaign, launched in 2012, raised $100,916, nearly $26,000 past the fundraising goal.
Commented Bill Plympton: “I met Jim Lujan years ago when he interviewed me about my film Idiots and Angels, and he gave me some of his DVDs. I was really impressed by his work and asked him if he’d be interested in collaborating on a film. When he sent me the script for 'Revengeance' it was like discovering a new world---the underbelly of Los Angeles with bikers, gangsters, drug dealers, crooked politicians, and prostitutes. It was really dark and fascinating. I was so excited to make his film and thus the pre- production journey began. It’s a delight to come back to Kickstarter and officially launch 'Revengeance!' I think Kickstarter is the future for independent filmmaking.”
Added Jim Lujan: “Getting to know Bill through the years has really been inspiring. He truly is the “king of indie animation” and such a great person. Bill has kicked doors down and allowed me to learn from him. I couldn’t ask for a better collaborator on 'Revengeance' and we are thrilled to get this project off the ground.”
There is only week left to support this promising and unique project. Supporters can receive a variety of rewards including signed DVDs, Blu-rays, rare artwork, original animation drawings, and personal caricatures by Plympton. For the right price, fans can even have their likeness animated into the film as an “extra.”
Other rewards for the "Revengeance" campaign include:
-A private link to the finished film for a pledge of only $15 or more,
-An exclusive "Revengeance" postcard autographed by Plympton for pledges of $35 or more,
-An HD Blu-ray of the film hand-signed by Plympton for pledges of $75 or more.
-For backers who can pledge $100, you can get either an original animation drawing from "Revengeance" or a collection of limited edition caricature prints from Bill’s early years as an illustrator.
-Those who pledge $300 can get a classic animation drawing from one "Your Face," The Tune," "How to Kiss" or Plympton's MTV work
-Fans who pledge $400 or $499 will be able to select a classic production cel or drawing from "Your Face," The Tune," "How to Kiss" or Plympton's MTV work
- $500 or more, will get you “Bill Plympton’s Super Fan Package” and a “special thanks” credit at the end of the film. This package includes nearly all of Plympton’s animated films and books, with everything autographed (6 DVDs, 2 CDs, 2 posters, and 3 books).
-For pledges $1,000 or more, fans receive an original 8.5 x 11 in Wanted poster featuring a caricature of themselves hand-drawn by Plympton.
-For the first time, fans can be animated into a Plympton film as an “extra” for pledges of $1,500 or more.
For the complete list of rewards, please visit the "Revengeance" Kickstarter page.
Bill Plympton is widely considered to be the “King of Indie Animation.” He has been nominated for Academy Awards for "Your Face" (1987) and "Guard Dog" (2004) and is the first person to hand-animate an entire feature film entirely by himself. Bill and his team have been busy keeping up with the hundreds of questions and requests that continue to come through the Kickstarter message boards. To view the Kickstarter page and pledge your support, please visit: http://kck.st/1aEhcVG. The campaign ends on May 21.
"Revengeance" is directed, animated, and produced by Bill Plympton; written, designed, voiced, and scored by Jim Lujan; and Executive Produced by Adam Rackoff and Matthew Modine.
Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1aEhcVG
Official Film Website: http://www.revengeancemovie.com...
For the first time in his career, Plympton is collaborating on a film; co-creating "Revengeance" with underground animator and cartoonist Jim Lujan ("Sanjourno Must Die," "Spike and Mike," "Freakdaddy"). The talented voice cast includes Dave Foley ("The Kids in the Hall"), Kristina Wong, Lalo Alcaraz, Ken Mora, Jim Lujan himself, and actor Matthew Modine.
Modine, a long-time supporter of independent animation, is best known as “Pvt. Joker” in Stanley Kubrick’s "Full Metal Jacket," and as “Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley” in Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight Rises." He can next be seen in this Summer’s new TNT drama, "Proof," opposite Jennifer Beals. He previously voiced two short films ("Santa," "The Fascist Years" and "The Flying House") by Plympton and executive produced Plympton’s "Cheatin’."
“Bill’s new feature with Jim Lujan looks like a blast. I’m excited to voice both ‘Sid,’ a biker gang member, and ‘Master,’ a cult leader! It’s fun doing character work like this and I love traditional hand-drawn animation,” said Matthew Modine.
Plympton will produce, animate, and direct "Revengeance" while Lujan will write, design, compose music, and voice many of the characters. Producer Adam Rackoff who served as Executive Producer on Plympton’s "The Flying House" and "Cheatin’" is returning to Executive Produce "Revengeance." The film has already begun production and is based on an original screenplay written by Lujan.
Plympton’s Cheatin’ was a Kickstarter darling. The campaign, launched in 2012, raised $100,916, nearly $26,000 past the fundraising goal.
Commented Bill Plympton: “I met Jim Lujan years ago when he interviewed me about my film Idiots and Angels, and he gave me some of his DVDs. I was really impressed by his work and asked him if he’d be interested in collaborating on a film. When he sent me the script for 'Revengeance' it was like discovering a new world---the underbelly of Los Angeles with bikers, gangsters, drug dealers, crooked politicians, and prostitutes. It was really dark and fascinating. I was so excited to make his film and thus the pre- production journey began. It’s a delight to come back to Kickstarter and officially launch 'Revengeance!' I think Kickstarter is the future for independent filmmaking.”
Added Jim Lujan: “Getting to know Bill through the years has really been inspiring. He truly is the “king of indie animation” and such a great person. Bill has kicked doors down and allowed me to learn from him. I couldn’t ask for a better collaborator on 'Revengeance' and we are thrilled to get this project off the ground.”
There is only week left to support this promising and unique project. Supporters can receive a variety of rewards including signed DVDs, Blu-rays, rare artwork, original animation drawings, and personal caricatures by Plympton. For the right price, fans can even have their likeness animated into the film as an “extra.”
Other rewards for the "Revengeance" campaign include:
-A private link to the finished film for a pledge of only $15 or more,
-An exclusive "Revengeance" postcard autographed by Plympton for pledges of $35 or more,
-An HD Blu-ray of the film hand-signed by Plympton for pledges of $75 or more.
-For backers who can pledge $100, you can get either an original animation drawing from "Revengeance" or a collection of limited edition caricature prints from Bill’s early years as an illustrator.
-Those who pledge $300 can get a classic animation drawing from one "Your Face," The Tune," "How to Kiss" or Plympton's MTV work
-Fans who pledge $400 or $499 will be able to select a classic production cel or drawing from "Your Face," The Tune," "How to Kiss" or Plympton's MTV work
- $500 or more, will get you “Bill Plympton’s Super Fan Package” and a “special thanks” credit at the end of the film. This package includes nearly all of Plympton’s animated films and books, with everything autographed (6 DVDs, 2 CDs, 2 posters, and 3 books).
-For pledges $1,000 or more, fans receive an original 8.5 x 11 in Wanted poster featuring a caricature of themselves hand-drawn by Plympton.
-For the first time, fans can be animated into a Plympton film as an “extra” for pledges of $1,500 or more.
For the complete list of rewards, please visit the "Revengeance" Kickstarter page.
Bill Plympton is widely considered to be the “King of Indie Animation.” He has been nominated for Academy Awards for "Your Face" (1987) and "Guard Dog" (2004) and is the first person to hand-animate an entire feature film entirely by himself. Bill and his team have been busy keeping up with the hundreds of questions and requests that continue to come through the Kickstarter message boards. To view the Kickstarter page and pledge your support, please visit: http://kck.st/1aEhcVG. The campaign ends on May 21.
"Revengeance" is directed, animated, and produced by Bill Plympton; written, designed, voiced, and scored by Jim Lujan; and Executive Produced by Adam Rackoff and Matthew Modine.
Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1aEhcVG
Official Film Website: http://www.revengeancemovie.com...
- 5/12/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The actor previously did voice work on two Plympton shorts – Santa, The Fascist Years and The Flying House – and served as executive producer on the filmmaker’s Cheatin’.
Revengeance is currently being funded on Kickstarter. As of May 4, the fund had accumulated $30,000 and more than 300 backers with more than three weeks left to go.
Modine will serve as executive producer alongside producing partner Adam Rackoff for their production company Cinco Dedos Peliculas.
“Bill’s new feature with Jim Lujan looks like a blast,” said Modine. “I’m excited to voice both Sid, a biker gang member, and Master, a cult leader. It’s fun doing character work like this and I love traditional hand-drawn animation.”
Modine has done voice work on a number of animations including Wrinkles, the Oscar-nominated A Cat In Paris and the upcoming Last Days Of Coney Island.
Plympton has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Your Face and Guard Dog. His latest...
Revengeance is currently being funded on Kickstarter. As of May 4, the fund had accumulated $30,000 and more than 300 backers with more than three weeks left to go.
Modine will serve as executive producer alongside producing partner Adam Rackoff for their production company Cinco Dedos Peliculas.
“Bill’s new feature with Jim Lujan looks like a blast,” said Modine. “I’m excited to voice both Sid, a biker gang member, and Master, a cult leader. It’s fun doing character work like this and I love traditional hand-drawn animation.”
Modine has done voice work on a number of animations including Wrinkles, the Oscar-nominated A Cat In Paris and the upcoming Last Days Of Coney Island.
Plympton has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Your Face and Guard Dog. His latest...
- 5/5/2015
- ScreenDaily
Matthew Modine has joined the voice cast of Bill Plympton’s new animated feature “Revengeance,” which also includes Dave Foley (“The Kids in the Hall”), TheWrap has learned. Currently raising funds on Kickstarter, “Revengeance” is a dark comedy about a biker who is out for revenge. It marks the eighth animated feature from Plympton, who is collaborating with underground animator and cartoonist Jim Lujan (“Freakdaddy”). “Revengeance” is directed, animated and produced by Plympton. The film was written, designed, voiced and scored by Jim Lujan. Modine will also serve as executive producer along with Adam Rackoff. Also Read: TNT's Summer Lineup Includes 'Cold Justice'.
- 4/30/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
For the first time since 1987 (Diane Kurys's A Man in Love), a female director will open the Cannes Film Festival: Emmanuelle Bercot's La Tête haute. Above: Josh Karp has written a book on Orson Welles's last film, The Other Side of the Wind, and has penned an article for Vanity Fair that traces the history of this infamous lost and found movie:"The story behind the making of The Other Side of the Wind begins at Schwab’s drugstore, the Hollywood soda fountain where: Charlie Chaplin played pinball, F. Scott Fitzgerald had his first heart attack, and, according to some versions of the story, Lana Turner was discovered while cutting school to grab a Coke."More on Orson Welles: David Bordwell writes on his personal history with the filmmaker (and his hometown) occasioned by a retrospective in Madison, Wisconsin: "So I had good luck coming here...
- 4/15/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Bill Plympton, a two-time Oscar nominee for his slightly deranged hand-drawn animated films, returns to Kickstarter on Tuesday, seeking to raise $100,000 to finance his eighth feature-length film, Revengeance, co-produced with Jim Lujan, another animator who wrote the screenplay. He cited films such as The Big Lebowski, Inherent Vice and Pulp Fiction as thematic touchstones. According to a video Plympton and Lujan created for the crowdfunding campaign, the film follows…...
- 4/7/2015
- Deadline
Independent filmmaking is not only a labor of love, is one of tireless perseverance, devoted collaborations, and unshakable faith on a project that may or may not remunerate anyone involved. Failure is not a vague possibility but a really possible outcome. Now let's take those incredibly challenging stakes and double them when speaking about independent animation. Indoctrinated by a lifetime of impeccably fairy tales and magical adventures, it's difficult for both American audiences and investors to see animation as an art form that shouldn't be bound to easily digestible, children-oriented themes.
Europe and Asia -Japan, in a particular - have a more sophisticated relationship with the medium. They understand its power, beauty and possibilities beyond the happy-ending artificiality we are used to. In the U.S. few voices in animation make waves while working outside of the studios grip, among them Bill Plympton is by far the most celebrated and prolific. His irreverent artistry has refuse to a align with the status quo both stylistically and thematically for the past 30 years.
In Plympton's films the artist is ever-present in the visible handcraft of every frame. Colorful, ironic, sometimes twisted, and others endearing, his characters, even with all the surrealism that coats them, are more human than those which are smoothly crafted digitally. His work feels alive and delves into a wondrous array of emotions, concerns, and tragedies that others avoid. To call it daring and one-of-a-kind would be an understatement.
His latest feature "Cheatin'," is a spellbinding tale that translate all the irrationality of love into an exhilarating animated experience. A man and a woman fall hopelessly in love for each other, but when they suspect the other is being unfaithful, hatred kicks in with the same force as their passion once did. Delightfully racy and visually stunning, this is the most audacious and intelligent animated film you will see this year.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Plympton about "Cheatin'" and the challenges and privileges associated with being an independent animator in a profit-driven world.
Aguilar: Your films, both shorts and features, often take us into extraordinarily imaginative trips, but they also seem to come from everyday issues we can all relate to. Tell me about the origins of “Cheatin’” and about transforming the familiar premise of a relationship in trouble into an animated wonder.
Bill Plympton : It’s taken from a real relationship I had that went very bad and we decided to break up because we were so bad together. I thought this would be a good idea for a film because there would a lot of humor in it. There is always a lot of humor in conflict and there was a lot of conflict in our relationship. Around 2009 I made a list of all the scenes I wanted to include. Once I got that down I started doing a storyboard. This was a tiny storyboard it wasn’t a big one. When I had that figured out then I went and did the finished storyboard, and this is where all the real problems are answered. This is where I design the characters, I design the editing, I design the story, I design the backgrounds. Everything was resolved in that major storyboard. I liked it, I thought it was a great idea and had good potential. Then I went right into animation.
Aguilar: The surreal, dream-like sequences are a highlight of the film. They are inventive metaphors that really showcase a refreshing and uncompromising use of the medium.
Bill Plympton: That’s the magic of animation, you can go on these crazy surreal dream-like sequences. They are really fun to draw and fun to watch. My favorite is the one where Ella is sitting on a park bench and she discovers her heart. She discovers romance. You realize she’s been hiding her love deep inside of her soul. She wants to go inside and discover her heart, bring it out, and revive it. That’s when she falls in love with this guy named Jake. I think that was a very poetic sequence and it was done without dialogue, it’s all visual storytelling. It’s one of my favorite parts.
Aguilar: As you mentioned, the film doesn’t have any dialogue. It’s completely cinematic, yet you are able to convey rather complex ideas. Why did you feel this was the best approach for a film like “Cheatin’”?
Bill Plympton: You use the word cinematic and that’s one of my favorite words. It really is about storytelling with images. I’ve done that before even when I was doing illustration. I would do cartoon strips, sequential comic strips with 10 or 12 panels and not use any dialogue. I always felt that was a very powerful and poetic way to tell a story. Then when I started doing animation I did some of my shorts without dialogue such as all the Guard Dog films. They had no dialogue and they were very successful. Therefore, with “Idiots and Angels” I decided to try to make a feature film without dialogue. Nobody had any problem with it, nobody complaint about it having no dialogue, so I felt pretty sure that I could make “Cheatin’” also without words. Sure enough everybody likes the idea that there’s no dialogue, no one’s complaint about it. But you know, I’m not a very good writer of dialogue [Laughs], so it made sense for me to use this way to tell a story. It’s often times more powerful that way.
Aguilar: Would you say it’s more difficult to devise visual sequences that express what you want to say rather than having the characters say it?
Bill Plympton: Occasionally there might be some places where I wish I could put dialogue, but eventually I’ll find a solution to tell it visually and it’s actually more successful that way. I find it easier to make a film without dialogue simply because doing all the lip-sync, the recording, and the editing of words is really time-consuming and work-intensive, so for me it’s easier to draw without the words.
Aguilar: Tell me about the visual style and how you draw your characters. They have a very peculiar aesthetic with a certain entrancing fluidity. I also love the fact that you can see the handcraft in the lines throughout the film.
Bill Plympton: I started out as an illustrator so I love the act of drawing, and I love drawing people, to me that’s the pleasure. But with this film I really wanted to exaggerate. For example, Jake’s body, his physique with the real tight abdominal muscles, was fun to do. I wanted to really stretch the anatomy, to really push the deformations of muscles in the arms, and the crazy positions a lot more because I just felt that this film needed to be more exaggerated. It’s a very stylized film and it’s kind of an opera in fact. Their passions are so over-the-top that it felt like an opera, so I wanted to stretch the characterization a lot more. That’s why I used Nicole Renaud’s music, because she writes very European, operatic kind of music and I felt that worked really well with the story and with the characters.
Aguilar: Nicole Renaud’s music definitely gives the film a unique feel that is retro but also timeless. However, there are many other elements in the film that make us wonder about where and when it takes place. It all blends beautifully.
Bill Plympton: I love that retro feel. It’s a real mélange of different techniques, styles, and eras. The cars are kind of like 30s or 40s cars, which I think are really fun to draw. The clothes are also from that era. The soul machine is kind of retro from old showbiz - vaudeville kind of shows. The music is European, and the architecture is kind of Southern border town with lots of overhanging balconies, shadows and shade. For me shadows are really a part of the drawing, and I love drawing shadows because it realty fills out the dimensions of the characters, it gives them weight. I love doing shadows, and that’s why I set the story in a desert town, but you’ll see a couple palm tress in there. It’s really a mixture of different eras and locations.
Aguilar: Unfortunately, we, as audiences, have been trained to think of animation as a medium that’s exclusively for children’s content, but your films take a different direction and use the medium to tell stories involving more adult subjects. Films like yours prove that this is much broader storytelling medium.
Bill Plympton: That’s a really important point that you are talking about, and I really appreciate that. I think animation can be a full spectrum of different storytelling techniques and different genres. I think it’s sad that there is only one audience that the studios are aiming for and that’s the kid audience. It’s really tragic that they don’t’ make films for older people. People like me. I know a lot of the Pixar artists and they all have real lives where they have affairs, and they have jealousies, they have divorces, and these are real adult themes that they’ve lived through, but they are not allowed to make films using these themes simply because that would ruin their kiddy market. I feel that I can’t complete with them doing kids films, but I do want to make films that deal with issues that I think about everyday like romance, sex, and serious stuff. I’m not competing with them, I’m showing an alternative, and I’m showing a different road that they can take. I want to make films that are different, films that are unique, I don’t want to make the same old children’s’ fairy tale, I want to make something that’s real and that’s about our dreams, our thoughts, and out passions. That to me is what “Cheatin’” is all about.
Aguilar: In the U.S. 2D animation is scarce. For many years now CG has become the norm, but there is still something incredibly special about hand-drawn projects. Why do you prefer this technique in particular?
Bill Plympton: That’s one of the reasons I couldn’t get distribution, of course one was that it wasn’t a kiddy film, and the other was that it wasn’t computer animation. I like the idea of seeing a film that has the artist’s hand in there,a film where you can see his strokes, you can see his working patterns. It's like going to a museum and seeing a Renoir drawing. You want to see their work and you want to see how they put it together. For me to see that in animation is really fresh, it’s really exciting, it’s really original. That’s why I hope people will come see the film, because it’s a very unique film and it has a very special style and look.
Aguilar: Tell me about financing ”Cheatin’” through Kickstarter and finding a way to make your film when the big studios are not supportive of your ideas.
Bill Plympton: Kickstarter and platforms like it are going to chance the way people make movies in the U.S and all over the world. In the past I’ve had to go begging to the big studios, show my stories, and do a dog and pony show to kind of pitch, and pitch and pitch. This is very frustrating because there is so much rejection involved. But now, I don’t need to go to the studios. If I need money for a project I got to my fans, who are really the people that I should go to anyway. The studios don’t understand what I’m trying to do, they don’t care about what I’m trying to do, but the fans do, the fans love what I do, and the fans support me. They want to see more films from me, so it makes sense that I go straight to them rather than the studios.
Aguilar: You are such a prolific artist, besides “Cheatin’” you also recently released the short “Footprints,” which was shortlisted by the Academy. Where do you search for new ideas that can work as animated films and how do you choose what project to do next?
Bill Plympton: When I was doing illustrations for magazines I built up an “idea file,” which had folders of ideas that I wanted to develop. The file has gotten so big now that I have too many ideas, but not enough time or money to make all the films. I like to draw them all myself, so it’s very important that I select the right film to make next. I select them based on whatever film would give me the most pleasure. The good thing about being independent is that no one is going to say I can’t do that. I don’t have to wait for a big producer to say “Here is your green light go ahead on it.” I can greenlight it myself, and that’s a real luxury that is worth the price of being an independent artist. I have three or four features that I want to do next. They are all lined up. I also have two or three shorts that are ready to go too. They are all storyboarded and ready but I have to use my time wisely.
Aguilar: Which of these projects you are developing are you focused on now? Where can we expect to see them?
Bill Plympton: There are two feature films I’m working on now. One is a mockumentary about Adolf Hitler. It’s crazy. Hitler was a big fan of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and I thought it would be very funny to create an alternative reality where Hitler became the Walt Disney of Europe. The other one is called “Revengeance” and it’s written by Jim Lujan, who is also an animator. He wrote the story, deigned the characters and did the voices. That one is about a third of the way done, so that’ll be about probably next year.
Aguilar: “Cheatin’” is finally opening this week theatrically. Where can people see it? I understand you will be present at some of the screening.
Bill Plympton: Yes, “Cheatin’” opens April 3rd at the Village East in New York. I will be there every night to sign autographs for everybody and to introduce the film. It also opens across the country after April 12th. I’ll be touring for about two weeks making special appearances throughout the U.S. Then it will be available on Vimeo on Demand starting April 21st. Also on iTunes, through Shorts International, you will be able to get all my backlog of shorts. There is almost 15 hours of cartoons that I’ve doing for the last 30 years. People can find out more about where “Cheatin’” is playing and more about the film at http://cheatinmovie.com/...
Europe and Asia -Japan, in a particular - have a more sophisticated relationship with the medium. They understand its power, beauty and possibilities beyond the happy-ending artificiality we are used to. In the U.S. few voices in animation make waves while working outside of the studios grip, among them Bill Plympton is by far the most celebrated and prolific. His irreverent artistry has refuse to a align with the status quo both stylistically and thematically for the past 30 years.
In Plympton's films the artist is ever-present in the visible handcraft of every frame. Colorful, ironic, sometimes twisted, and others endearing, his characters, even with all the surrealism that coats them, are more human than those which are smoothly crafted digitally. His work feels alive and delves into a wondrous array of emotions, concerns, and tragedies that others avoid. To call it daring and one-of-a-kind would be an understatement.
His latest feature "Cheatin'," is a spellbinding tale that translate all the irrationality of love into an exhilarating animated experience. A man and a woman fall hopelessly in love for each other, but when they suspect the other is being unfaithful, hatred kicks in with the same force as their passion once did. Delightfully racy and visually stunning, this is the most audacious and intelligent animated film you will see this year.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Plympton about "Cheatin'" and the challenges and privileges associated with being an independent animator in a profit-driven world.
Aguilar: Your films, both shorts and features, often take us into extraordinarily imaginative trips, but they also seem to come from everyday issues we can all relate to. Tell me about the origins of “Cheatin’” and about transforming the familiar premise of a relationship in trouble into an animated wonder.
Bill Plympton : It’s taken from a real relationship I had that went very bad and we decided to break up because we were so bad together. I thought this would be a good idea for a film because there would a lot of humor in it. There is always a lot of humor in conflict and there was a lot of conflict in our relationship. Around 2009 I made a list of all the scenes I wanted to include. Once I got that down I started doing a storyboard. This was a tiny storyboard it wasn’t a big one. When I had that figured out then I went and did the finished storyboard, and this is where all the real problems are answered. This is where I design the characters, I design the editing, I design the story, I design the backgrounds. Everything was resolved in that major storyboard. I liked it, I thought it was a great idea and had good potential. Then I went right into animation.
Aguilar: The surreal, dream-like sequences are a highlight of the film. They are inventive metaphors that really showcase a refreshing and uncompromising use of the medium.
Bill Plympton: That’s the magic of animation, you can go on these crazy surreal dream-like sequences. They are really fun to draw and fun to watch. My favorite is the one where Ella is sitting on a park bench and she discovers her heart. She discovers romance. You realize she’s been hiding her love deep inside of her soul. She wants to go inside and discover her heart, bring it out, and revive it. That’s when she falls in love with this guy named Jake. I think that was a very poetic sequence and it was done without dialogue, it’s all visual storytelling. It’s one of my favorite parts.
Aguilar: As you mentioned, the film doesn’t have any dialogue. It’s completely cinematic, yet you are able to convey rather complex ideas. Why did you feel this was the best approach for a film like “Cheatin’”?
Bill Plympton: You use the word cinematic and that’s one of my favorite words. It really is about storytelling with images. I’ve done that before even when I was doing illustration. I would do cartoon strips, sequential comic strips with 10 or 12 panels and not use any dialogue. I always felt that was a very powerful and poetic way to tell a story. Then when I started doing animation I did some of my shorts without dialogue such as all the Guard Dog films. They had no dialogue and they were very successful. Therefore, with “Idiots and Angels” I decided to try to make a feature film without dialogue. Nobody had any problem with it, nobody complaint about it having no dialogue, so I felt pretty sure that I could make “Cheatin’” also without words. Sure enough everybody likes the idea that there’s no dialogue, no one’s complaint about it. But you know, I’m not a very good writer of dialogue [Laughs], so it made sense for me to use this way to tell a story. It’s often times more powerful that way.
Aguilar: Would you say it’s more difficult to devise visual sequences that express what you want to say rather than having the characters say it?
Bill Plympton: Occasionally there might be some places where I wish I could put dialogue, but eventually I’ll find a solution to tell it visually and it’s actually more successful that way. I find it easier to make a film without dialogue simply because doing all the lip-sync, the recording, and the editing of words is really time-consuming and work-intensive, so for me it’s easier to draw without the words.
Aguilar: Tell me about the visual style and how you draw your characters. They have a very peculiar aesthetic with a certain entrancing fluidity. I also love the fact that you can see the handcraft in the lines throughout the film.
Bill Plympton: I started out as an illustrator so I love the act of drawing, and I love drawing people, to me that’s the pleasure. But with this film I really wanted to exaggerate. For example, Jake’s body, his physique with the real tight abdominal muscles, was fun to do. I wanted to really stretch the anatomy, to really push the deformations of muscles in the arms, and the crazy positions a lot more because I just felt that this film needed to be more exaggerated. It’s a very stylized film and it’s kind of an opera in fact. Their passions are so over-the-top that it felt like an opera, so I wanted to stretch the characterization a lot more. That’s why I used Nicole Renaud’s music, because she writes very European, operatic kind of music and I felt that worked really well with the story and with the characters.
Aguilar: Nicole Renaud’s music definitely gives the film a unique feel that is retro but also timeless. However, there are many other elements in the film that make us wonder about where and when it takes place. It all blends beautifully.
Bill Plympton: I love that retro feel. It’s a real mélange of different techniques, styles, and eras. The cars are kind of like 30s or 40s cars, which I think are really fun to draw. The clothes are also from that era. The soul machine is kind of retro from old showbiz - vaudeville kind of shows. The music is European, and the architecture is kind of Southern border town with lots of overhanging balconies, shadows and shade. For me shadows are really a part of the drawing, and I love drawing shadows because it realty fills out the dimensions of the characters, it gives them weight. I love doing shadows, and that’s why I set the story in a desert town, but you’ll see a couple palm tress in there. It’s really a mixture of different eras and locations.
Aguilar: Unfortunately, we, as audiences, have been trained to think of animation as a medium that’s exclusively for children’s content, but your films take a different direction and use the medium to tell stories involving more adult subjects. Films like yours prove that this is much broader storytelling medium.
Bill Plympton: That’s a really important point that you are talking about, and I really appreciate that. I think animation can be a full spectrum of different storytelling techniques and different genres. I think it’s sad that there is only one audience that the studios are aiming for and that’s the kid audience. It’s really tragic that they don’t’ make films for older people. People like me. I know a lot of the Pixar artists and they all have real lives where they have affairs, and they have jealousies, they have divorces, and these are real adult themes that they’ve lived through, but they are not allowed to make films using these themes simply because that would ruin their kiddy market. I feel that I can’t complete with them doing kids films, but I do want to make films that deal with issues that I think about everyday like romance, sex, and serious stuff. I’m not competing with them, I’m showing an alternative, and I’m showing a different road that they can take. I want to make films that are different, films that are unique, I don’t want to make the same old children’s’ fairy tale, I want to make something that’s real and that’s about our dreams, our thoughts, and out passions. That to me is what “Cheatin’” is all about.
Aguilar: In the U.S. 2D animation is scarce. For many years now CG has become the norm, but there is still something incredibly special about hand-drawn projects. Why do you prefer this technique in particular?
Bill Plympton: That’s one of the reasons I couldn’t get distribution, of course one was that it wasn’t a kiddy film, and the other was that it wasn’t computer animation. I like the idea of seeing a film that has the artist’s hand in there,a film where you can see his strokes, you can see his working patterns. It's like going to a museum and seeing a Renoir drawing. You want to see their work and you want to see how they put it together. For me to see that in animation is really fresh, it’s really exciting, it’s really original. That’s why I hope people will come see the film, because it’s a very unique film and it has a very special style and look.
Aguilar: Tell me about financing ”Cheatin’” through Kickstarter and finding a way to make your film when the big studios are not supportive of your ideas.
Bill Plympton: Kickstarter and platforms like it are going to chance the way people make movies in the U.S and all over the world. In the past I’ve had to go begging to the big studios, show my stories, and do a dog and pony show to kind of pitch, and pitch and pitch. This is very frustrating because there is so much rejection involved. But now, I don’t need to go to the studios. If I need money for a project I got to my fans, who are really the people that I should go to anyway. The studios don’t understand what I’m trying to do, they don’t care about what I’m trying to do, but the fans do, the fans love what I do, and the fans support me. They want to see more films from me, so it makes sense that I go straight to them rather than the studios.
Aguilar: You are such a prolific artist, besides “Cheatin’” you also recently released the short “Footprints,” which was shortlisted by the Academy. Where do you search for new ideas that can work as animated films and how do you choose what project to do next?
Bill Plympton: When I was doing illustrations for magazines I built up an “idea file,” which had folders of ideas that I wanted to develop. The file has gotten so big now that I have too many ideas, but not enough time or money to make all the films. I like to draw them all myself, so it’s very important that I select the right film to make next. I select them based on whatever film would give me the most pleasure. The good thing about being independent is that no one is going to say I can’t do that. I don’t have to wait for a big producer to say “Here is your green light go ahead on it.” I can greenlight it myself, and that’s a real luxury that is worth the price of being an independent artist. I have three or four features that I want to do next. They are all lined up. I also have two or three shorts that are ready to go too. They are all storyboarded and ready but I have to use my time wisely.
Aguilar: Which of these projects you are developing are you focused on now? Where can we expect to see them?
Bill Plympton: There are two feature films I’m working on now. One is a mockumentary about Adolf Hitler. It’s crazy. Hitler was a big fan of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and I thought it would be very funny to create an alternative reality where Hitler became the Walt Disney of Europe. The other one is called “Revengeance” and it’s written by Jim Lujan, who is also an animator. He wrote the story, deigned the characters and did the voices. That one is about a third of the way done, so that’ll be about probably next year.
Aguilar: “Cheatin’” is finally opening this week theatrically. Where can people see it? I understand you will be present at some of the screening.
Bill Plympton: Yes, “Cheatin’” opens April 3rd at the Village East in New York. I will be there every night to sign autographs for everybody and to introduce the film. It also opens across the country after April 12th. I’ll be touring for about two weeks making special appearances throughout the U.S. Then it will be available on Vimeo on Demand starting April 21st. Also on iTunes, through Shorts International, you will be able to get all my backlog of shorts. There is almost 15 hours of cartoons that I’ve doing for the last 30 years. People can find out more about where “Cheatin’” is playing and more about the film at http://cheatinmovie.com/...
- 4/2/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
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