Illustrations by Haddon Sunblom..

You know, i had this Haddon Sunblom post scheduled for xmas, but for some reason blogger didn't post it (saved it as a "draft".. wtf) anyway, enjoy, here's a great link about the history of the santa and coca cola..

 I really can't get enough of these old coke ads.. santa's and others.

 While posting this I discovered that Sunblom did the Quaker guy!

Retro pin up ads for Russian mobile company..

MegaFon, the second largest mobile phone operator in the Russia has an interesting ad campaign.. any of my russian speaking friends want to translate? the one above is my favorite.. followed by the maid, below, of course.   UPDATE>> a rad comment gave us this translation:
1(above): "The problem is the mobile illiteracy is all around!" And on the blackboard: "visual roameng (they meant roaming)".
2: "I'll tell you everything you want to know about roaming..."
3: "Ambiguity annoys you? The consultant will help!"
4: "Time is money!"
5: "The tourist, be careful! Roaming abroad sometimes can be wasting!"
6: "High quality mobile connection during business trips does matter..."
7: "I'm supporting safe roaming!"
8: "Making the international connection stronger".
9: "Stay connected wherever you are!"

 Probably the most classic of the bunch, above.

 Epic.

 This racially charged one above is amazing!

any good retro ad worth it's paper needs to have a sci fi reference:)

Simpsons Couch Gag re-broadcast

Hey gang,

Check out "The Simpsons" this Sunday, Dec. 23 on Fox-TV for a special re-airing of the
couch gag I animated!  This show opening was recently nominated for an Annie
Award for Best Animated Short Subject, and got a lot of attention when it first aired
in April.  Tune in to learn the secret back-story of the Simpsons' famous couch.

Also, please be sure to check out the Kickstarter campaign for my upcoming feature
CHEATIN'.  So far we've raised over $20,000 to help complete the film, but we need
your help to make our goal.  Plus, you can get some really neat rewards for sending a
contribution, even if you pledge just $5 or $10.  Even if you just tell your friends about
it and help spread the word, it would mean a lot!

Here's the link:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billplympton/bill-plymptons-cheatin-an-animated-feature-film?ref=live

Thanks and Happy Holidays,

Bill Plympton

Smile

Foot

Musicians

Violinist

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Thirteen - Guest Episode ft. Hisko Hulsing Pt. 2/3

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Thirteen - Guest Episode ft. Hisko Hulsing Pt. 2/3 from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.

In the 2nd installment of the three part Guest Episode, Bill, Signe Baumane, and Hisko Hulsing discuss how essential critique is to the production process (i.e. test screenings and focus groups). The fellow animators passionately address the "gamble" of making art, and Signe even reveals her life's backup plan...

Musicians

Early Daria designs by Willy Hartland..

Before Daria got the look that everyone knows, it went through a design process that almost landed on the talented Willy Hartland.  He snuck me these designs a few weeks ago, and I wanted to make sure I leaked them out to any fans out there. It would have taken Daria to a bit more of an underground comic look.. would have been cool, check it out..

Of course, as we all know it ended up a bit more graphic and slick, mostly due to the talented Karen Disher, who later became head of story at Blue Sky.

Face

Muscle Man

Ears

Old Faithful

Hey, everyone! Here's a cartoon I did. Enjoy!

- Bill

Epic Sketchbook: Michael Lispboa..

I've been lucky enough to hang out with fellow New Yorker turned expat Michael Lisboa for the past few months, he's one of those guys you instantly get along with.. he's got tons of life stories, and no doubt, his experience leaks into his artwork.  When a friend offers to show you their sketchbook, it's always a scary moment, honestly, most artists will disappoint.. but then there's people like Michael. Imagine me sitting on the beach chilling out when he goes.. "here man, take a look".. and then this is the stuff I see. Epic. Thanks Michael.  (these were taken with an iphone, many apologies)

Mail

From Up on Poppy Hill

I'm a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki – I especially love “Porco Rosso”. Now that he's semi-retired, his son, Goro Miyazaki, seems to be filling his animation shoes.

Apparently, his earlier film, “Tales From Earthsea”, was not a big success. So, now he has a new feature film that's he's presenting as an Oscar contender. It's called “From Up on Poppy Hill”. I went to see it last week, but was disappointed in the film.

First off, the animation was very pedestrian, like a Saturday afternoon TV special, and the backgrounds looked like painted photographs, with no inspiration or artistic feeling.

But the story was even worse. It's about a teen high-school girl who has a crush on a boy, and they save an old building together. There's no magic or visual fantasy. It could have been shot in live-action, to much better effect.

Apparently, Hayao was responsible for help with the screenplay, and also producing – but I hope that in the future Studio Ghibli can live up to their reputation of making wondrous imaginative animations.

I give “From Up on Poppy Hill” a D+.

Kickstarter

As you all know I'm deep into the production of my new animated feature, Cheatin' (If you didn't know you should).

The good news is the animation is all done-YEAH! But we're still in production- why? Because we're trying a new style of coloring, Watercolor. I've never seen a feature film where the art is watercolored. So my crack staff led by Lindsay Woods and Desiree Stavracos are creating the art that looks beautiful. The only problem is it's very labor intensive. We had to hire a bunch of artists to finish the coloring. So now I'm broke. I'm out of money. The solution is Kickstarter!

My “Flying House” Kickstarter campaign was a big success so I'm going to the well a second time and I hope kickstarter can save my ass. We're offering very cool prizes and you get to be part of my new animated feature.

If you're interested check out my kickstarter campaign at: 

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billplympton/bill-plymptons-cheatin-an-animated-feature-film?ref=live

Here's the video: 

Torso

Cheatin' Production Blog- Ep 13 Guest Episode ft. Hisko Hulsing

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Thirteen - Guest Episode ft. Hisko Hulsing Pt. 1/3 from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.

In this episode, I sit down with fellow animators Signe Baumane and Hisko Hulsing to discuss their various views on funding, production and distribution. Also, it's the official onscreen debut of my son Lucas!

Hunched

Frankenweenie

Finally, Tim Burton's celebrated short film “Frankenweenie” has been turned into a feature. And I was so looking forward to seeing the longer version.

It's very similar to the original short, naturally, but the ending has been bulked up with the addition of all sorts of characters going crazy because of the hero's classmates tampering with his scientific born-again experiments.

The animation is wonderful – as are the sets and characters (by McKinnon & Saunders). But, for some reason, my brain shut down three quarters of the way through the film. So perhaps the story should have remained a short film.

I give “Frankenweenie” a B - .

Sunglasses

Reading

Love Your Job

New Fran Krause Blog.. Deep Dark Fears..

More blogs need such a simple theme. A new favorite for me, Fran Krause has introduced DEEP DARK FEARS..  I'm anxious to see what is added, it's still young.

Killing Them Softly

As part of the annual rush to qualify for Oscar nominations, the Academy recently presented the film “Killing Them Softly”. I hadn't heard anything about this film, but it starred Brad Pitt, so I was curious.

What a marvelous film, written and directed by Andrew Dominik. It's basically a look at the lives of hoods and hitmen. It could almost be a stage play, it has so much dialogue. But the characters are so fascinating, and their choices are so weird.

The plot is about a high-stakes mob card game that gets robbed by two loser hoods, and then their capture and execution. In addition to Brad Pitt, it also stars James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta.

Probably my favorite sequence was when Brad offed Mr. Liotta in his car. It was all done in super slow-motion, and set to the 1950's love ballad “Love Letters (Straight From Your Heart)” by Kitty Lester. It's one of the most gorgeous scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

The only problem with the films is the ending – it doesn't really resolve, but it makes a political statement. Regardless, I give the film a B+.

Chubby Profile

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson's “Moonrise Kingdom” has been getting the best reviews of his career – it also won the prestigious Gotham award for indie features this month.

So, even though I'm not a big fan of his work, I felt obliged to see his latest film. It has a wonderful cast – Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray (again), but it's the same old quirky storytelling.

Now, there are other quirky directors who make great films – David Lynch and Terry Gilliam come to mind, and I love their stuff. But what bugs me is that quirkiness is all that Mr. Anderson can offer. I never laughed during “Moonrise Kingdom”. I was never amazed, scared or involved emotionally. And that's the problem, it's all surface.

It's as if a child made the film. It looks like amateur filmmaking. It was the same for “Fantastic Mr. Fox” - the snake was made of cotton balls and all of the movements were crude and primitive, and because of the raw look of the film, you didn't notice there was no story, no emotion and no humor.

He's like a naïve artist. Maybe people like him because he seems so innocent.

I remember when I was making print cartoons, and around the mid-1980's, there was an insurgence of cartoon strips that were drawn very badly, and they got a lot of publicity and popularity because they were hip and different.

Now, I love to draw and I take pride in my drawing style. I also believe that good characters and good jokes are important to a successful comic strip. So, I was mystified as to the popularity of that new wave of badly drawn, unfunny comics.

That's the same feeling I have for Wes Anderson. Perhaps it's jealousy that drives my distaste for his films. Why is he so rich and famous while I'm still struggling to make my films and get distribution?

It's nothing personal against Mr. Anderson – I liked “Bottle Rocket”, his first film. But I just believe it's a case of “The Emperor's New Clothes” - why don't people see there's no talent there?

I give “Moonrise Kingdom” a D.

Squinty Eyed Woman

Longtooth & Friend

Pointy Nose