Friday, November 30, 2012

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


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Longtooth & Friend


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Pointy Nose


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Profile


Monday, November 26, 2012

Feet


Friday, November 23, 2012

Sitting Man


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Man with Hat


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Man Head


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cheatin' Production Blog- Episode 12- Animation Part 3

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Twelve - Animation - Part 3 from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.

This is my 3rd episode about the animation process of my film "Cheatin'". Here I demonstrate the shading process, a intermediary step between pencil tests and final drawings.


Monday, November 19, 2012

Leyendecker Clothing Commericals..

This is part 3 of Leyendecker commmericals.. Enjoy. Just can't get enough.





Friday, November 16, 2012

Oscars shorts list



Well, The Academy shorts list just came out and four of my favorites made the list-"Paperman" by John Kahrs of Disney (you can see the short before "Wreck-it Ralph" in your local multiplex), "Tram" by Micheala Pavlatova-It would be great to see a sex film at The Oscars! "Fresh Guacamole," the wonderful new film from PES. And "Adam and Dog", a beautifully animated short by Minkyu Lee. 





However, two of my favorites did not get listed. "Oh Willy" by Emma De Swaef & Marc James Roels and "Junkyard" by Hisko Hulsig. I think it's particularly sad that "Junkyard" won't get the nomination. It's a tour-de-force of animation and deserves to be seen by everyone. 



The nominations are announced on January 10th and the Oscar ceremony will be held Febuary 24th. 
Because I've been working on my feature, "Cheatin'" I wasn't able to create a short that I felt had a chance for a nomination. 

By the way, if you're interested, you should check out our new studio trailer-very badass. It will be incorporated in our upcoming Kickstarter campaign beginning after Thanksgiving. 

Check it out: 



Thursday, November 15, 2012

Leyendecker Coffee Commercials...

These Coffee Commercials are brilliant.. I particularly love the one above.. "What Every Young Girl Should Know!".. brilliant. Enjoy.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Musicians


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Our New Studio Trailer

Plymptoons Studio Trailer from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.

Edited by Desiree Stavracos  and filmed by Diana Chao

Check out the team behind the scenes!

Leyendecker Kelloggs Commericals..

 


I took a sec and assembled some Leyendecker commercials for Corn Flakes. Great stuff that you don't see all that often. And, as blogger Charlie Parker asks, Is there such a thing as too much J.C. Leyendecker? Never.