Updates

I'd like to tell you all about what's happening at the Plymptoons Studio.  I'm frantically trying to get the work done on "Slide". As you probably know, I'm finished with drawing all of the animation - and I'm very happy with it.  It looks very different and very close to my illustration style, pen and ink with water color on top.  So now I'm editing a rough cut - putting all my composited shots together - what fun!

But, as I do that, I realize how much more work needs to be done.  There are gaps in the animation that need to be filled, and the storytelling needs more attention.  And when the rough cut is done, then I'll need to add the voices.  I'm having Maureen McElheron, Tom Racine and the epic Jim Lujan create 90% of the voices.  Then I must finish the coloring.  It's a hell of a lot of work but it looks so good!  

Then I'll move on to the music by Maureen McElheron, with the guitar wizardry of Hank Bones.  I'm looking for a Hank Williams sort of sound - and then, finally, the special FX and final edit.  The goal is to finish it by March 2023 but the big problem is, because of the COVID pandemic, I lost a lot of work (movie screenings, film festivals, lecture appearances and such) so my studio is bare bones, with the great assistance of interns (God bless them). 

But, luckily, we sent out word that I'm offering my older animation artwork for sale.  I'm also running out of room in my tiny studio, so it makes sense to sell as much art as possible - I have to make room for storing all the "Slide" artwork.  Fortunately, we found out that there are a lot of collectors of Plympton artwork out there (YEAH!) and so my office manager has been putting in extra hours posting about the sale on Facebook and Instagram, and dealing with all of the requests to buy specific images from my films.  The money that's been coming in from these sales has been financing the post-production of "Slide" and keeping the studio's bills paid, so if you want to buy some art from "Your Face", "How to Kiss", "25 Ways to Quit Smoking", "The Tune" or my couch gags for "The Simpsons", now's the time to check out our sale or get in touch with us by e-mail.  

Speaking of "The Simpsons", my brand new couch-gag for them will be premiering this coming Sunday, October 2, it's pretty crazy so please check it out.  It's called "The Rug" - and I want to thank everybody at the Simpsons, Matt and Al and Tom, for letting me put my crazy animation on national TV. 

Also, I've got a short animated music video in the Woodstock Film Festival this weekend, it's called "Lipstick of the Brave", the song is by Tripping Jupiter, and this music video has been getting some attention on the festival circuit lately, because it references David Bowie and Tim Curry and Marc Bolan and other LGBTQ icons, so if you can get to the Woodstock Festival for the animation screening, please check it out!  My co-blogger Pat Smith also has a film in the program, and Signe Baumane will be showing her 2nd feature, "My Love Affair With Marriage" at the Woodstock Festival, which runs September 28 to October 2.

https://woodstockfilmfestival.org/

Also, remember that I'll be appearing in Artists Alley, Table H-05, at the New York Comic-Con, offering my original animation artwork for sale.  That runs October 6-9 at the Javits Convention Center in NYC.

https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

Final thing, last week I took my 10-year-old son, Lucas to see "Luck", John Lasseter's new production from Skydance Animation.  It's directed by Peggy Holmes, who oddly comes from a dance background.  It's not really my kind of film, it's geared for the kiddie audience - But my real problem with it was that 90% of it takes place in the magical world of good luck & bad luck, and trying to understand how luck works there was so complicated, I thought my brain would blow up. I truly expected something better from the great John Lasseter, who I usually rank in the pantheon of animation geniuses: Winsor McCay, Walt Disney, Tex Avery and Chuck Jones.  

--Bill Plympton