Sausage Party

As most of you probably know, my long battles to get distribution for my animated features are all caused by an old mind-set, that there's no audience for adult animation.

With that in mind, I was looking forward to seeing if Seth Rogen's new feature, "Sausage Party", was any good, and also to see if it could attract an audience.

So, last week I attended an afternoon screening of this adult film at my local multiplex.  I was happy to see a large crowd - but I was especially delighted to experience the totally entertaining and raunchy film, directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon.

The film is a wildly erotic and profane look at the lives of food products in a supermarket.  It portrays the sexual and romantic lives of these edibles in a very hilarious way.  And, believe it or not, it works.

The people in my audience were in constant hysterics.

And you can see the film's popularity in the box office reports - not since Ralph Bakshi's "Fritz the Cat" in 1972 has an "adult" cartoon done so well at the box office - and becaues of the failure of a lot of Ralph's later films, the consensus over the years came to be that animated films with mature subject matter just have no audience.

I thoroughly disagree with that belief.  I just believe that the stories, art and characters have to be made better.  I know that a lot of people are just like me, they grew up loving animation and now that they're adults, they still want to see animation, but with stories and characters that speak to them.

A great example is the "Spike & Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation" show, which still pulls in great crowds, and has been doing that for 30 years.  People love outrageous animation.

I realize that Hollywood doesn't understand animation at all, but now I hope they have a better appreciation of the marketing potential of cartoons for adults.

I give "Sausage Party" a B+ (I took off points for the cheezy animation)  But go grab your (adult) friends and go see Seth Rogen's "Sausage Party"! 

Bill Plympton

                                     with Seth Rogen at the Telluride Film Festival last year!

Kubo and the Two Strings

I've just returned from a premiere screening of Laika's "Kubo and the Two Strings", directed by the great Travis Knight.

First of all, it's gorgeous - and the animation is awesome.  All of the characters are well-designed, especially with regard to the mouth movements, and the voices and music are superb.

The problem I have with the film is the story.  There seems to be no constant theme or direction.  Out of nowhere, these monsters pop up to stop a journey that really makes no sense.  People always accuse my films of having too many tangents and diversions - well, "Kubo", in my mind, suffers from the same problem.  There's no "maguffin" that unites the story.

Also, I heard rumors that the originator of the story, character designer (and early director?) Shannon Tindle was kicked off the film to make way for Travis to take over.  Now, I don't know the back-story or the details - perhaps they had problems with the story and Travis decided to take charge and save the film.  I'd love to hear the whole story sometime. 

In any case, I highly recommend the film if you love great animation and great characters, all of the reviews have been wonderful.  Go out and see "Kubo and the Two Strings"!

--Bill P.

San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Wrap-up

A big thanks to everyone who made our trip to San Diego Comic-Con this year such a great success!  I met so many fans and I did so many caricatures of them that I worried that my hand might fall off!  But it didn't, and a lot of people walked away with drawings of what they might look like if they were a Plymptoon!

We had our "Revengeance" panel on Friday, Jim Lujan addressed the crowd and kept things moving, plus we had 5 or 6 of the voice cast members there.  We showed 5 clips from the film, which is very close to being finished, and took questions from the audience.  People really seemed to love this film, so I can't wait until we start showing it at film festivals.

On Saturday, the Comic-Con Independent Film Festival showed my short film "The Loneliest Stoplight" and that was also very well received.  I can't always make it to the film festival, since it's no longer in the convention center but in the Marriott next door, but this year I'm very glad that I left early and made it there for the screening. 

We did a Wrong Reel podcast from the booth, and also Jim Lujan and Ken Mora figured out something called Facebook Live, so we were broadcasting on the web for a while.  After it was over, I went up to Portland for a week - so while I'm out, here are some pictures of the people who came by the booth.

                                               with Rick Farmiloe and Christi Haydon

                                                 Recording the Wrong Reel podcast with
                                                       Jim Lujan + James Hancock

                                                                 with Leonard Maltin

                                        with Sandrine, Jim Lujan, Sara Ulloa and Ken Mora

                            with Jim Lujan, Ken Mora, Kevin Sean Michaels and Erik Williams

                                                    with Mike Allred and Gloria Allred

                                     the cast of "Revengeance" signing posters after the panel

                                            with Sandrine and Spike from "Spike & Mike"

Now I'll turn things over to my office manager, John Holderried, who always has a few things to say about how the convention is run. 

--Bill Plympton

Hello, Crimestoppers!  I'm back with another Con report from San Diego, "the city that means well".

When people ask me what I do for a living, "office manager" doesn't really cover it, because I also run the booth at Comic Con, which means I have to file convention paperwork, apply for a temporary CA tax permit to sell things, plan the flights & hotels for Bill, his wife and myself, request and promote a panel, assign badges to our booth staff, ship merchandise & promo items to San Diego, then maintain inventory and take customer payments at the convention itself. It's a process that begins on the last day of the previous year's convention, but really picks up steam in late June and early July.

I got to San Diego in the late morning om Preview Night, checked in with my AirBnB host (I'm the perfect guest, I get in late at night and leave early each morning) and even had time for a nap & sandwich before I had to set up the booth at the Convention Center. James Hancock helped me get the boxes of merch from the "secret" UPS store (I found it last year, and I'm still not ready to divulge its location), and we got the banner up & the boxes unpacked before he had to split to attend the world premiere of "Star Trek Beyond".

After, I went out to Brian's 24, home of the best peanut butter/bacon burger in town, then took the trolley back to Mission Valley. I think I was on the last trolley out of downtown, and at this point I'd gone 36 hours without real sleep, so I was making bad judgments. I missed my trolley stop, largely due to the giant promotional sheath around the trolley (thanks a lot, Conan!) and without even checking to see if I could take the trolley back one stop, I embarked on a 23-minute walk with help of Map app, only to watch the trolley pass by on the elevated rail as I walked along an unlit, unfamiliar road below.  Boy, did I feel stupid.  And tired.

With the exception of that long walk, I've come to realize that this annual trip is all about sitting: I sit in a cab, then I sit in the airport, then I sit on the plane, sit in the booth, sit on the trolley, sit in restaurants. My career appears to be built around my ability to sit for long periods of time. So why am I so damn tired at the end of the Con?

What I've learned is that Other People tend to not know how to walk at the Con, moving in random directions and stopping on a dime without regard for others behind them. Running through the main hall is a no-no, and so is blocking the aisles. Next they should outlaw standing anywhere without a clear purpose in mind, if you ask me. Plus there are people in giant robot costumes, people with big fake (I hope) weapons, people with large backpacks and swag bags who don't realize they're bumping into others every time they turn around.  It's important to remember to be considerate of others, because we are all part of one whole, there is no self, and to harm others is therefore to harm yourself. Are we clear? Good, then get out of my freakin' way.

And don't get me started on baby strollers - who brings a BABY to a comic con, that's like bringing a dog to a football game, he's not going to appreciate it! Wait until the kids are old enough to read comics or collect toys, at least. People won't be tripping over your damn 3-seater baby stroller & everyone will be happier.  (the exception to thus rule is Lucas Plympton, who's been coming to Comic-Cons with Bill since he was a month old. At the age of 4, he's officially a convention veteran, like me. He knows his way around the convention center, and he sits in the booth and hands out postcards to people - who can refuse him? I may just have to train him as my Comic-Con padawan, and eventual replacement.)

Other People also don't know how to talk - "actually", "like", starting every sentence with "so", using non-words like "supposebly". Plus the things people talk about, so banal!  "So, like, I didn't actually know that the Con was going to actually be, like, actually so crowded!"  Aw, too bad, sorry/not sorry, hashtag sucks to be you. In other news, water is wet.

Other People also don't know how to properly interact with each other. The self-absorbed, self-indulgent  "selfie" generation feels the experience isn't real unless they take a photo of themselves there & post about it.  Meanwhile, the "bros" have taken over the Con - I had something of a booth war with the bros across the aisle, who stood in the middle of the aisle and handed out promotional items. This is against the convention rules, so you better believe I dropped a dime on them. But I know in the end, it's a young man's game, and I became too old for this shit about 5 years ago, and it's only gotten worse since.

Maybe I'm just jaded & cynical, I'm just no longer impressed by the proceedings. Many of the booths I liked to visit (Official Pix) no longer attend the Con, perhaps they've been priced out by rising booth costs, or they've sought out more profitable modes of publicizing themselves elsewhere. Now I just want to buy my weekly comics, some fun t-shirts, a couple of Mimobots, and something for my niece & nephew.

I've tried to buy them "exclusive" Con items over the last few years, 2 copies, one to play with and one to save (and maybe sell to help pay for college someday). But this new "double lottery" system, which has been implemented by popular booths like Lego and Funko, mean that people need to show up before the convention's even open, to get a wristband which enters them into a drawing for a chance to buy the exclusive items. This process is now preventing me from buying the best items, simply because I can't stand in line at 7 am for a wristband, and still open up my booth at 9.

Plus, you can't make it fairer to buy rare items by making it inconvenient for everyone. You know what system was fairer? "First come, first served." Because now you could be standing at a booth, money in hand, and get told that you can't buy the thing you want, because you didn't camp out all night and then win a lottery drawing. THAT'S what doesn't seem fair.

But on Thursday night, I was able to cut out a little early and attend the Weird Al Yankovic concert up at San Diego State.  This was definitely a highlight for me, and I visited my favorite restaurants (Brian's 24, the Tin Fish, Kansas City BBQ, Karl Strauss Brewpub) but even then I wondered if I'm stuck in a rut by going to the same places and eating the same things (more or less) as in years past. However, I did have to change up the schedule this time, because I lost a night to the concert, plus I found out the Yard House closed in December, which is a shame because they made the best beer floats. 

Also, we hosted a successful panel and made some good sales at the booth. But the cost of a booth for next year rose quite a bit, making it darn near impossible to be profitable in 2017. Are we collectively paying for the expansion of the convention center, so the event won't ditch SD & move to Las Vegas? Plus I nearly had an altercation with the convention staff, when I put down the deposit on next year's booth, and their counting machine was consistently off by $100.  I had to ask them to count the money by hand and use math to prove the amount of our deposit.

Little things annoy me at the Con now, maybe because I'm far from home. There was the granola dude on trolley handing out food to strangers, the woman serving cookies at Mrs. Fields who had to put ALL the cookies in the display before giving them out to customers, the Dad dressed as Han Solo complaining about the lack of veggie burgers in the upstairs cafe, and most notably, the dude who cut in line for beer at the Tin Fish. There was nearly a bar-fight there, the only thing preventing me from dragging that guy outside and beating the piss out of him was the fact that I don't know how to do that.

Maybe it's just that laidback attitude I don't understand. I really appreciate the family that watched my bag for me when I left it behind at a picnic table near Petco Park, but otherwise I find most California people way too trusting and friendly. It can come across as fakey, plus it makes me nervous. In NYC, if someone left a messenger bag behind a sports stadium, it would be gone in 5 seconds, or at least someone would call the bomb squad. So I'm grateful, but also quite confused. (I'm strangely OK with someone stealing my bag and assuming my identity, as long as they show up at the booth the next day and work my hours for me. Fair is fair. If someone wants the perks of being me, they also have to assume the responsibilities.)

I'm also worried that someday someone will take advantage of the good feelings that surround this event attended by over 120,000 people, and there will be some kind of terrorism, foreign or domestic (does the difference really even matter?). I know that the event itself has security personnel, and only fake weapons are allowed, but since related events now take place in neighboring hotels and also throughout the entire Gaslamp District, how can I be sure all those buildings are adequately patrolled? "Close enough" counts with horseshoes and hand grenades, or so goes the old saying, so anyone could easily dress as an alien soldier with a gun or a soldier with an explosive vest and get close enough to the convention to do some real damage. I pray it never happens, but I fear that it eventually will.

Speaking of costumes, I'm impressed by the complexity of cosplay today - I'll take photos of anything really well done, or cases where the female form is well highlighted, but I'm so over the basic costumes. Hey, did you see that great Darth Vader? Sure, about 10 years ago. Welcome to your first Con, newbie. You may also want to check out a drink called "coffee", it's all the rage these days.

Now I'm looking for the new costume motifs, the truly bizarre, or the mash-ups. I saw one guy who was part Thor, part Ronald McDonald. I didn't get the visual pun until much later. (Ronald McDonald Blake) I also saw a woman who was half Louise from "Bob's Burgers", half a character from "Game of Thrones". I'm sure she had a very specific reason for mixing the two characters that way, which she would probably be willing to discuss at length if you're curious. I'm just not curious enough to inquire, nor do I have the time.

Anyway, the weird thing about the convention is that it seems to go on forever, like it's never going to end - but then it does, and it feels like it went by too quickly. Nobody could possibly see all that there is to see there, with all the panels, screenings, booths, events around town. Mostly I've given up on even trying to see most things, except for a select few things that I know will appeal to me.

And I think that's the secret to enjoying the convention: ask yourself what you're really into, and find events or booths that are centered around that topic. Instead of wandering around hoping to bump into something you like, do some research and figure out where the things you like are going to be. And when. Then just get in line 6 hours before that, and you'll be all set.

Or, you know, just ask me. People often ask me where to go and what to eat, probably because I look like someone who knows where he's going, and enjoys eating well when he gets there. I'm always willing to help someone find the booth they're looking for (did you even TRY looking in the program guide?) or a good place to eat dinner (umm, it's called the internet, and it's probably on your phone...). Since I've been at this for 15 years and I try to get a little smarter (or at least a little less dumb) each year, I'm something of an authority on the workings of the convention and the surrounding Gaslamp district.

But the convention did come to an end, and I broke down the booth, packed up the unsold merch & James helped me carry 2 boxes to UPS, all in under an hour. By 7 I was at the brewpub with a free night ahead, since my flight back to NY wasn't until late Monday morning. I used to try to fly back on Sunday nights, but it's too stressful.  Then I get back to NYC after missing a week, and it takes me about two weeks to catch up again. 

But now I've got 50 weeks to go until the next San Diego Con - but wait, the New York Comic Con starts in just over two months!  So there's that to look forward to.  Please enjoy these photos of crazy costumed people from San Diego in the meantime.   

--John Holderried

Carlos Nine

I first discovered Carlos Nine's brilliant work when my buddy and character designer par excellence, Peter DeSeve brought it to my attention.

Immediately I was bowled over by the originality and the superb draftsmanship. So, I was shocked when I heard yesterday that he had died at the age of 72.

Our friendship was sporadic but warm. I met him only once - I was invited to the Buenos Aires film festival and, while I was there, I cabbed out to the suburbs, where I was warmly welcomed by the master himself - he spoke very little English and my Espanol was muy mal. Yet, we got on very well - he showed me his newest work and then he opened up his flat files to show some very large sketches and paintings - my mind was blown - what magnificent artwork - the guy is a genius.

The next time I had contact with Carlos was when I organized an exhibition of my favorite designers/illustrators for the Society of Illustrators' show "Icons of Animation."

I got to choose my 3 all time favorite artists: Peter DeSeve, Bill Joyce, and Carlos Nine - and of course I included some of my own work, so it was a real extravaganza of artwork for animation - and in my humble opinion one of the greatest art shows of the year in NYC.

He was very courteous and generous with his original artwork which was and is extremely valuable - he was hoping to attend the show, however he was bogged down in book deadlines and was unable to attend. He's not well known in the US like he is in Spain and France, so I was hoping that my show would ignite a huge interest in his work.

I was scheduled to write an introduction to his newest work, but now I don't think it's going to happen - how sad.

There's a DVD called "Anima Buenos Aires" where they have selected cartoonists and illustrators to submit a short film using their artwork. And I must say that when I saw Carlos' short animated piece "Bu-Bu" it blew my mind.

This is the future of animation - this is what animation should be about - if you ever get a chance, be sure to check out his work in Buenos Aires.

Another bit of weird trivia: another of my greatest heros, Oscar Grillo is also from Buenos Aires! Those 2 guys are really the greatest.

So please check out his art, books, and animation. It will change your life.

Vaya con dios, Carlos.

- Bill Plympton

Talkhouse Podcast with Lloyd Kaufman

A while ago, I wrote a film review of "Man From Reno" for Nick Dawson from Talkhouse Film.  Recently he called me up again, this time to interview the famous Lloyd Kaufman at the plush Samsung Studios in the chic meatpacking district of Manhattan.  It was for a Talkhouse Podcast - I don't do much podcasting myself, but I know that my executive producer James Hancock has a popular one called Wrong Reel, and I've been interviewed for them on occasion myself.

I've known Lloyd ever since 1986, when I saw his film "Surf Nazis Must Die" at Cannes, and of course, he was the center of attention because of his street publicity guerrilla tactics.  We've been friends since then, in fact "Surf Nazis" was a  bit of an influence on the making of my new feature, "Hitler's Folly".

In any case, the interview went very smoothly and was quite entertaining, even though he popped in a few expletives to spice up the conversation - and we covered everything from Robert Rodriguez to Donald Trump.  Lloyd, of course, promoted the hell out of his new Troma films, and that's one of the things he does so well.

                                               Podcasting is so much fun, it's scary....

We also talked about San Diego Comic-Con, where he's been an attendee since the very early years.  I've only been going there since the late 1990's, so I'm a neophyte compared to Lloyd.  So check out the podcast we did together, I think that's how these things work, right?  You don't have to tune in at any special time, you can download the podcast and listen any time you want!  Isn't technology great?

Talkhouse is still editing the podcast, so if you didn't catch it live, it should be up on their site in about a week.  Please check it out!

https://soundcloud.com/thetalkhouse/bill-plympton-with-lloyd-kaufman
http://thetalkhouse.com/

In the meantime you can check out Uncle Lloydie's video diary here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T8db4i10qo&feature=youtu.be

--Bill Plympton

San Diego Comic-Con, July 20-24

Finally, we can talk about our upcoming trip to San Diego!  The convention starts in just two weeks, and as you probably know, for 5 days it will be the center of the entertainment universe, and feature all the things that nerds and geeks love.      

And that includes animation - Jim Lujan and I are going to be appearing on a panel to preview our upcoming animated feature, "Revengeance".  We'll have a bunch of the voice-over actors from the film there, so it should be a lot of fun.  Also, we'll be showing new clips from the film (much longer than the ones we showed last time). I think it's one of the best films I've ever made, so please visit our panel on Friday, July 22, at 4 pm in Room 23ABC.

If you attend the panel, you'll get a postcard - then just bring it on down to my booth (#1537) afterwards and I will give you a free sketch on the postcard!

Also, my short film "The Loneliest Stoplight" will be playing in the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival on Saturday, July 23 at 12:40 pm in the Pacific Ballroom 23 on the first floor of the San Diego Marriott Marquis.  This is the hotel next door to the convention center, on the north end (close to Hall A).  Yes, you'll have to leave the convention center, but I promise it's worth it!  Your Comic-Con badge will get you in to the film screening, just like it will get you in to the Exhibit Hall and other events.

The rest of the time, (OK, most of the rest of the time...) I'll be in Booth #1537, and if you missed my last post about Comic-Con, here's how to find us.  In the big exhibit hall, with its hundreds of booths and thousands of people, just go to Row #1500 - look for the big banners hanging from the ceilings with the row numbers on them.  Then just walk toward the back, about 3 aisles in, we'll be on the corner, across from the Spike & Mike's booth.  If you hit the back wall, you've gone too far, so turn around.

You'll recognize me because I'll be wearing this very cool t-shirt I designed.  It's in reaction to all these idiots who come up to me and ask me why I'm not making computer animation - and then when I talk to them they always complain about glitches, crashes, slow rendering times, expenses, software problems, etc. etc. and I tell them "Just Draw It".  

We'll have all of my DVDs for sale at the booth, plus BluRays of "Cheatin'", and a bunch of animation art from my films.  Get there early for the best selection!  I'll also do caricatures of everyone (time permitting) for a reasonable price!  And because this is an election year, we'll be selling a bunch of my rare, out-of-print books to coincide with the occasion: 

If you support Hillary Clinton:

Why not pick up this book about the FIRST Clinton administration, a parody of the coverage of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.  Relive the "Glory Days" of the mid 1990's when Bill Clinton was President and it sucked to be a White House intern!  Monica's story is told in hilarious verse, with illustrations by Bill Plympton!

If you support Bernie Sanders:

Anyone in the lower 99% can afford this - at just $5, it's the cheapest thing on the table that you can get autographed by Bill!  A collection of print cartoons from a previous decade (some of these cartoons are nearly as old as Bernie!) there's even a drawing of some Socialist worms on the cover, getting ready to share the wealth!

If you're undecided about who to support:

It's time to get educated before you vote!  Are you a Democrat, a Republican, or just not sure?   Learn all the subtle differences with this book from another election year, 1984 - because nothing's really changed since then, right?  This book is mighty collectable, it's been out of print for years, but we recently bought some copies on eBay and Amazon, just so you can figure out which side of the political fence you're on!

If you support Donald Trump:

This collection of Bill Plympton print cartoons from men's magazine is right up Trump's alley.  (And what a sleazy alley that is!)  We've still got a few copies left from the book's first printing, and when those are gone, this book's going to be extremely rare and valuable!  I mean, it's gonna be HUGE!  For adults only, don't let the kids read it.  But we've sold hundreds of these over the years, and people seem to really, really like it, they say it's amazing.  Top quality dirty cartoons, printed in Canada, not Mexico!

If you support Kanye in 2020:

We'll have copies of the book "Through the Wire", featuring lyrics by the great Kanye West, with illustrations by Bill Plympton that go along with them!   Get a jump on the next election season before this one's even over!  This "graphic memoir" uses 12 of Kanye's songs to tell his back-story - find out what put him on the road to stardom with annotated explanations of the references in his songs.  From "Jesus Walks" and "Heard 'em Say" to "School Spirit" and "Gold Digger", pick up this one-of-a-kind book that's a unique, rare partnership between two creative minds.  Imma let you finish, Taylor Swift, but this is one of the best illustrated books of all time!  Yeezy for Preezy!

So I hope to see you all at our booth in San Diego!

--Bill Plympton

"Finding Dory"

Now that my son Lucas is almost 4, I'm introducing him to the movie theater experience - large screen, 5.1 surround sound, popcorn, coke, and sharing the space with large audiences.  Also, he loves the trailers (which should really be called "previews", since they come before the movies now, they don't "trail" after...).

The most recent screening we attended was Pixar's "Finding Dory", and one of the extras was the world premiere of the new Pixar short "Piper".  In the past, the Pixar shorts have been very imaginative and entertaining, however this one seemed to be created to test some kind of new digital technique, because there was absolutely no entertainment value in it.  Plus, the film was so photo-realistic, it could have been one of the old Disney nature documentaries.  The storytelling was nil and it felt like it was created by a robot.

Not so with "Finding Dory", a spin-off of the ever-popular "Finding Nemo", which was very fresh and entertaining.

The new film takes forever to get started - it seems like the first 30 minutes of the film are about two issues: #1 - Dory has short-term memory loss, and #2 - she wants to find her parents.  How can they waste so much time on such simple ideas?

Once it finally gets going, the characters are flat - they don't have the personality of the characters from the original film.  Two really lame characters are the whale shark and the beluga whale.  A total waste of time, why not bring back the A.A. great white sharks from the original - in fact, my son kept asking, "Where are the sharks?"

Although my son liked the film overall, I was very disappointed and felt that "it fell very far behind the original "Finding Nemo", although I hear it's making a tidal wave of money! 

Here are my scores:

"Piper": C   "Finding Dory": B-

Watch this space...

Usually, at this time of year I'd be writing my recap of the Annecy Festival, telling you all what a great time I had at one of my favorite festivals.  Sorry, not this year, I didn't have a film in that festival, but I have high hopes for "Revengeance" being able to participate next time!

But it's officially summer now, and a lot of other great things ARE going on this time of year.  First we've got the great big San Diego Comic-Con, which this year takes place July 20-24.  It's later this year than usual, my office manager tells me that it's got something to do with baseball - the convention center and Petco Park share parking garages, so the convention can only take place while the Padres are on a road trip.  Weird, huh?  That's San Diego for you.

Take it from a guy who's got THIS many conventions under his belt - and I hear that the stack of badges he has at home is even larger!  Anyway, we're not supposed to announce the details of Comic-Con until two weeks before - but I can tell you that there WILL be a "Revengeance" panel, both Jim Lujan and I will be there, we'll have much longer clips from our new "Revengeance" feature and a few cast members on hand, and I'll announce the date and time here as soon as I can.  My film "The Loneliest Stoplight" will also be playing in the Comic-Con Independent Film Festival, again, I'll announce the date and time when we get closer to the event.  Most of the time, I'll be at our usual booth, which you can find in the middle of all the madness by using this handy photo:

                                         This is the view from the mezzanine, facing north.
                      (The main entrances to the large convention floor are at the back of the photo)

After Comic-Con, I'll be in Portland, OR for a week, just to visit family and friends, and then in August, I'll be going to France for a week, to visit my wife's family.  No screenings planned on these trips (yet), for once these are genuine vacation trips! 

Also this summer, you can catch my short film "The Loneliest Stoplight" playing at a bunch of film festivals, like these:

L'Hybride / Cine-Barbecue, Lille, France, June 24-25
Animator Festival, Poznan, Poland, July 10-16
Fantasia Festival, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, July 14-August 2
Drunken Film Festival, various pubs around the U.K., July 25-30
Traverse City Film Festival, Traverse City, MI, July 26-31
KloosterKino / Bouwlab, Nijmegen, Netherlands, August 20
World Festival of Animated Film, Varna, Bulgaria, September 7-11

Please check the festivals' web-pages for exact screening dates and times.  Get yourself out to a comic-con or a film festival near you and start having a good time!  Enjoy the summer, everyone!

--Bill Plympton

End of "Revengeance" production

I'm now in the middle of a post-partum depression.  I've been working on "Revengeance" now for almost three years, and today I handed in the final drawings for the film, and I'm feeling depressed - because the project was so much fun to work on and it was so intensive, there's an emptiness now when I don't have to get up at 5:30 am and draw all day.  I feel like my baby is out of my hands and my life is somewhat meaningless.

So far, the response from the people who've seen "Revengeance" (the rough cut) has been phenomenal.  I don't want to get TOO excited, but it looks like this may be one of my best productions. 

Now comes the more difficult apart, finding a buyer or distributor for the film.  And that entails doing a marketing campaign (posters, trailers, post cards and press kits) and trying to get the film into as many important festivals as possible.  Festivals are where hungry buyers and press people are looking for the next hit. 

Also, Jim Lujan and I will be at San Diego Comic-Con with a booth and panel to promote the film, we'll show some longer clips this time, and we'll have a few cast members on hand to talk about doing the voices.  Stay tuned for more details. 

I'll also keep you updated on the progress of our journey to get "Revengeance" to as many outlets as possible. 

But as for my post-partum depression - I think I have a new "bun in the oven", I've just started work on my latest "Guard Dog" short, "Cop Dog", where our Oscar-nominated hero works at an airport, sniffing for drugs hidden in luggage.  You just know that's not going to end pretty. 

Thanks for your interest -

Bill Plympton

"Revengeance" wrap party!

OK, we may not be completely finished with production on "Revengeance", there are still some minor tweaks to be made to the film here and there, but we finished a submission cut for entering festivals, so we got as many of the interns and staff members together as we could, and had a wrap party over at the Frying Pan.

If you've never been to the Frying Pan, it's a bar on a railroad barge, next to a historic Coast Guard lightship, over on Pier 66 on the west side of Manhattan.  Maybe it's not the best place to go for drinks if you're vulnerable to seasickness, but it's a fun place and you just can't beat the view of the Hudson River. 

We went there on a Monday, so it wouldn't be as crowded as, say, a Friday or a Saturday.  They let us sit up on the raised platform, which made it a bit of a challenge to climb the stairs with drinks.  We filled up a few tables with people and got ourselves some beers and food.

Wow, what a turnout!  I think we had about three sets of interns show up, so for some people it was their first chance to meet nearly everyone else who worked on the film!  I had to leave at some point and take Lucas home, but I heard that when my crew got off the boat, they hung out in the grass by the river and watched the sun set, I guess the evening was so much fun that nobody wanted it to end!

My thanks to the Frying Pan for hosting our wrap party, and to everyone who came out to have a few drinks!  We'll make another reservation there when we finish the next film!

--Bill Plympton

"Hitler's Folly" premiere

Whew, it's over!  And I survived!  I'm writing this on the day after my world premiere of "Hitler's Folly" at the prestigious SVA Theatre.  And the reaction was terrific - no assaults, or verbal abuse, only laughter and applause.

In my early career as an illustrator and cartoonist, I loved to push the limits of good taste, and try to shock people.  I found that my cartoons were much more effective if they were scandalous.  At the same time, I was working for National Lampoon and that was their in-house style, to shock and disturb.  In fact, they once published a book of cartoons called "Hitler's Favorite Cartoons".

I loved their style of humor - after all, I grew up enjoying Charles Addams' cartoons, they were always irreverent, too.

So, when I got the idea for "Hitler's Folly", a mockumentary about an alternate world, where Hitler got accepted into the art academy and ends up being a very successful cartoonist, I thought, "This is perfect for me!"  A few years ago, I made a very popular short film called "Santa, the Fascist Years", which took a much-loved character, Santa Claus, and turned him into an evil dictator.

For "Hitler's Folly", I switched the roles and had an evil dictator become a kind, lovable artist.  I find a lot of humor in taking something iconic and turning it into its opposite.  It's a form of ironic humor.

But a few people who saw the rough cut of "Hitler's Folly" expressed fears that my career would be over and the Jewish Defense League would rough me up at the screening.  So I didn't know what to expect as the movie-goers filed into the SVA Theatre to watch the world premiere.

                                        Before the screening, with the cast of "Hitler's Folly"

                                            Dana Ashbrook (from "Twin Peaks") as Josh

                                          Michael Sullivan ("Greaser's Palace" as Michael

                                                      Nate Steinwachs as Adolf Hitler

As they entered the auditorium, I wondered to myself which of these people are "politically correct", or have no sense of humor and might be out to get me.  Maybe one of them is wearing an explosive vest or something, it's not like I can afford bomb-sniffing dogs or metal detectors at the door.  After all, three of my artists refused to work on my Hitler film and preferred to resign from the studio instead.

As I stood on the stage and introduced the stars of the film, I felt a little more comfortable from the polite applause.  Also, it helped that we had a live version of the cartoon character, Downy Duck, milling around the cinema and on stage, dancing and mugging for people.  He added an air of absurdity and fantasy to the evening.

As the film began and I heard the audience's laughter, I could finally relax and enjoy the show.  Afterward I had a lot of people approach me and tell me how much they loved the film, and how they were going to tell all of their friends about it, so they can watch it streaming on www.plymptoons.com

                                                          On stage with Dana Ashbrook

                                           On stage with Hitler's "creation", Downy Duck

I want to thank the staff and crew at the SVA Theatre for a great job, and also Emma Griffiths and John Holderried for their help in putting this wonderful event together.

Please check out my film "Hitler's Folly" on my web-site, www.plymptoons.com

And my thanks to Adam Rackoff for taking these great photos!

Thanks,

Bill Plympton