"Angry Birds" + a trip to Montauk

First of all, I'm not an "Angry Birds" fan.  I've never seen them on my computer - since I don't watch stuff on my computer.  Yet I have a 3-year old son, and I"m trying to introduce him to the cinema/popcorn/coke habit - so we went to see "Angry Birds".

I liked the idea that an angry creature is the star of a film - any angry creature in a film, even a  human, would be refreshing.  I thought that it was a novel way to tell a story - I also like the evil pigs and their evil machinations.  They kind of reminded me of the evil penguin in Nick Park's "The Wrong Trousers".

However, to me the plot included too many characters - I got confused and the character design was a little too flat and crude.  And to the audience, there really was only one big joke - and honestly, now I can't remember what it was.  (I know, I should have written this immediately after the screening - but hey, I'm not a reviewer by profession, I'm a friggin' animator...)

So for me, it was a mildly entertaining film, but my son Lucas didn't like it at all.  Hmm, he's a tough critic.  So I give "Angry Birds" a C+

Also, I want to remind everyone that we're having the world premiere of my mockumentary "Hitler's Folly" at the SVA theater on 23rd St. in Manhattan, on Wednesday, June 1 at 7 pm.  All are invited and the admission is free - you just have to send an RSVP by e-mail to:  follyrsvp@gmail.com

So, if you want to see what Adolf Hitler would have been like as a cartoonist, check it out.  And if you don't live in the NY or NJ area, tell your friends about it, and you can watch it for free on my Plymptoons web-site, starting June 3.

Finally, last week I got together with my Scribble Junkies partner, Pat Smith, at his sprawling Montauk mansion.  It was a wonderful reunion, we talked animation and relaxed in the lap of luxury.  Here are some photos:

--Bill Plympton

"Hitler's Folly" premiere, June 1

I want to announce to everyone that we're having the World Premiere of "Hitler's Folly", my brand-new mockumentary on June 1, 7 pm at the SVA Theatre, 333 W. 23rd St. in New York City, and it's FREE!

I got the idea for this mockumentary when I read an article about Adolf Hitler that said he was obsessed with Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" - and the idea that the most evil man in history was laughing at Doc, Happy, Dopey et al. seemed like the most surreal concept to me - I had to make a film about it!

Two years later, the result is a movie called "Hitler's Folly" - a re-imagining of history, since we all know that the infamous German dictator was a failed artist, this film positions him instead as a wanna-be cartoonist.

The film is a combination of old WWII footage, new footage of actors portraying historical characters (Hitler is played by Nate Steinwachs), and cartoons and animation supposedly created by Mr. Hitler himself.

I'm not the first person to use Adolf Hitler as a comic character, filmmakers like Walt Disney ("Der Fuhrer's Face"), Tex Avery ("Blitzwolf"), Charlie Chaplin ("The Great Dictator") and of course, Mel Brooks ("The Producers") did it way before me.  So, I hope people who see the film have a sense of humor - if not, they probably shouldn't come and see it.

Since the film has a lot of photos, film clips and music from the internet, I was afraid of lawsuits if I release the film, as I just plain don't have the money to pay for a copyright lawyer and all of the fees to use the images and music - so what I decided to do is release "Hitler's Folly" for free on the internet, and if some kind viewers like my humor and want me to continue making films like this, they can send a donation to my studio.  That way, hopefully I can make more crazy wacky films like this in the future.

So, be sure to tell all your friends about my new feature, and if you want to get tickets, send an e-mail to:  follyrsvp@gmail.com   and if you can't make it to New York, then check it out online at www.plymptoons.com  a few days after that.

Thanks for your support!

--Bill Plympton

The world premiere of "Hitler's Folly" will take place at SVA Theatre on Wednesday, June 1 at 7:00 pm. After the screening, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bill Plympton will be handing out drawings to all attendees.

This screening is FREE and open to the public and all of Bill’s fans. RSVP is required for admittance via: follyrsvp@gmail.com. Seating is strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.

A merciless satire from Academy Award nominee Bill Plympton, HITLER'S FOLLY explores what might have happened if Adolf Hitler's art career had been more successful and instead of becoming an evil dictator, he was inspired to become an animator like Walt Disney.

Using World War II footage, Hitler's early artwork and Plympton's signature animation, this dark mockumentary re-imagines history and explores Hitler’s unfulfilled animation career in the spirit of "The Producers" by Mel Brooks.  The film stars Dana Ashbrook of "Twin Peaks", Mike Sullivan of Robert Downey's "Greaser’s Palace" and Nate Steinwachs as Hitler.

HITLER'S FOLLY IS DIRECTED, DESIGNED, ANIMATED, AND WRITTEN BY BILL PLYMPTON.

See more at: http://svatheatre.com/events/hitlers-folly-new-york-premiere/

Roofdeck Birthday Party

It's been a crazy two weeks, with editing work on "Revengeance" and a trip to Spain, but somewhere in there, I had a birthday! And a LOT of my staff and interns had birthdays in late April, too! So the Friday before I left for Spain, we went up on my roof deck and had some beer and wine, a couple of birthday cakes, and some hot dogs and "not dogs".

Thanks to everyone who stuck around on Friday night, and also thanks to everyone who sent me birthday greetings via Facebook and Twitter! -- Bill Plympton

Cortoons Festival

A bunch of years ago - too many for me to remember - I was invited to a film festival in Italy run by Alessandro d'Urso.  I don't remember much, except that I had a great time.

Well, just a few months ago, Alessandro contacted me again and that the Italian economy was shitty and the government was corrupt, and that he was very happy to be moving his Cortoons Festival to Spain.  Gandia, to be exact, and he wanted to know if I would like to come.  Well, I'm a big freak for Spain, and Gandia is a famous resort town on the Southern coast, near Valencia - I said, "Get me a ticket, I'm coming!"

I was met at the Valencia airport by Alessandro and two chicas (my guides) on a rainy afternoon last week, just before the festival's outdoor opening ceremonies, which obviously then needed to be moved to inside City Hall.  It wasn't a great start for what was supposed to be a sun-drenched festival.

Alessandro's programming is unique, he only shows animation and it's not a competitive festival, it's only films that he loves.  So I saw a great Betty Boop show, and a Tex Avery and Bob Clampett show.  Plus the best cartoon shorts from around the world.

The other amazing thing is that the whole damn festival is free to the public.  What?  Free to the public?  How does he do that?  Is he some kind of rich film mogul?  No, he says that he makes money doing photography work, and relies on a lot of volunteers.  He's got a magnetic enthusiasm that just seems to draw people to his festival.

There was a night of Bill Plympton, with a shorts program and my feature film "Cheatin'" - then a Master Class on Saturday that was packed, even the mayor was there. That took place on my birthday, so I was really happy that so many people came out to the event.

A little bit of weird trivia, they put me up in the Hotel Borgia, right near the Borgia Castle, and I came to find out that the evil Borgia family started out in Spain before moving to Italy.

                                  I met Angel and his wife, who had recently commissioned
                                     some caricatures from me.  Glad they could make it!

By the way, after two days of cold and rain, the weather cleared up, and I was able to go swimming in the Mediterranean and eat seafood paella by the shore.

 

I give the Cortoons Festival a B+

--Bill Plympton

"Nerdland"

I've known Chris Prynoski for years, he used to work at MTV, then he started the animation production company Titmouse, where he achieved legendary status producing hit programs for the Adult Swim line-up on the Cartoon Network.

Finally, he decided to produce an animated feature film, "Nerdland", which I saw last week at the Tribeca Film Festival.  Also, Chris invited me to animate a section of the film - the only thing he said to me was to "create the most violent and grotesque scene of torture", and that it had to last less than 2 seconds.  So I dashed off a very short, violent comedic bit that appears quickly in the film.

I'm so glad that Chris is creating animated feature films, it seems to be a major trend now.  Aaron Augenblick is directing "The Adventures of Drunky", and the Seth Rogen / James Franco / Jonah Hill crowd all did voices for "Sausage Party", which is coming out later this year.  So maybe finally animated features for adults are starting to catch on. 

I really liked "Nerdland", and was excited to see that it covered a lot of the same territory as the film that Jim Lujan and I are making now, "Revengeance".  Both films are set in the sleazy underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles.  However, "Nerdland" was more about nerds and their search for fame, while "Revengeance" will be more about the desire for money and power. 

I loved the look and design of "Nerdland", but I had two complaints.  The story kept meandering - there were some very promising directions, like when they made fun of giant computer companies with a conglomerate called "Mega Soft".  I thought that direction would be fun, but after a few minutes, that plotline was dropped. The same thing happened when the two protagonists decided to become famous serial killers, but that was quickly dropped, too.  It's too bad, because I loved that idea.

My other problem with the film was that it wasn't that funny.  You'd think with the two great comedians Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt as stars, the jokes would be hilarious - I say, just turn on the mic and let Patton improvise, and you've got a film.  But unfortunately, I think they forced Patton to follow the script. 

I'm a great one to complain, my stories and humor tend to get bad reviews, and that's the reason why I've teamed up with Jim Lujan for "Revengeance", he's a terrific writer. 

I don't know when "Nerdland" will be released, but I highly recommend that you see it - it's still a wonderful film.  I'm giving it a "B" because we've got to support kick-ass adult animation.

--Bill Plympton

P.S. My office manager, John Holderried, also went to see the film, and he had a slightly different take on it.  You can check out his full review on his blog here:

http://honkysmovieyear.blogspot.com/2016/04/nerdland.html

But here are some highlights from his review:

It's not too much of a mental leap from "Beavis and Butthead" to John and Elliot.  Maybe if those kids finally stopped watching videos and got off the couch, moved to L.A. and tried to find work in the entertainment industry.  In the meantime, they have to support themselves with various jobs to pay the rent - and just like Scott Lang in "Ant-Man", Elliot's been fired from an ice-cream shop (and a record store, and a video-store, and...)  

But in a few days they'll both be 30 years old (Ya feel that, millennials?  It's coming...) so they decide to take the fast-track to being famous, and these days that means only one thing - making internet videos.  When that doesn't work, they decide to become hackers, then pop-culture news heroes, and when THAT doesn't work, really, there's only one solution, right?  If the first two words you thought of were "hard work", then you're way off-base.  Think more like "murder spree".  I think the twisted logic that gets them there is quite an interesting turn, even though if we like these guys, we don't want to see them kill a bunch of people.  

But there's a message here, kids, if you can stop texting long enough to hear it - there is NO fast track to fame.  For most people, there isn't even a slow track.  Every person who became famous, for the right reasons anyway, had to work hard to get there.  I heard some rock stars bad-mouthing "American Idol" about a month ago, because it seemed like such a fast-track to them, and the people involved don't seem to be paying their dues.  Yeah, but nobody has natural talent, not even pop stars, they have to practice, they have to learn songs, they have to get up on stage and perform.  They even have to appear in silly Ford commercials, and that's not easy. 

Oh, sure, there are YouTube stars, and there are Kardashians.  But even YouTubers have to work hard to make good videos, and anyone who has success thrust upon them for the wrong reasons - do you really WANT their kind of fame, in the end?  You might have some money, but no soul.  So quitcher whining and get a job, because no one's going to give you a free college education, and nobody's going to successfully wrestle money from the corporations and banks and distribute it out to twenty-somethings.  

My main complaint is that the film is called "Nerdland", and the two main characters aren't really nerds, they're more like slackers.  The main nerd in the film is an overweight man who runs a collectibles store and wears a crown (King of the Nerds), but he's too much of a stereotype, an urban version of Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons" or The Collector from "PowerPuff Girls".  And like those other stereotypical nerds, he'll do just about anything for you, as long as you can get him a rare action figure that's MIB.  But we've all seen plot points like that before, right?  

Look, I've been across the country, I've met nerds from coast to coast.  Nerds are, for the most part, decent people, and the vast majority of them are hard-working and not very murder-y.  And they have smart phones, not flip phones - they love technology, after all!  If you're going to call a film "Nerdland", maybe put a few more nerds in it, that's all I'm saying. 

Blame it on RIO (and Sao Paulo, too)

About 15 years ago, I was invited to the newly-organized Anima Mundi Animation Festival in Brazil.  It was exciting to see all of the enthusiasm and talent from the young attendees at the festival, and because my films are popular in Brazil, I was recently invited to do a career retrospective screening and Master Class in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, put together by Boulevard Filmes and sponsored by Caixa Cultural. 

By coincidence, the two-city tour came as Brazil was in a rush-rush hustle to finish all of the venues and install a new trolley system for the 2016 Summer Olympics.  And if that weren't enough, their president, Dilma Rousseff, was up for impeachment, and everywhere I went, there were protests and political controversy.

I started out in Sao Paulo, where they held the first massive screening, and then I did my Master Class, which apparently sold out in 24 hours - that was fun.

                                                          Signing for fans in Sao Paulo

                                           With Rosana Urbes, an animator from Sao Paulo

I then flew to Rio, where I stayed in the Copacabana area, so I was able to swim every morning, singing the song "The Girl From Ipanema".  Unfortunately, that was also the location of a massive demonstration on the night of the impeachment vote.  Everyone told me to stay inside, and for God's sake, don't wear anything red.  That's the color of the opposition, and there had been reports of citizens wearing red getting beaten up.  I sure didn't need that.  However, when I went out for my afternoon swim, the protestors were very friendly and didn't bother me a bit.

As you may have read, the Lower House easily voted for impeachment, and now it goes to Brazil's senate, where it may also pass.  Then the President has to plead her case to the government, and who knows what will happen then.

                                                            My Master Class in Rio

In any case, my screenings and Master Class in Rio were also well received.  So I had a great time in Brazil, and definitely check out Anima Mundi, it's a wonderful film festival.

However, there was one negative note in my visit to Rio - apparently, they've passed a law that outlawed topless sunbathing - which is really weird because here in NYC's Times Square, you can see topless women all the time.  What's the world coming to?

--Bill P.

Behind the scene at MAD Magazine

I remember my first issue of MAD magazine - it was given to me by my Aunt Hazel, I was about 7 or 8 years old.  And I loved the magazine, especially the cartoons by Jack Davis and Don Martin.  It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen (except for Tex Avery's "Red Hot Riding Hood" cartoon).  I wasn't a constant subscriber, but I've always enjoyed the magazine whenever I got a copy. 

I've known Sam Viviano, MAD's art director, for 30 years, since we were in a cartoonist rock band together, comprised of big-time NY illustrators like Mark Alan Stamaty, Lou Brooks and Elwood Smith, it was called Ben Day and the Zipatones.

Jim Lujan was in town from L.A. to work on the editing of "Revengeance", and he'd met Sam at San Diego Comic-Con, and Sam told him to come by for a tour, if he was ever in NYC.  And then I found out my office manager, John, has been reading MAD since he was a kid, too.  I guess maybe this explains a lot about how people who appreciate the magazine's twisted sense of humor at a young age end up working in the cartoon business in some way. 

In any case, Sam was kind enough to invite Jim Lujan and me to the NYC offices of MAD magazine, and John tagged along to take our photos.  We got to meet MAD's editor, John Ficcara, and together they gave us a first-class, deluxe tour of their offices.  Quite frankly, I was surprised by how organized and normal their offices were.  I expected a floor filled with crazy people doing crazy things. 

                                  Sam Viviano, hard at work at his desk.  I hated to wake him...

                                                 Me and Jim Lujan with Sam Viviano

                                                 With John Ficcara, MAD's editor-in-chief

                                       There were display cases full of MAD memorabilia -

                             And an board with sketches from some of MAD's great artists.
                                 

                          "Celebrity Snaps" - photos of famous people holding MAD magazines

                                           The "Alfred", MAD's spoof of the Oscar award

                                          We got free hats, and a copy of the latest issue!

In any case, I had a very great time and learned a lot about the great artists of MAD over the years - Don Martin, Sergio Aragones and their famous trips to Europe.  Plus, I got a free magazine and a lot of other cool stuff. 

Thank you, Sam! 

--Bill Plympton

Boston / Tampa / NYC - Crazy week!

In my constant search for funding for my new animated feature, and to do some advance publicity, I've been traveling all over and speaking a lot.  It just so happened that several engagements got bunched up in the last week of March.  I think when the weather first starts to get nice, there are a lot more film festivals and screenings, since my January and February schedules seemed pretty light.

The first event last week was a screening of "Cheatin'" at Emerson College in Boston, where it played as part of the celebrated "Bright Lights" series.  There was a great crowd and I had a wonderful day in Boston, meeting all my animation fans there.

                                         Signing for the fans at Emerson College in Boston

                                                  With Janet Benn at the Emerson event

I took the train back to NY and then jumped on a plane for Tampa, for a full day of animation events.  My wonderful host was David Andrade of Theory Studios, he drove me in his hot red Mustang to Ringling Art School in Sarasota, where I spoke before a packed house of young animators.

                                       Speaking to the animation students at Ringling School

                                           Signing postcards and art prints for the students

The Ringling School was founded in 1931, during the Depression, by John Ringling, one of the famous Ringling Brothers of circus fame.  Apparently he was a big art fan and wanted to create a mecca for artists in Sarasota.  I've seen a number of films made at the Ringling School, and I'm always impressed by the wit and professionalism of the students there.

We drove back to Tampa for my next event, at the Gasparilla Film Festival, which used to be held at the same time as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which is kind of like a local version of Mardi Gras or Carnival that takes place every January or February.  The film festival was a wonderful event, although my presentation wasn't very crowded.  Still, we had a good group of hardcore animation fans show up. 

                                            Some ice cream after a quick dip in the ocean

After a quick, refreshing swim in the beautiful ocean (avoiding stepping on the sting rays) I jetted back to NYC on Friday, where I met my "Revengeance" co-creator, Jim Lujan at the airport, his plane got in just an hour before mine. 

The next day, we set up our table at the wonderful MoCCA (Museum of Cartoon & Comic Art) Arts Festival, hosted by the great Society of Illustrators.  It's like a comic convention, but just for independent comic artists - so no DC or Marvel booths.  So that's one reason I love MoCCA, no corporate meddling. 

Jim and I hosted a panel on our new film, "Revengeance" - we had a packed house at the Ink Hotel (how appropriate!)   They seemed to love the excerpts we showed and our presentation about the film. 

Then we rushed to the South Street Seaport, for a show called "Out to See", hosted by Animation Nights New York (ANNY).  Yvonne Grzenkowicz hosted "An Evening With Bill Plympton" at the Howard Hughes Building.  Again, it was a packed house, and our presentation for "Revengeance" was the hit of the evening.

Sunday was the last day of the MoCCA Arts Fest, and the last day in my animation promotion marathon.  We saw a lot of artist friends at the festival and hung out with celebs like R.O. Blechman, Steve Brodner and Rick Meyerwitz.  Also, I sold some drawings and DVDs and made enough money to continue production on "Revengeance" - thanks to everyone who came to my booth!

                                         With Jim Lujan and Signe Baumane at MoCCA Fest

See you later - on the next promotional tour, maybe!

--Bill Plympton