Amazing Books - Independently Animated: Bill Plympton
Sat, November 5, 2011 at 6:18 PM 
Occasionally, I'm going to do a show & tell on a book from my own personal book shelf... at least any book that really really really blows my skirt up. Here's the first, and watch for others!
I met both Bill Plympton and Harvey Kurtzman at the same Playboy party in 1978. I got to know Harvey a little bit. A party here and there, and lunch once in a while. But Bill and I seemed to latch on to one another that evening, and we've been good friends ever since. Back then, he wasn't the King of Animation yet (he wasn't even a duke or anything). He was an editorial cartoonist for the long-gone Soho News.
It's near impossible to write about Bill Plympton and tell you things you haven't already heard. Fans idolize him. Media people such as Leonard Maltin love him. He's been given life-time achievement awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards. His frequent newsletter makes it seem like most all of his time is taken up by flying in a jet to the next gala event, and it's astounding he's managed to find the time down here on the ground to turn out the body of completely hand-drawn film projects that he has.
Model sheet for Bill's second Academy Award-nominated short film, "Guard Dog" (2005).
With the exception of a few live-action projects, every cel for every frame (well, actually for every third frame) of every feature and short he's created over the last 25 years has been hand-drawn by Bill Plympton. I remember in the old days stopping by his old Lower Eastside apartment, and there he'd be, sitting at his kitchen table, drawing like he's setting the woods on fire.
For the last dozen years, I've lived out in California, and Bill and I have sort of gone our separate ways, I guess. But right from the inspirational introduction that takes place in Bill's apartment (whereby he says no to a lucrative Disney contract and shows the lawyer the door), his new book, Independently Animated: Bill Plympton (Rizzoli/Universe, 264 pages) brought so much of it back to me. He mentions me in it, which I thought was great, considering all he's accomplished and all he needed to write about.
The film that started it all. Cel drawing for Bill's first Academy Award-nominated short film, "Your Face" (1987). From here, it took him five years to complete his first feature, "The Tune."
My favorite drawing from the book. For the short film, "Sex & Violence" (1997).
Art for Bill's feature-length film, "Mutant Aliens" (2001). For a 28-episode (!) online behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of "Mutant Aliens," go to: http://www.mutantaliensmovie.com/main.html
Glory daze! Back around 1980, a bunch of us started an all-cartoonist band which I named Ben Day & the Zipatones: Elwood Smith and Bill on guitars, Mark Alan Stamaty (world's only Elvis impersonator impersonator), Leslie Cabarga on keyboards, and NatLamp AD Skip Johnston on drums. I wrote songs and tried to pass myself off as a singer. Left to right: the Zipettes on back-up vocals, Leslie Cabarga on piano, and Bill and Elwood go at it on guitars. We sold out Irving Plaza and raised 5,000 bucks for the Graphic Artists Guild. Bill's suit was a $14.95 special from 14th Street. Lots more about our adventures in the book.
One of many pages from the book showing Bill's early mastery of caricature from his earlier years as a political cartoonist. His exquisite draftsmanship shines through! The drawing of Reagan upper right is one of my all-time favorite Plymptons.Independently Animated: Bill Plympton is crammed with full-color art throughout, and is written by Bill along with David B. Levy, president of the New York Chapter of the Association International du Film d' Animation. Foreword by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam.
Reader Comments (1)
Very nice animated picture