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Tuesday, January 03, 2006

PLYMPTON, Bill

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Birth/Death

Occupation/Title

Bio Summary

Early Life/Family

Education/Training

Career Outline

Comments On Style

Influences

Personality

Anecdotes

Miscellaneous

Filmography

Honors

Winsor McCay Award 2006


Related Links

Bibliographic References

Contributors To This Listing


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posted by Stephen Worth @ 3:06 AM   Read Comments Or Post Yours

1 Comments:

At 12:50 AM, Blogger melissa said...

Birth/Death


30 April 1946-Present

Occupation/Title


Animator, Director, Writer, Producer, Illustrator, Cartoonist, Designer, Filmmaker

Bio Summary


Bill Plympton is highly regarded in the animation world for his independent films including the shorts 25 ways to quit smoking and Guard Dog along with his feature work such as Hair High and I Married a Strange Person. He also worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for numerous newspapers and magazines and even directed some live action films as well. To help finance his features he publishes the films as graphic novels.

Early Life/Family


Bill grew up in a large family in Portland Oregon, where he credits the wet weather for nurturing his drawing skills and imagination. As with many animators, Bill showed his interest at a young age. When he was 14 he wrote to Disney offering his services as an animator. Like many he received mail back saying that he was too young, but that his work showed promise.

Education/Training


Graduated from Oregon City High School in 1964
Portland State University
-edited the yearbook
-member of the film society
School of Visual Arts 1968. He only attended for 1 year

Career Outline


1967-1972 served in the National Guard in order to avoid the Vietnam War
moved to New York in 1968
Plympton did illustrations and cartoons for The New York Times, The Village Voice, Vogue, Rolling Stone Magazine, Vanity Fair, Penthouse and National Lampoon.
1975 began his political cartoon strip Plympton which would eventually appear in over 20 newspapers.
Plympton is considered the first animator to draw every frame for an animated feature film by himself for The Tune.
He has created numerous short films along with his own feature work. He is currently working on Idiots and Angels which is slated for release in 2008.
1992-1993 FOX Network comedy series The Edge showed his work.
1980’s he did work for MTV
2001 to 2003, he teamed with Don Hertzfeldt for the touring The Don and Bill Show, which was played throughout the United States.
2005, Plympton's "Guard Dog" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
2005 Plympton animated a music video for Kanye West's "Heard 'Em Say."
2006, Plympton created the music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic’s "Don't Download This Song".
Comments On Style


Bill Plympton is known for his loose sketchy drawing style along with his sense of comedy. His work all done by hand and use a signifigantly less amount of drawings per second (4-6) than the Disney Style animation of 12-24 drawings a second.

Influences


“Peter Chung, who did Aeon Flux. I'm a big fan of his stuff. [Hayao] Miyazaki, the Japanese animator who did Princess Mononoke and Porco Rosso, I think he's totally brilliant. And his stuff is very visual, too; that's one reason I like it.”-Bill Plympton
Recommendations by Bill Plympton if you want to be a Cartoonist
Books: As for books I recommend, I believe the number one bible of all animation books is Preston Blair's "Animation", published by Walter Foster. Also check out Leonard Maltin's "Of Mice and Magic", published by Plume.
Artists: As for artists I recommend - first, Tex Avery for his humor. Walt Disney for his imagination, story and business sense. Bob Clampett for his style and energy - especially the early Warner's stuff with Rob Scribner as animator. Winsor McCay (print and animation) for pure draughtmanship and imagination. Saul Steinberg for visual wit. Roland Topor for grotesque humor. And A.B. Frost for draughtmanship and style. Of course, there are many other artists who have influenced me, but you must find your own artists to emulate and slowly your style will evolve to become your own.

Personality


He seems to be the kind of guy who is willing to try anything. His average day is get up around 6:30-7 and draw, work with staff, draw till seven, then either see a movie or go out to dinner with friends.

Anecdotes


Turned down a 7-figure offer from The Walt Disney Company to animate on Aladdin (1992) because any ideas he developed while under contract with them would become their intellectual property.
He is considered the first animator to draw every frame of for an animated feature by himself.

Miscellaneous


Many of the male characters in his cartoons are self-portraits.

Filmography

Animated features
The Tune (1992)
Mondo Plympton (1997 shorts compilation)
I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
Mutant Aliens (2001)
Hair High (2004)
Idiots and Angels (scheduled for 2008)[1]
Live-action features
J. Lyle (1993)
Guns on the Clackamas (1995)
Walt Curtis, the Peckerneck Poet (1997)
Animated shorts
The Great Turn On (1968)
Lucas the Ear of Corn (1977)
Boomtown (1985)
Drawing Lesson #2 (1985)
Love in the Fast Lane (1985)
Your Face (1987)
One of Those Days (1988)
How to Kiss (1989)
25 Ways to Quit Smoking (1989)
Plymptoons (1990)
Tango Schmango (1990)
Dig My Do (1990)
The Wise Man (1990)
Draw (1990)
Push Comes to Shove (1991)
Nosehair (1994)
Faded roads (1994)
How to Make Love to a Woman (1995)
Smell the Flowers (1996)
Boney D (1996)
Plympmania (1996)
Sex & Violence (1997)
The Exciting Life of a Tree (1998)
More Sex & Violence (1998)
Surprise Cinema (1999)
Can't Drag Race with Jesus (2000)
Eat (2001)
Parking (2001)
Twelve Tiny Christmas Tales (2001)
Guard Dog (2004)
The Fan & The Flower (2005)
Guide Dog (sequel to Guard Dog, 2006)
Shuteye Hotel (2007)
Compilations (DVD)
Avoid Eye Contact, Vol. 1
Avoid Eye Contact, Vol. 2
Bill Plympton's Dirty Shorts
Plymptoons: The Complete Early Works Of Bill Plympton (2006)
Mondo Plympton (2007)
Music videos
Peter Himmelman – "245 Days" (1990)
Kanye West – "Heard 'Em Say" (2005)
"Weird Al" Yankovic – "Don't Download This Song" (2006)
Commercials
MTV public service announcement "Acid Rain" (1989)
Trivial Pursuit (1990-91)
Sugar Delight (1990)
Nik Naks (UK) 1995


Honors


ANIMA- Cordoba International Animation Fewstival
2005 won Special Jury Mention in Animated Stories for Guard Dog (2004)
Academy Awards, USA
2005 nominated Oscar best short film, animated for Guard Dog (2004)
1988 nominated Oscar Best short film, animated for Your Face (1987)
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
2001 won Grand Prix Best Animated Feature Film for: Mutant Aliens (2001)
1998 Won Grand Prix Best Animated Feature Film for: I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
Annie Awards
2007 Winsor McCay Award
1998 Nominated Annie Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature for: I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
Cannes Film Festival
2001 Won Canal+ Award for: Eat (2001)
1991 Won Jury Prize Best Short Film for: Push Comes to Shove (1991) Nominated Golden Palm Best Short Film for: Push Comes to Shove(1991)
1987 Nominated Golden Palm Best Short Film for: Your Face (1987)
Fantasporto
2006 Special Career Award
1999 Won Special Career Award
Nominated International Fantasy Film Award Best Film for: I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
Florida Film Festival
2001 Won Special Jury Award Animated Short for: Eat (2001)
Long Island Film Festival
1998 Won Best of Fest Animated Feature for: I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
Newport International Film Festival
1999 Nominated Jury Award Best Short for: The Exciting Life of a Tree (1999)
Ottawa International Animation Festival
2002 2nd place OIAF Award Best Animated Feature Film for: Mutant Aliens (2001)


Plymouth Independent Film Festival
2005 Won PIFF Award Best Short Film for: The Fan and the Flower (2005)
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
1998 Won Best Short Film for: More Sex and Violence (1998) Tied with Genesis (1998).
1995 Won Best Short Film for: How to Make Love to a Woman (1995)
1991 Won Best Short Film for: Push Comes to Shove (1991)
Sundance Film Festival
1998 Nominated Grand Jury Prize Dramatic for: I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
1992 Nominated Grand Jury Prize Dramatic for: The Tune (1992)
Toronto World of Comedy International Film Festival
2005 Won Best Animated Short for: Guard Dog (2004)
World Animation Celebration
1998 Won WAC Winner Best Theatrical Film for: I Married a Strange Person! (1997)
1987 Won People's Choice Award for: Your Face (1987)

Related Links


http://www.plymptoons.com
http://www.hairhigh.com/index_flash.html
http://www.awn.com/plympton/
http://www.mutantaliensmovie.com/main.html
http://www.idiotsandangels.com/

Bibliographic References


http://www.plymptoons.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Plympton
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0687739/
http://www.wildviolet.net/spring3/bill_plympton.html
http://www.awn.com/plympton/advice.html
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/22876
http://www.indiewire.com/people/int_Plympton_Bill_980826.html
Beck, Jerry Animation Art

Contributors To This Listing
Melissa Goodway

 

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