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Bill Plympton

Raised in Portland, Oregon and graduated from the Portland State University in graphic design
Bill Plympton is an independent animator, known best for his hand-drawn animations, (particularly
Oscar nominated, Your Face, released back in 1987).
Since the turn of the century, hes produced multiple feature films, including Idiots and Angels &
The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger (2010), Summer Bummer (2012), Drunker than a
skunk and feature-length animation: Cheatin (2013). Now, hes presently working on two
animations: Hitlers Folly and Revengeance, with fellow animator and writer: Jim Lujan.
His animations are clearly influenced by these links to illustration and caricature, back in the mid
80s. Naturally, this use of exaggeration, weight and distorted perspective, therefore, are ways he
can drive home certain points, and provoke strong emotions from the viewer. You Face,
particularly, is a lovely way at seeing this experimentation into how one can draw, and distort
space to make the work extreme yet almost believable in its movement.
His works predominately visual. In fact, some of his animated films are known to have no dialogue
at all. Cheatin is a prime example. In fact, he has reflected himself that drawn things, like

shadows, are an incredibly important part of the drawing, as, in this example, it fills out the
dimensions of the characters, it gives them weight. Its this particular reason that had driven the
story to be set in a desert town. Where shadows are played with and elongated to, once again, play
with that sense of perspective.
His choice of 2D animation, use of pencil, and linear mark making helped to give the work a more
traditional look, even to his finalised pieces.
One other thing I wish to mention is the Surrealism that seems to heavily influence his work.
Plympton claims that enjoys the work of Winsor McCay, (an American cartoonist and animator
known for his Little Nemo in Slumberland in 1911, and Gertie the Dinosaur in 1914), who is also
known for his surreal-like, interactive animation that had combined both live action with
animated content. This had allowed audiences to participate within his performance.

Surrealism allows easier exploration into the more psychological aspect of character. Both because
of its broader approach to drawing, and also since surrealism and dreams are heavily linked to the
unconscious mind. Something that can be explored with both automatism and surrealism alike.

Richard Williams
Alternatively, we have Richard Williams, whose own earliest films had more fine-art and illustrative
routes than animated, and (he claims) lacked that sense of weight and space that made animations
seem 3D dimensional, and life like.
In his attempt to relearn the basic principles
of animation, he decided to go towards the mainstream cooperation, Disney, whom unlike
Plympton, had decided to work independently to create more adult-themed animations exploring
whats real, and thats about our dreams, our thoughts, and our passions.
Richard Williams routes to Disney helped give birth to 1980s Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
A feature film that cleverly plays with the more mainstream conventions of 1940s Hollywood
animation.
Though using this light-hearted illustrative style in his work,
however, he could still explore these adult-themes. And even worked with that contrast, by finding
humour in juxtaposing this typical Disney style, with the darker side of cartoons I.e. all the
complications that could have come, had cartoons actually existed as living, breathing entities
alongside true, the life-action human world.
The idea of a toon dropping a piano on Eddie Valiants brothers head, especially, is both
gruesome and distressing to imagine, but also so obviously unexpected that the viewer can only

laugh.
An example of one of Richard Williams earlier animations- The Charge of the Light
Brigade (1968), based off the Punch Magazines satirical, and humorous
illustrations.

Further examples of Williams later work. Storyboards and concept designs for Who

Framed Roger Rabbit?.


Examples of Punch Magazines satirical cartoons:

MEDICALOFFICER:"SorryImustrejectyouonaccountofyourteeth."
WOULDBERECRUIT:"Man,ye'remakingagran'mistake.I'mnowanting
tobitetheGermans,I'mwantingtoshoot'em."

POMPOUSLADY:"IshalldescendatKnightsbridge."
TOMMY(aside):"Takes'erselfforabloomin'Zeppelin!"

References
http://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/interview-bill-plympton-on-the-spellbindingcheatinand-animation-as-a-broader-medium-171421/

http://www.plymptoons.com/about/
http://www.acmefilmworks.com/directors/bill-plympton/
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Renoir&rlz=1C1DSGP_enGBGB465GB465&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisjZuSr_TPAhXIKcAKHeUI
BhAQ_AUICCgB&biw=958&bih=930
http://www.animationmagazine.net/features/plympton-goes-noir/

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