Director: Alexia Anastasio
Cast: Alexia Anastasio, Ralph Bakshi, John Andrews, Jerry Beck, Bill Plympton
Studio: Cinedigm
HOW I WATCHED IT
Docurama, a direct-to-consumer digital channel featuring over 1,000 award winning and critically acclaimed documentaries from the Cinedigm library, recently launched in May.
Just in time for summer vacation, Docurama is currently featuring a package of themed documentaries – including two exclusives to the channel – A Deeper Shade of Blue, a film about surfing’s deepest roots, and Beyond 360, a film about two friends who quit their job to sail around the world!
You can check out Docurama for free on connected TVs (Samsung, Sony, RCA, Humax), set top boxes (Amazon Fire, Roku, Tivo Roamio, Western Digital TV), tablets (Samsung) and gaming consoles (Xbox).
WHAT I THOUGHT
“Adventures in Plymptoons” is a fun documentary about Bill Plympton’s work. However, if you’re not familiar with the man…this might not be the best starting point. A certain knowledge of his work is required, as some of the sexual art and fake bad interviews might put you off. Plympton is one of the Godfathers of modern underground cartooning, yet he has never bothered to cash in that street cred. While Matt Groening might get him to do a couple of Simpsons opening couch gags, Plympton still makes films that most theaters won’t touch.
Bill Plympton first came into my life via animation festivals and Liquid Television. God bless that there was a time when MTV would fund something like Liquid Television. He’s a mad genius, but his work is clunky on an aesthetic level. Some fans and viewers can’t find themselves warming up to something that isn’t pleasing. Plympton never bothers to care.
Animation history is littered with men like Plympton and it’s great that we live in an age to honor these pioneers. True vision is often shat upon in the present, while hindsight allows us to praise them after they are gone. That being said, I do appreciate the honest dissent that does come up in the film. No one’s perfect, but we can celebrate the imperfections that make something great. True art is wonderful.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!