Adventures in Plymptoons! (2011)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

First things last: Miss Anastasio has done an impressive job capturing the accomplishments of a fine (successful) artist. Anybody walking the lonely, unbeaten path of independence, owes it to themselves to watch this flick... as for independent animators, watching is a must! In the age of the animation renaissance, Mr. Plymoton is a holy beacon of hope, the lone wolf standing proud on his own, and setting the standards for the next generation to come.

Bill Plympton is probably one of the world's most important animators alive. He has been nominated twice to the Academy Awards, and the list of trophies in festivals is nothing less than amazing: more than 30, including the top prize in Annecy four times, between 1998 and 2013. His unique style is an inspiration to young filmmakers that search for beauty, humor and significance on their work.The documentary 'Adventures in Plymptoons!' gives us the opportunity to find out more about his life and work, filling one's hunger for this real master. Alexia Anastasio, the director, conducts us in a movie that every independent animation lover should watch at lest once, and not only because all data and artist's curious facts. The movie itself is full of jokes that reminds the audience about Plympton's singular style of directing. The interviews both inform and amuse ranging from fans, colleagues and film critics. Excerpts from many of the director's movies are there to be appreciated. And Plympton himself is just as eccentric as admirable.For sure, an inspiring documentary to every person linked to animation worldwide. A film not to be missed, that proves itself as inspiring as any of the director's animations.

Genial, enjoyable, but not very deep documentary portrait of gonzo, wildly creative (and twice Academy award nominated) independent animator Bill Plympton. Director Anastasio takes a jokey tone, as if trying to find the documentary equivalent of Plympton's unique, absurdist style. Right up top, Terry Gilliam pronounces very seriously he's only doing an interview about Plympton to get paid, and Ed Begley Jr. deadpans that he thought he was there to do an interview about Bill Clinton, not Bill Plympton, and gets up to leave. That sort of sets the tone as the film becomes various short pieces about Plympton's history, philosophy, art and humor. We only see short bits and pieces of Plympton's work, which can be frustrating, and might make the uninitiated wonder what the fuss is about. To me, Plympton's cartoons are often about nothing as much as the build. The slow repeating of variations on a joke until the very repetition is part of what make it so funny. That's hard to capture in an 85 minute documentary. Plympton himself comes off as an extremely likable, eccentric character, who seems to have inspired a lot of friendship and good-humored admiration from the many worked with him or befriended him. And there a lot of fun moments here, along with some interesting stories about his life and work. I just wish it felt a little bit less like a celebrity tribute show/comedy roast, and more an exploration of an artist's work.

For fans of his work, this film about Bill Plympton's work is a definite must-see. It celebrates his work and gives you some insights into the man's formative years (though nothing about his life today). However, for folks who are NOT familiar with it, perhaps it isn't the best introduction. Part of it is because you only get small snippets of his films and part of this because the sexual drawings might scare you (though if you saw them in their entirety, most are pretty innocent). I'd watch a few of his films first, such as "Guard Dog", "Guide Dog" or "One of Those Days". And, part of it might be because without knowing Plympton's sense of humor, they may not realize that many of the interviews are fake! For instance, there are some funny ones with Ed Begley Junior and Terry Gilliam in which they say NOTHING nice about the man! There's also a funny bit with a bald bearded guy who HATES Plympton's work--and it's all a put on.Well worth seeing and I like the film's unusual style. Clever and unique--just like Plympton! And, probably NOT a film for the kids!