| Born: | October 29, 1938 |
|---|---|
| Death: | n/a |
| Nationality: | Haifa, Israel |
Occupation - Title Director, Producer, Writer, Painter, Cartoonist Biography Ralph Bakshi began his career at Terrytoons, still a student, where he was a cel polisher. He advanced quickly to animator and director, leaving Terrytoons to head up Famous Studios for its last couple of years. He directed a string of remarkably personal, adult features in the early 1970s- Fritz The Cat, Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. With Wizards, he introduced rotoscoping, a technique he used to keep animation costs down during a dark time for animation. He teamed with John Kricfalusi to produce Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which revolutionized television animation. He retired to New Mexico to teach in 2005. Family/Early Life Ralph Bakshi was born in October 1938 in Haifa, Israel. In 1939 his family came to New York escaping the war. He grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn and went to the High School of Industrial Arts now called High School of Art & Design. Bakshi ended up graduating with an award in cartooning in 1957. Education/Training Bakshi went to the High School of Industrial Arts now called High School of Art & Design. He ended up graduating with an award in cartooning in 1957. Career Outline Bakshi went to work for Terrytoons Animation Studio in New Rochelle as a cel washer, graduating to cel painting. Practicing nights and weekends he quickly became an inker, and then directly to animator (by claiming an empty desk on the animators floor and, claiming that he was promoted to animator, asked for scenes to animate for characters such as Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle, Deputy Dawg, Foofle & Lariat Sam. By 25 he was directing these shows as well as Sad Cat, James Hound and others. At 28 he created and directed The Mighty Heroes and was made Creative Director of the studio. 1972 found Bakshi releasing his first feature-film, Fritz the Cat. The X-rated film garnered rave reviews and sequel, The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat, was released in 1974. Bakshi's 1975 film Coonskin parodied of Disney's Song of the South (1946) and met with strong backlash. Bakshi wrote, directed, and produced Wizards (1977) which dealt with the creation of Isreal. In 1978 he worked on the influential The Lord of the Rings utilizing the rotoscoping process to enhance the realism of the figures. After working on television and taking a nine-year absence, Bakshi directed the feature Cool World (1992) that combined animation with live action. He wrote and directed Cool and Crazy (1994), a project he started in 1979. Style Improvisational and intensely personal, which is unusual in a collaborative medium like animation. Heavy use of rotoscoping, mixes many aspects of classic animation into his films/projects. Influences Cartoonists: Fontaine Fox, George McManus, George Herriman, Jack Cole, Billy DeBeck, Eugene Zimmerman, TS Sullivant, Frost, Kemple, Ernest Shepard, Willard Mullin, Bill Mauldin Painting: Edward Hopper, Hyam Soutine, Francis Bacon, Reginald Marsh Photography: Diane Arbiss, Weegee Personality Boisterous and passionate with wild mood swings. Bakshi can be a difficult person to collaborate with because his personality is so strong. But he is dedicated to encouraging and developing young talent and making a personal statement through his art. Anecdotes Quotes: "Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say." "Bakshi's back!" "Screw continuity! If two scenes hook up in this picture, you're all fired!" (On Don Bluth) "I wouldn't leave Disney to *do* Disney." Honors Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 1988 Several films inducted into the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art American Cinematheque: Egyptian Theater Retrospective Filmography Spicy City--Producer 1995 Malcolm & Melvin and HB Babe He Calls Me --Writer, Director, Producer 1995 The Cool & the Crazy 1994 Cool World Director 1993 Dr. Seuss: The Butter Battle Book--Director 1989 Tattertown--Writer, Director, Producer 1988 Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures--Producer 1987 This Ain't BeBop--Writer, Director, Producer 1986 Harlem Shuffle--Director 1985 Fire and Ice--Director, Producer 1983 American Pop--Director, Producer 1982 Hey Good Lookin--Writer, Director, Producer 1980 The Lord of the Rings--Director 1978 Wizards--Writer, Director, Producer 1977 Coonskin--Writer, Director 1975 Heavy Traffic--Writer, Director, Producer 1973 Fritz the Cat--Writer, Director, Producer 1972 Spiderman--Director 1967-68 Fanta Commerials (selected)--Creator & Director--Commercials w/ Peter Max 1968 Rocket Robin Hood--Director 1967 Marvin Diggs, Bickersons (Paramount Cartoon Studios)--Director 1967 Mighty Heroes (Terrytoons)--Creator & Director James Hound, Sad Cat, Spiderman, Deputy Dawg (Terrytoons)--Director James Hound, Heckyl & Jeckyl, Lariat Sam, Foofle (Terrytoons)--Animator Miscellaneous Was the inspiration for both Homer Simpson (Angie from Heavy Traffic) and the "Comic Book Guy", both characters from the Simpsons. Caricatured by John Kricfalusi in the Ren & Stimpy episode, "Firedogs II"