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| Ralph Bakshi | |
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 "Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say." |
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| Born | October 29 1938 Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, animation director |
Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938, in Haifa, Palestine [now Israel]) is an American director of animated and occasionally live-action films. As the American animation industry fell into decline during the 1960s and 1970s, Bakshi tried to bring change to the industry and pioneered adult animation using political commentary and satire.
Bakshi started his career as a cel polisher at the Terrytoons studio, working his way up from cel painter to inker, then animator, and eventually began to direct animated television shows for the studio. Bakshi moved to Famous Studios in 1967, before starting his own studio in 1968. Through developing a work relationship with producer Steve Krantz, Bakshi made his debut feature film, Fritz the Cat in 1972, the first animated film to receive an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. The film was followed by Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. All three films were extremely controversial for their content and approach to animation.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bakshi became a spokesperson for a new direction in animation with American Pop and the fantasy films Wizards; Fire and Ice, with legendary painter Frank Frazetta; and the first film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, a film that laid the groundwork for future adaptations of the book. In the mid-1980s, Bakshi returned to his roots in TV cartoons with a revival of the Mighty Mouse character, and the animated specials Christmas in Tattertown and The Butter Battle Book, based on the book by Dr. Seuss.
Following the troubled production history of Bakshi's 1992 feature film Cool World, he did not complete another animated feature film. Bakshi's films have created controversy while continuously breaking new ground in the form. He encouraged the public to look at animation in a new way by creating worlds that are sometimes familiar and sometimes alien, whose power and strangeness are completely absorbing.
Ralph Bakshi was born of Krymchak descent on October 29, 1938, in Haifa, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine. In 1939, his family went to New York to escape World War II.[1][2] He grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. As a child, Bakshi loved comic books and art in general.[1] He was also a boxer during his teen years.[3] Bakshi first attended the Thomas Jefferson High School then was transferred to the School of Industrial Art,[2][3] where he graduated with an award in cartooning in 1957.[1][4]
Bakshi made a name for himself in animation during the fading days of theatrical studio cartoons. At the Terrytoons studio (best known for the Mighty Mouse cartoons), he started as a cel polisher then graduated to cel painting. Practicing nights and weekends, he quickly became an inker and then an animator, working on characters such as Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Deputy Dawg, Foofle, and Lariat Sam. By age 25, he was directing these shows as well as Sad Cat, James Hound and others.[1]
At 28, he saved the jobs of the studio when he attended a series pitch meeting with the CBS Television Network, and improvised a superhero spoof cartoon proposal called The Mighty Heroes when the network rejected all the studio's prepared ones as well as directing it.[1] Bakshi was introduced to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien by a director at Terrytoons in 1956. In 1957, he started trying to convince people that the Lord of the Rings books could be animated and tried to obtain the rights,[5] finally succeeding in the mid-1970s.
In 1967, Bakshi moved to Famous Studios, the animation division of Paramount Pictures, where he was placed in charge of this famous cartoon studio during what were to be its final days. Here he hired Mort Drucker, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Joe Kubert, Jim Steranko, Gray Morrow, and Roy Krenkel,[1] and produced several experimental animated short cartoons, although none of them had a major impact with audiences. Paramount closed its cartoon studio for good in 1967. In 1968, Bakshi founded his own studio, Ralph's Spot, and headed a low-budget but distinctive animated series for television based on the Spider-Man comic book; new episodes appeared until 1970. After 1970, Bakshi left the world of television and went into full-length animated feature films.
In 1971, Steve Krantz tagged on as a producer on what was to be Bakshi's first feature film. They mulled over various projects, finally deciding on Robert Crumb's successful underground comic book Fritz the Cat. Bakshi was initially reluctant to direct the film because he had spent years working on animated productions featuring animal characters and wanted to make films focusing on human characters.[6] The film was made using a number of experimental animated film production techniques that Bakshi would continue to use throughout his career. Fritz the Cat was the first animated feature film to receive an X rating in the United States,[7][3] and it was unquestionably aimed primarily at adult audiences—something that had previously been unheard of. The film received largely positive reviews,[4] and was a box office smash, the first independent animated film to gross more than US$100 million at the box office.[8] Creator Robert Crumb, however, hated the film, and eventually wound up killing off the title character in retaliation.[9][10]
Immediately following the success of Fritz the Cat, Bakshi began production on Heavy Traffic, a personal tale of inner-city street life. The film incorporated many of Bakshi's trademark filmmaking techniques from his debut, and also incorporated the heavy use of live-action footage, which Bakshi would continue to use in his films throughout his career. The film is considered to be one of Bakshi's best works, and is also his favorite of his own work.[11] While Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic both encountered controversy, Bakshi encountered the most negative reactions of his career with his third feature, Coonskin. Originally produced under the working titles Harlem Nights[4][12] and Coonskin No More...,[13] the film, culled from Bakshi's interest in African American history in America, was an attack on racism and racist stereotypes.[14] The film's release was stalled by protests from the Congress of Racial Equality long before its release, who accused the film and Bakshi himself of being racist.[4][14] The film was eventually given limited distribution advertised as an exploitation film, and disappeared from theaters. Although initial reviews of the film were negative, the film was eventually reappraised, and has since been considered by many to be one of Bakshi's best films.[4][14]
Bakshi turned away from race and cultural issues and began producing fantasy films. His first was Wizards in 1976. Bakshi ran into trouble when he was unable to complete the battle sequences with the budget 20th Century Fox had given him, and the studio refused to raise his funds.[15] So he paid for the film's completion out of his own pocket and used rotoscoping for the battle sequences, which borrowed live-action material taken directly from World War II stock footage and feature films.[15][16] In 1977, the film was released and received with great acclaim.[1][15]
Bakshi's next project was an animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. This was the first attempt at filming the epic novel to actually see release. Originally pitched as a trilogy, the adaptation was reduced to two parts after negotiation with United Artists,[17] and released as a standalone film in 1978. The film, as with much of Bakshi's work was very experimental, incorporating the use of rotoscoping, brief snippets of cel animation, and live-action footage mixed with animation. Bakshi later regretted his use of the rotoscoping technique, stating that he made a mistake by tracing the source footage rather than using it as a guide.[6] The film received mixed reviews from critics. However, it was a financial success,[18] cited by film critic Leonard Maltin as being one of only two major commercial successes in Bakshi's career, the other being Fritz the Cat.[7] Despite this, the studio refused to fund the sequel, which would have picked up half-way through the story and adapted the remainder of the book.[17]
While Ralph's Spot and Bakshi Productions studios were in production, Bakshi and his crew were always coming up with new ideas for films. Whether it was an original idea or an attempt at portraying an existing story that Bakshi really thought could be animated and make a great film, the ideas were explored to the fullest potential and then most were scraped for other, more immediate, potential projects. Bakshi has stated that "One approach I used at the time because it was hard to sell a picture was like shooting ducks in a barrel. I knew what picture I wanted to make cause I could see it visually, so I knew they would work."[19]
Aside from The Lord of the Rings Part 2, Bakshi had also approached various other projects which never came to pass. Among these was an animated adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's legendary novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, done in the style of Ralph Steadman's legendary illustrations. Though Bakshi pursued the project, the person holding the rights, a girlfriend of Thompson's, presumably producer Laila Nabulsi, refused because she wanted the film to be made in live action (and it eventually was in 1998).[20]
Bakshi also tried to produce a live-action film based on Hubert Selby Jr.'s controversial novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn. Bakshi acquired the rights from Selby after Heavy Traffic was completed, and Robert De Niro accepted a major role, but the project never came to pass.[21] Last Exit to Brooklyn was eventually filmed by director Uli Edel in 1989.[22]
Another unmade Bakshi project was to be called Bobby's Girl, which he co-wrote with a young and ambitious Canadian named John Kricfalusi. Bakshi had worked with Kricfalusi (who later went on to create The Ren and Stimpy Show) on a series of other projects during the 1980s. Bobby's Girl, an R-rated teen exploitation film set in the 1950s, was greenlighted by TriStar, but canceled after its then-current president, Jeff Siganski, got fired. Both Kricfalusi and Bakshi have stated that they doubt the project will ever be made.[23]
Other projects Bakshi planned, but never made, include an anthology film called The City, and The History of American Music, which, according to Bakshi, was "basically following a musician around in his travels." Neither of these projects came to pass.[24]
Bakshi returned to street-smart movies in the early-1980s, but Hollywood had, for the most part, turned its back on animation at the time and Bakshi worked behind the scenes for most of the decade. American Pop and Hey, Good Lookin', came next, followed by Fire and Ice, with famed fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta. In the mid-1980s, he returned to his roots in TV cartoons. His biggest success in the 1980s was a TV cartoon series aired in 1987, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures. The series ran for two years. Complaints from television watchdog groups about perceived drug references were a driving force in its cancellation.[25]
In 1986, the Rolling Stones hired Bakshi to direct the music video for their version of "The Harlem Shuffle". The video featured a combination of live-action footage of the band lip syncing the song directed by Bakshi and animation directed by animator John Kricfalusi.[26]
Bakshi returned to the big screen with another variation on "animated characters interacting with real-world people" in 1992 with Cool World. The film was originally pitched as an animated horror film, but the original screenplay was scrapped and heavily rewritten during production.[27][28] The final film was a critical and box office disappointment.
Bakshi did not produce any animated feature films for 13 more years, instead working on various television projects. In 1994,
he directed the live-action feature Cool and the Crazy, which aired as a part
of Showtime's Rebel Highway series.[1][29] The same year, he created two shorts for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons' innovative shorts program
What A Cartoon! Bakshi worked on a short-lived animated TV series called
Spicy City in 1997, and in 2003 he was the model for and the voice of the eccentric,
circus-midget-hating Fire Chief in protégé John Kricfalusi's
Availability of his work on the Internet spiked a recent resurgence of interest, resulting in a three-day retrospective at American Cinematheque at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California, and the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, California, in April 2005. At the proceedings, Bakshi announced plans to finance and produce a low-budget animated feature titled Last Days of Coney Island, although the film's current production status is uncertain. Other projects, such as American Beat[32] and sequels to Bakshi's earlier films Coonskin[33][34] and Wizards[27][34] have been reported, but these projects have not yet been greenlighted. The Museum of Modern Art has added his films to their collection for preservation.[1] He currently lives in southwestern New Mexico, working as a painter.[31] Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi, a hardcover book focusing on Bakshi's life and career, is slated for an April 1, 2008 release.[35]
Bakshi has encountered much controversy and criticism during the span of his career. When it was first released, Fritz the Cat was criticized by some for its style and subject matter. Top animators of the era took a full page ad out in Variety telling Bakshi to "take [his] garbage back east."[36]
"A lot of people got freaked out. The people in charge of the power structure, the people in charge of magazines and the people going to work in the morning who loved Disney and Norman Rockwell, thought I was a pornographer, and they made things very difficult for me. The younger people, the people who could take new ideas, were the people I was addressing. I wasn't addressing the whole world. To those people who loved it, it was a huge hit, and everyone else wanted to kill me."
—Ralph Bakshi[37]
When it was originally released, the film Coonskin was seen as being racist. During a showing at the Museum of Modern Art, the building was surrounded by members of the Congress of Racial Equality, led by a young Al Sharpton, none of whom had seen the movie. Bakshi asked why Sharpton didn't come in and see the movie, to which Sharpton replied, "I don't got to see shit; I can smell shit!" Eventually, the group was persuaded to view the film. After the screening, Sharpton charged up to the screen, but there was no one behind him. He could hear voices behind him saying, "It wasn't that bad!"[38]
Bakshi has also been accused of plagiarism by Mark Bodé, son of famed underground comix legend Vaughn Bodé, who saw Bakshi's film Wizards as being a rip-off of his father's Cheech Wizard comic book series.[39] Bakshi has stated that he had been friends with Vaughn and his family, and had discussed the possibility of producing an animated film with Bode. "The script he wrote was hysterical, something about a Don Juan Lizard with a wooden dildo because in those days lizards had no balls. At any rate, I loved Vaughn and his family very much and never speak of him because of what he did to himself.[40] I try to erase that whole part of my life out of my mind. I really miss him and all the wonderful, brilliant things he would have done by now. Victoria's[41] website forced me to finally admit that Vaughn was gone." Bakshi acknowledged Bode's influence by referring to him as "one of the world's great cartoonists."[42]
In the same light, some critics have seen the film Cool World as being an attempt by Bakshi to try and imitate the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Unfavorable comparisons between the two films (including a quote from actor Brad Pitt who stated that the film is like "Roger Rabbit on acid"[43]) added to this belief.
Bakshi's reputation as a spokesman for the medium has led to his being caricatured in various animated projects, usually as an obese, slovenly figure. Noted fans of Bakshi's include directors Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee,[38] who are both credited as being big fans of Bakshi's 1975 feature Coonskin. Tarantino featured the film in the third of a series of film festivals he hosted, where it was the fourth feature shown at the festival,[44] in addition to speaking about the film at the Cannes Film Festival.[33] Tarantino also provided the forward for the book Unfiltered: The Compete Ralph Bakshi.[35]
Bakshi's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings has also been cited as an influence on director Peter Jackson's adaptation of the same material. Many believe that the stagings of some scenes in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring were directly based upon Bakshi's stagings in scenes from his adaptation. After initially denying having seen Bakshi's film, Jackson admitted to having first encountered The Lord of the Rings via Bakshi's film, stating that while the film was a "brave and ambitious attempt," he wasn't initially inspired to read the books.[45] In another interview, Jackson stated that he "enjoyed [the film] and wanted to know more."[46] Bakshi attributed Jackson's change of tone towards the film to his own vocal complaints through interviews.[28] On the audio commentary for the DVD release of The Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson acknowledges one shot, a low angle of a hobbit at Bilbo's birthday party shouting "Proudfeet!", as an intentional homage to Bakshi's film.
From 1972 until 1994, Ralph Bakshi directed nine feature films, writing five of them. He made voice cameos in six of his
animated features, and in episodes of Spicy City and
| Ralph Bakshi |
|---|
|
Feature films: Fritz the Cat
• Heavy Traffic • Coonskin • Wizards • J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
• American Pop • Hey Good Lookin' • Fire and Ice • Cool World • Cool and the Crazy • Last Days of Coney Island |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bakshi, Ralph |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Animator Filmmaker |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 29, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Haifa, Palestine |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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 | Director. Copyright © 2006 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ralph Bakshi". Read more |
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