Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American

animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

, and filmmaker best known for his 1987

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

–nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting with 2004's ''

Guard Dog A guard dog or watchdog is a dog used to watch for and guard people or property against unwanted human or animal intruders. A dog trained to attack intruders is known as an attack dog. History Dogs have been used as guardians since ancient ...

''.

Early life

Plympton was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, the son of Wilda Jean (Jerman) and Donald F. Plympton, and was raised on a farm in nearby Oregon City with five siblings. From 1964 to 1968, he studied

Graphic Design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

, where he was a member of the film society and worked on the

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...

. In 1968, he transferred to the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he majored in cartooning. He graduated from SVA in 1969.

Career

Plympton's illustrations and cartoons have been published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and the weekly newspaper ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', as well as in the magazines '' Vogue'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', '' Penthouse'', and '' National Lampoon''. His

political cartoon A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically co ...

strip ''Plympton'', which began in 1975 in the '' SoHo Weekly News'', eventually was syndicated and appeared in over 20 newspapers. In 1988, his animated short '' Your Face'' was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He also became known for other animated short films, including ''25 Ways to Quit Smoking'' (1989) and ''Enemies'' (1991), the latter of which was part of the ''Animania'' series on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, where many of his other shorts were shown. In 1991, Plympton won the Prix Spécial du Jury at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

for ''Push Comes to Shove'' which was featured on MTV's animated series '' Liquid Television''. In 1992, his self-financed, first feature-length animated film, '' The Tune'' debuted at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. His work also appeared on the 1992–1993 Fox comedy series '' The Edge''. In 1993, he made his first live action film, ''J. Lyle''. Bill and Sandrine at IADT

In 1995, he contributed animation and graphics to a computer game collection, '' Take Your Best Shot''. He also published a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

in 2003, ''The Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton''. The actress Martha Plimpton, a distant relative of his, served as associate producer on Plympton's animated feature '' Hair High'' (2004), doing much of the casting. The movie's voice cast included her father Keith Carradine and her uncle David Carradine.

Later works

'' (2004) was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In 2005, Plympton animated a music video for

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's " Heard 'Em Say" and the following year, he created the music video for

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

's " Don't Download This Song". Plympton contributed animation to the 2006

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

series '' 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America'', to illustrate the events of

Shays' Rebellion Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes on both in ...

. Together with other independent New York City animators, he has released two DVDs of animated shorts, both titled ''Avoid Eye Contact''. Plympton's 2008 80-minute feature, ''Idiots and Angels'' presented by

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...

, had no dialogue. The film premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

on 26 April 2008, In 2011, Alexia Anastasio completed a documentary on Plympton's life, ''Adventures in Plymptoons!'', released in September 2012 direct-to-DVD and on video-on-demand. In 2011, Plympton collaborated with child film critic Perry Chen on ''Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest'', a 2011 short animated film directed by Kevin Sean Michaels, about actress and

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivor Ingrid Pitt. Plympton has done extensive guest animation work for the ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', producing eight opening couch gags for the show between 2012 and 2022, as well as the menus and packaging for the Season 19 DVD. Plympton directed the segment "On Eating and Drinking" in the 2014 animated film '' The Prophet'', adapted from

Kahlil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and Visual arts, visual artist; he was also considered a philosopher, although he himself reject ...

's book '' The Prophet.'' In 2018, Plympton created a series of videos for ''The New York Times'' called “Trump Bites”. One of the series, ''Trump and Putin: A Love Story'', depicts Trump and Putin kissing half-naked. Critics said the video implied that gay relationships were inherently comical and immoral. In 2020, Plympton released a

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

for a new animated comedy western, ''Slide''. The funding was successful, raising $60,000 from 400 backers. The film premiered at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was shown at several other film festivals through 2023 and 2024, though the film has yet to receive a wide release.

Legacy

A collection of more than 180 Plympton items is held at the Academy Film Archive. The archive has preserved Plympton's films such as ''Your Face'', ''The Tune'', ''Guard Dog'', and ''The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger''. His films have featured in the Animation Show of Shows including '' Your Face'', ''Guard Dog'', ''Eat'' (2001), ''The Fan and the Flower'' (2005), and ''Santa: The Fascist Years'' (2009).

Personal life

On December 23, 2011, Plympton married animator/artist/illustrator Sandrine Flament. Their son was born in September 2012.

Influences

Plympton has stated he has many influences, the biggest being the work of the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

with others including

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of America ...

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, film director, director, film producer, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the te ...

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American c ...

, Charles Addams, Charles M. Schulz, Don Martin,

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ...

, Spain Rodriguez and

Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer ( ; January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025) was an American cartoonist and author, who at one time was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for Pulitzer Prize for Editori ...

. He said '' I Married a Strange Person!'' "was influenced by Peter Jackson, some of his earlier films ... where he used gore and violence and blood as humor." He also included references to

Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted 46th (a list of the top 50 was ...

, Carlos Nine, and Milt Kahl.

Awards

* 1988 Academy Award nomination for Short Animation: "Your Face" * 1991 Jury Prize for Short Films, "Push Comes to Shove",

* 2004 Inkpot Award winner * 2005

nomination for Short Animation: "Guard Dog" * 2006 Winsor McCay Award

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origi ...

by ASIFA-Hollywood * 2011 20th Annual Cinema St. Louis Film Festival (traditional name: St. Louis International Film Festival), Lifetime Achievement Award * 2011 Burbank International Film Festival, Pioneer in Theatrical Animation Award * 2011 Action On Film International Film Festival, Lifetime Achievement Award * 2013 ANIMAFicx Award, 51st Gijon International Film Festival: "Cheatin'" * 2023 Los Angeles Animation Festival ** Winner Best Feature Film: "Slide" ** Best Feature Film Director: "Slide" ** Winner Music Video: "Lipstick of the Brave"

Filmography

Animated features

* '' The Tune'' (1992) * '' I Married a Strange Person!'' (1997) * '' Mutant Aliens'' (2001) * '' Hair High'' (2004) * ''

Idiots and Angels ''Idiots and Angels'' is a 2008 adult animated- black comedy film directed by Bill Plympton. Plot Angel is a selfish, abusive, morally bankrupt man who hangs out at a local bar, berating the other patrons. One day, Angel mysteriously wakes up ...

'' (2008) * '' Cheatin''' (2013) * '' Revengeance'' (2016) * ''Slide'' (2024)

Documentaries

* ''

Fuck ''Fuck'' () is profanity in the English language that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested ...

'' (2005; provided animated sequences) * ''Adventures in Plymptoons!'' by Alexia Anastasio (2011)

Live-action features

* ''J. Lyle'' (1993) * ''Guns on the Clackamas''(1995) * ''Walt Curtis, the Peckerneck Poet'' (1997) * '' Hitler's Folly'' (a mockumentary) (2016)

Animated shorts

Source unless otherwise noted:SND Films
/ref> * ''The Turn On'' (1968; 2:00) * ''Lucas the Ear of Corn'' (1977; 4:00) * ''Boomtown'' (1985; 6:00) * ''Love in the Fast Lane'' (1985; 3:00) * '' Your Face'' (1987; 3:10) * ''Drawing Lesson #2'' (1988; 6:00) * ''One of Those Days'' (1988: 7:50) * ''How to Kiss'' (1989; 6:35) * ''25 Ways to Quit Smoking'' (1989; 5:00) * ''Plymptoons'' (1990; 6:45) * ''Tango Schmango'' (1991) * ''Dig My Do'' (1990; 4:00) * ''The Wiseman'' (1990: 4:30) * ''Push Comes to Shove'' (1991; 6:30) * ''Draw'' (1993; 2:00) * ''Faded Roads'' (1994; 2:30) * ''Nosehair'' (1994; 7:00) * ''How to Make Love to a Woman'' (1995; 5:00) * ''Smell the Flowers'' (1996; 2:00) * ''Boney D'' (1996; 3:00) * ''Plympmania'' (1996; 8:00) * ''Sex & Violence'' (1997; 8:00) * ''The Exciting Life of a Tree'' (1998; 7:00) * ''More Sex & Violence'' (1998; 7;00) * ''Surprise Cinema'' (1999; 7:00) * ''Life'' (1999, 6:10) (presenter, animator) * ''Can't Drag Race with Jesus'' (2000; 2:00) * ''Eat'' (2001; 9:00) * ''Parking'' (2002; 5:22) * ''

'' (2004; 5:00) * ''The Fan and The Flower'' (2005; 7:10) * ''Guide Dog'' (2006; 5:45) (sequel to ''Guard Dog'') * ''Shuteye Hotel'' (2007; 7:00) * ''Gary Guitar'' (2008) (episode of Random! Cartoons) * ''Hot Dog'' (2008) (third in the ''Guard Dog'' series) * ''Santa: The Fascist Years'' (2009) * ''Horn Dog'' (2009) (fourth in the ''Guard Dog'' series) * '' The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger'' (2010) * ''Summer Bummer'' (2011; 1:49) * ''Waiting For Her Sailor'' (2011; 0:30) * ''Tiffany the Whale: Death on the Runway'' (2012; 8:56) * ''Drunker Than a Skunk'' (2013; 3:30) * '' ABCs of Death 2'' (segment-H is for Head Games) * ''Footprints'' (2014; 4:01) * ''The Loneliest Stoplight'' (2015; 6:18) *''Cop Dog'' (2017) (fifth in the ''Guard Dog'' series) *''Demi’s Panic'' (2021)

Animated TV shorts

* '' 12 Tiny Christmas Tales'' (2001) * '' ChalkZone'' “That Thing You Drew” * '' Random! Cartoons'' - Gary Guitar * ''

'' couch gags (2012–2022; Beware My Cheating Bart, Black Eyed, Please, Married to the Blob, Lisa the Veterinarian, 22 for 30, 3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage, Manger Things, One Angry Lisa)

Compilations (DVD)

* ''Avoid Eye Contact'' Vol. 1 * ''Avoid Eye Contact'' Vol. 2 * ''Plymptoons: The Complete Early Works of Bill Plympton'' (1992) * ''Bill Plympton's Dirty Shorts'' (2006) * ''Mondo Plympton'' (2007) * ''Bill Plympton's Dog Days'' (2009) * ''Bill Plympton's Dogs & Cows'' (2013)

Music videos

* Peter Himmelman – "245 Days" (1990) *

– " Heard 'Em Say" (2005) *

– " Don't Download This Song" (2006) * Parson Brown, "Mexican Standoff" (2008) * "Weird Al" Yankovic – "Alpocalypse, TMZ" (2011) * Cousin Joe Twoshacks (Joe Cartoon) - "Deep End" (2014) *NO SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS * "Weird Al" Yankovic – "Polkamania" ("Shape of You" segment) (2024)

Commercials

public service announcement
Acid Rain
(1989) *
Trivial Pursuit
' (3) (1990–91) * Nutrasweet (1991) * Soloflex "Transformation" (1992) * Oregon Lottery "Blackjack" (1992) * Taco Bell
Fuddy Duddy
(1993) * Nik Naks (British snack), Nik Naks (UK) (1993) * Windows '95, Microsoft Windows '95 (1995) * AirTouch Cellular (1996) * AT&T
Longshot
(1996) * AT&T Wireless
Map-O-Rama
(1997) * NBC
Peacock Bumper
(1997) * 7-11/PBS "Head" & "Explore" (1997) * The Money Store "End of the World" & "Rollercoaster" (1998) * GEICO, Geico Direct (6) (1999) * Wilson Sporting Goods, Wilson Tennis (3) (2002) * United Airlines
Signature
(2005)

References

External links

Plymptoons.com
(official website). Retrieved on May 5, 2018.
Bill Plympton
at IMDb. Retrieved on May 5, 2018.
Criterion Channel trailerPlymptoons' official YouTube channelOfficial Vimeo channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plympton, Bill 1946 births Animators from Oregon American animated film directors American comedy film directors Portland State University alumni School of Visual Arts alumni Artists from Portland, Oregon American voice directors Living people Inkpot Award winners Culture of Portland, Oregon SoHo Weekly News people