Ralph Bakshi?

[NekoChan_C]

Hey, has anyone seen any of the animated films from Ralph Bakshi? I know that many of you will have never even heard of him, but... for some of the CAA "elders" maybe? I remember seeing Wizards with my parents as a kid and just thinking it was the wildest thing ever... then saw "Cool World" back in ninety...something... ::mind blanks:: and have seen parts of American Pop... His work always had some political commentary and contained some things which were less than wholesome, but... I just remember being awed with the imagery and content of his work.

So... anyone?

[EricTheFred]

Bakshi... with some better financial planning, he could have been the grandfather of a more grownup-oriented American animation industry along the lines as Japan has developed. Unfortunately he's a better animator than businessman, so his Lord of the Rings was incomplete and his current project is adrift without funding.

It's really too bad, because he's an animation genius. "Wizards" is easily my favorite, and "Fire and Ice" wasn't half bad. A lot of his earlier stuff is just Ecchi garbage, though. Although he did a lot of Saturday morning cartoons in the 60s. He directed the first Spiderman series for several years, for example.

"Cool World" was a lot of fun, too, but Bakshi hated it. Until he started trying to do "Last Days" (current project) he got out of animation completely, doing various live action stuff instead. Apparently the project was shanghaied and rewritten by others, using the world he created but a completely different plot.


I hope he gets a chance to finish it, because from what I've read on the web, it looks like it could be good.

[Roy Mustang]

I remember Mighty Mouse and Cool World and that's it.


[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[NekoChan_C]

well I am glad that at least a few people remember him... I had hoped that you would, Eric, as you are very knowledgeable about media... so, the Last Days", huh? I'll have to check it out!

[Nightshade X]

"Cool World" was a lot of fun, too, but Bakshi hated it.

Aww... dang it. I liked "Cool World"...

[Radical Dreamer]

Oh wow, I've never heard of this guy; his stuff sounds interesting. Are they full-length movies or animated short films? I'd love to see his art style.

[USSRGirl]

I just know him for that abominable Lord of the Rings cartoon - a gruesome mix of live action orcs-with-bags-on-their-heads and cheap animation. So other than that, I have no comment.

[Radical Dreamer]

Wait a minute, is this guy the same as Rankin Bass?

[NekoChan_C]

he did full length movies. I believe that he actually did an adaption of Dr. Seuss' Butter Battle Book... Seuss actually called it the most faithful of all the animated adaptions of his books.

[Radical Dreamer]

he did full length movies. I believe that he actually did an adaption of Dr. Seuss' Butter Battle Book... Seuss actually called it the most faithful of all the animated adaptions of his books.

Oh, really? I'd actually like to see that; I read that book while writing at term paper on Seuss once. XD I'm sure it would make an interesting animation. XD

[oro!]

When I read the name, I immediately thought of the LOTR animation, although I wouldn't have been able to supply the name with the movie. It's weird what your brain remembers when you don't remember it.
I was so sad when I couldn't watch our tape of that gruesome, terrifying thing(man, I never realized what I was watching when I was a kid). I loved that movie. I was extremely sad to find out its incompletion.
The scene with Galadriel was interesting, as was the mix with actual actors and fake ones. I remember watching this thing the whole way through...and how young Bilbo looked. Wow, what a memory shock. I want to go watch it again! So many things I could write about this particular movie. It really had an impact on me.

[NekoChan_C]

see? It's those same things that brought Bakshi to mind in the first place... I can't say that I remember the LOTR animation... but I will have to check it out! But Wizards was my flick... I even found the song that the Fairy Queen Elinor sang on youtube, and the words ... somewhere on the net, cant remember where... but those nostalgia laden memories of youth...
*breathes deep*
ahhhh, good times...

[Tarnish]

I've actually been waiting for a long time for somebody to bring up Bakshi. I'm a fan of his in the same way others are fans of Uwe Boll.

He takes material that, more often than not, should be impossible to screw up (Cool World, Lord of the Rings)...and screws it up, anyway.
I hated Cool World a lot, but love the idea. Sort of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"-y, only with comics.

His take on LOTR did lead to an awesome recap on another forum, though, so at least there's that.

Oh, and I got a certain one of his movies mixed up with "Felix the Cat", once. I was in for a bit of a shock.

[NekoChan_C]

Oh, and I got a certain one of his movies mixed up with "Felix the Cat", once. I was in for a bit of a shock.

LOLOL... Oh, that is the funniest thing I have heard all day!!!

[bigsleepj]

I dislike his animation style deeply. And I hate Cool World. Wizards was okay, and Fire and Ice was surprisingly good. But overall I don't consider myself a fan of his.

[NekoChan_C]

you know, to be quite honest, I wasn't all that thrilled with his animation style itself... well, the character designs, lets say... but the movies... I really loved them, more Wizards than Cool World, although I briefly wanted to be a blonde because of Holly Would... LOL...err... anyways...

It was just such a unique style that I havent seen in any other animators... not even the blokes who did "Watership Down"... hey... anybody seen THAT one?!

[bigsleepj]

I own "Watership" on DVD. Excellent movie.

[Nate]

I vaguely remember Cool World as being more or less a Roger Rabbit ripoff and pretty terrible, not to mention forgettable. In fact I only remember its name, despite having watched it.

[Roy Mustang]

Until he started trying to do "Last Days" (current project)

The title of that movie has been change to Last Days of Coney Island and its been reported that its being made. I would take that how you will, since you never know if it will make it or not.


[font="Book Antiqua"]
[color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I'm not going to touch anything this man does. His Lord of the Rings was horrible and incomplete and cheap-looking.
Rotoscoping does not always work well.
This movie is evidence of that.

[Maledicte]

Lord of the Rings......ahahahahahahaha! The balrog is a man in a lion suit with butterfly wings and bunny slippers! Also proof that rotoscoping is good only when done right. But when done wrong, as in Aragorn tripping over his own sword and Gandalf swinging his beard around his head, it's hilarious.

I do want to see Fire and Ice though. It looks fun, and Frank Frazetta had a hand in it.

Wait a minute, is this guy the same as Rankin Bass?

No, Bakshi's films more adult-oriented. Kind of like an R-rated Don Bluth, except Don Bluth actually knows how and when to use rotoscoping.

[Scarecrow]

I have LOTR... Really its not THAT bad. I saw it before the movies were released but after I had read the books. Really aside from major head scratchers (that end battle? What the frick was up with all those fireballs?!) and stupid moments, I really didn't mind it that much. I wish they would have finished it to be honest. I was quite disappointed when I realized it was only half a movie.

Really the only thing I REALLY wanna see of his though is Fire and Ice. I was tempted to just buy it off amazon. Other than that and LOTR I'm not really familiar with his work and I can't say I'm a fan based off of LOTR.

And I always get him mixed up with Rankin Bass too. Who is better IMO =D The Last Unicorn has been my all time favorite movie since I was 4 and I still love it so Rankin Bass wins.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

The premise of Wizards sounds good but the animation style turns me off big-time. Fire and Ice looks pretty good but I find Sword and Sorcery Conan Barbarian type fantasy to be groan-worthy.

[Scarecrow]

Fire and Ice reminds me of He-Man.... I love He-Man... I hope they make a He-Man live action movie. That would be so awesome. Skeletor could be one of the most awesome movie villains ever (yes I know they already made one but I mean a REAL He-Man movie.. that last one sucked)

[AsianBlossom]

Oh, and I got a certain one of his movies mixed up with "Felix the Cat", once. I was in for a bit of a shock.

Ohhh...now I know why the name sounded familiar. No, I haven't seen the movie (and I reeeeaaally DON'T want to); I checked out this one book from the library a while back called "Masters of Animation" (and YES, Miyazaki was in it too), and I think I remember seeing the guy's name in there. Something about an adult cartoon with a cat was mentioned, so I can only guess it was this same Ralph person.

...

..."this same Ralph person"? That's some of the weirdest writing I've done lately. XD

[ShiroiHikari]

I was looking at some clips from his Lord of the Rings film on Youtube last night.

Oh my god. I don't think I could sit through the whole thing. It was just...eurgh. XD I mean, ARAGORN DOESN'T WEAR ANY PANTS. Frankly, the animation style is creepy. Rotoscoping = not always a good idea.

I remember this Saturday morning show he did called The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse. I had one episode of it on tape and it was actually mildly funny in a really dumb kind of way. I only saw the one episode though.

[Radical Dreamer]

Reading an interview with the guy, I am unimpressed thus far:

[quote="http://movies.ign.com/articles/518/518805p2.html"]IGNFF: What was your reaction when you found out how much of an influence that [Lord of the Rings] had on Peter Jackson?

BAKSHI: I have many feelings about it. I haven't seen all the films. In some respects I feel good that Peter Jackson continued and went on, and in some respects I feel bad that Saul Zaentz, the producer, and various people never called me, thanked me, or asked my permission to do the movie. After all, I do have the rights. So I have many mixed feeling about it. Not has anyone sent me a bottle of wine on the tremendous success. Eventually, Peter Jackson did say that the first film inspired him to go on and do the series, but that happened after I was b******* and moaning to a lot of interviewers that he said at the beginning that he never saw the movie. I thought that was kind of f***** up. But I have more feelings on the business side of that than I do on the creative side. I'm glad Peter Jackson had a movie to look at –]

I think he just sounds jealous that Peter Jackson actually did a good job. XD

[Roy Mustang]

Reading an interview with the guy, I am unimpressed thus far:

I was never unimpressed with the guy after seeing Cool World and knowing that he made a tv series that was an anthology of sexy and risque animated stories called Spicy City.

After reading about Last Days of Coney Island, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if that thing never gets made at all. It just looks like another one of his seedy risque cartoon movie.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[NekoChan_C]

And I always get him mixed up with Rankin Bass too. Who is better IMO =D The Last Unicorn has been my all time favorite movie since I was 4 and I still love it so Rankin Bass wins.

AH! I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!! Although... I've never seen it in english... I found it on telemundo once, and watched it the whole way through in spanish... and I didn't speak any spanish back then... LOL... Great stuff.

I was never unimpressed with the guy after seeing Cool World and knowing that he made a tv series that was an anthology of sexy and risque animated stories called Spicy City.

After reading about Last Days of Coney Island, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if that thing never gets made at all. It just looks like another one of his seedy risque cartoon movie.

Yeah, those risque cartoons are really what he was known for... But the only one I saw the whole way through was Wizards. And it really impacted me, as trippy as it was... and you HAVE to admit that the "They KILLED Fritz" bit was fuuuuunnnnnnnnnnyyy! LOLOL...

...well, maybe it was just funny to me cause I have such a messed up sense of humor... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7IOzb-LaQ

(warning: there is one bad word in this clip... so if you are offended by any bad language, be aware...)

[EricTheFred]

Yeah, those risque cartoons are really what he was known for... But the only one I saw the whole way through was Wizards. And it really impacted me, as trippy as it was... and you HAVE to admit that the "They KILLED Fritz" bit was fuuuuunnnnnnnnnnyyy! LOLOL...

...well, maybe it was just funny to me cause I have such a messed up sense of humor... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7IOzb-LaQ

I think this scene will stick with me for the rest of my life. I imagine this is mostly because I saw it for the first time with a bunch of fellow college students when I was something like nineteen years old. Scenes from "Rocky Horror" and "Blues Brothers" stick with me for the same reason.

Seeing all the negatives on Bakshi's animation in this thread leaves me laughing, guys. I feel sometimes when I read these threads about old cartoons or animes like I now know how my grandparents felt when they were trying to describe the Great Depression to me. No matter what I say, the younger folks will still have no idea what it was actually like to live in the animation desert that was the 70s and 80s. What Bakshi did was amazing, if you realize he had virtually no budget to work with, and he was working strictly pre-CGI. The rotoscoping thing in LoTR wasn't the original plan, by the way. It was Plan B, fallen back upon because he was unable to get sufficient financing for Plan A. Many of the short-cuts in Wizards, like WWII footage and frozen backgrounds (like in the 'They Killed Fritz!' clip) were for the same reason. The results you see are what this genius was able to do with popsicle sticks and chewing gum, not what he could do with real money.

Even though he hated Cool World, and the story wasn't the story he'd wanted to make, you get to see in this case what he could do with actual dollars in his pocket. I often wonder what Wizards or LoTR would have been like with the same kind of budget.