Bill Plympton‘s in L.A. this weekend for the Los Angeles Animation Festival, and our Nerdist News newsletter brethren caught up with him for an interview. The occasion is the 20th anniversary screening of his first full-length film The Tune and a new documentary about him, Adventures in Plymptoons.
Wait, you don’t know who Bill Plympton is? He’s only one of the most unique animators you’ll ever find. I used to read his newspaper cartoons in the old Soho Weekly News back in the day, but most people became acquainted with his work on MTV’s Liquid Television, his signature style — scratchy-lined sketches come to life in jiggly, squishy animation — instantly recognizable.
20 years ago, he made that feature film, and it was all hand-drawn, every cel. He’s made lots of animation since, including the video for Weird Al Yankovic’s “Don’t Download This Song”:
And one with Kanye:
The interview covers how he manages to draw every frame of his movies, why his films don’t involve much dialogue, animating for adults, and what’s exciting him in animation today. It’s definitely worth a read. You can find the interview by clicking here, and, while you’re there, if you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to the Nerdist News newsletter for more stuff like that.