Skip to main content
The 69-year-old animator is a legendary alternative cartoonist. He's also a local who graduated from Portland State and headed off to Rolling Stone and National Lampoon before receiving an Oscar nod in 2005, the same year he illustrated Kanye Westâs âHeard âEm Sayâ video.
Plympton credits The Simpsons and South Park with popularizing adult animation. "For some reason, movie theaters and distributors still have that closed-mindedness that animation is not suitable for adults," Plympton said. "Now, I don't get rich, but I make the films I want to make, and since I'm my own producer, I don't have to change anything for anybody."
On Friday, Cinema 21 will debut Plympton's most recent feature, Cheatin', a silent, hand-drawn drama about fatal sexual appetites and wedding vows. He's slated to draw live at the theater, a spectacle that's been compared to watching a house on fire. So, Willamette Week caught up with him early to dish the dirt on sex, Disney and drawing by hand.
WW: Cheatin' has a unique, choreographed vibe. What inspired you?
Bill Plympton: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce [three noir crime thrillers from the 1940s]. They're all about passion. These people love each other so much that it turns into murder. With Cheatin', their love is so intense that they decide to kill each other. And it's a comedy! It's a happy ending.
Did you draw from your personal life?
It's inspired by a relationship I had about 20 years ago. I
thought she would be the love of my life. So we moved in together, and
after about a month we wanted to strangle each other—yet I still wanted
to have sex with her.
People are calling this your most mature film—and not just because of the sex.
I've always had sexy people and crazy, surreal violence in my films. I don't think I will change that. I will continue to be outrageous. Here in the U.S., there's still a stereotype that animation should only be for children. And I think America is ready to change.
There's no dialogue in the movie. Why not?
I don't like writing dialogue. I like the poetry of telling the story with just visuals. I want it to be a trip to a faraway land that's very magical. And there's a lot of mistakes in the film, and I like the mistakes because it feels like it was made by a human rather than a computer.
And your monochrome pencil-sketch style?
It's much faster and it's cheaper. I do every drawing myself, and it's about 40,000 drawings. I can do about 100 drawings a day.
Why do people think animation is for kids?
I think it's 'cause of Disney. Disney is
so powerful, and everyone in America grew up watching Disney. I have a
lot of friends at Pixar. They have affairs, they have divorces, they
have adult issues, and yet they're not allowed to talk about any of that
there. They're forever to just tell fairy tales. If you're an artist,
you have to create what's in your life. I don't get why Tarantino or the
Coen brothers can have sexy characters in their films, but you can't do
that in cartoons. And I'm just hoping that this film, Cheatin', will break that stereotype.
You stay away from digital animation but are on Kickstarter and iTunes?
I'm just starting to get involved with the Internet.
People who saw my work 15 to 20 years ago on MTV can now view my films
on iTunes. There seems to be a lot more money online and so many fans
out there who want to see animation that tells different stories,
something unique.
You're 69 years old. What is it that compels you to keep creating?
It's just the pleasure of making films and the pleasure of showing the films. I mean, I love to draw.
SEE IT: Cheatin' premieres at Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave., 223-4515. 7 and 9 pm Friday, April 24. $8.50.
WWeek 2015