2023 Woodstock Film Festival: A Conversation With Visionary Filmmaker Bill Plympton about his latest Film Slide

In celebration of the 24th Annual Woodstock Film Festival, INSIDE+OUT is pleased to share our exclusive interview with “the King of Indie Animation,” Bill Plympton, the first person to hand-draw an entire animated feature film. Bill moved to New York City from Portland, Oregon, in 1968, and in 1987, he was nominated for an Oscar® for his animated short Your Face. In 2005, Bill received another Oscar nomination, this time for his short Guard Dog. Since 1991, he’s made nine animated feature films. Bill has also made music videos for Madonna, Kanye West, and Weird Al Yankovic; eight opening “couch gags” for FOX-TV’s The Simpsons; and six Webby Award-winning Trump Bites shorts.

His latest film Slide, presents a mythical slide guitar-playing cowboy who confronts greedy eco-villain twins, Zeke and Jeb, who are aiming to uproot Sourdough Creek for a Hollywood movie crew. With swinging Western tunes and surreal, hand-drawn animation, the film takes audiences on a mesmerizing journey. As an embodiment of indie filmmaking, Slide showcases Plympton’s artistry in every frame. Delilah, a multidimensional character working as a hostess at the Lucky Buck Saloon, embodies ambition and redemption, aspiring to be a star singer. Alongside a feared Hellbug creature, she aids the cowboy’s quest to save the town. At the crossroads of reality and fantastical artistry, Slide weaves a tapestry of love, courage, and self-discovery, fulfilling Plympton’s childhood dream to create a Western set in the evergreen-covered mountains. This indie gem is a true celebration of independent storytelling.

Without further ado, let’s hear what Bill Plympton has to say…

INSIDE+OUT: Tell us about your latest film, which will be shown at this year’s festival.

Bill Plympton: My newest film, Slide, is a musical comedy western noir. It’s the kind of film Mel Brooks would make if he were an animator. It’s been a labor of love for over seven years – partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic – and also because the style and look of this film is more illustrative, that is, an identical look to my art from back when I was an illustrator. The original music, by Maureen McElheron and Hank Bones, is a re-creation of the music I listened to as a kid – Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline. I always believed that at its roots, country and Western music is a perfect match for animation. My co-writer on the film is the brilliant Jim Lujan, who wrote my earlier film Revengeance and did some fantastic voices for both that film and Slide.

What inspired you to choose a career in the film business, and what was your journey?

As a child, I was heavily influenced by Walt Disney films and, later, Warner Bros. cartoons. My dad, a banker, was very popular because of his wild sense of humor. I wanted to be funny like him, but I was too shy to speak up in crowds, so I let my drawing skills do that for me. Even though I got a late start in filmmaking and animation, I’ve been able to create 12 feature films and dozens of shorts.

What was your most rewarding or the most challenging project to date?

Certainly, Your Face has been my most rewarding experience in my life. That stupid little film opened up my career in shorts, features, music videos and commercials. It showed me I could make a living doing independent animation. And the most challenging experience was when I was thick into the production and animation on Slide, and the COVID pandemic hit. I lost a lot of my sources of income from cinemas, film festivals and comic cons. So, I had to stop production on Slide and make money by working on commercials, music videos and documentaries.

What are your thoughts on technology and the changing landscape of the TV and film industry?

Sometimes, I feel like John Henry, fighting the steam-powered drilling machine, using only my hands. Most people believe that all animation now is created by computers and AI. Yet, there are still many animated productions created by hand. Many Japanese anime films, some TV shows and a large part of indie films are handmade. And the crazy thing is that people believe computer animation is cheaper – far from it. A Disney or Pixar animated feature can run over $200 million to make, while hand-drawn films are half that price, and my features come in at less than $1 million.

What is one question you’re constantly asked, or what’s the biggest misconception about what you do?

The biggest misconception about my work is that I draw every drawing in my films since, historically, there have been batteries of animators working on Hollywood productions, like Ford’s assembly-line process. I tried hiring animators for my feature Hair High, and after a week, I realized they were too slow, they couldn’t match my style, they were very expensive, and they got to have all the fun drawing, which I love so much. So I let them go and did it all myself.

Can you put your finger on what makes a great Director and Animator and who inspires you?

I believe the success (or limited success) that I’ve attained is mostly attributed to my unique style and weird humor. It’s very different from any other filmmakers out there. Of course, I’ve been influenced by many other filmmakers, like Frank Capra, Walt Disney, Tex Avery, Billy Wilder, Elia Kazan, Quentin Tarantino, Saul Steinberg and the Coen Brothers. I learned from all these great artists, and when I blended their ideas together, I ended up with a very different look that people can immediately identify as Plymptoons.

What are you working on now that you’re excited about?

I’m creating a 20-minute sci-fi short called The Leech that will be included in a Polish animated compilation feature film. It’s very fun because I rarely use other people’s stories, and on this, I can relax and just concentrate on the visual storytelling – which is what I love to do.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

I’d love to be “Laughman,” with the power to make the whole world laugh.

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About the Woodstock Film Festival
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Founded in 2000, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.

WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide. The Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film categories – Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.

 

Now in its 24th year, 2023 promises to as exciting as ever! 2023 lineup and Tickets HERE.
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