Director: Alexia Anastasio
Starring: Bill Plympton, Terry Gilliam, Moby, Tom Sito, Ed Begley Jr., “Weird Al’ Yankovic
I Believe Productions
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 84 minutes
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
In the opening of the film, actor Ed Begley Jr., jokingly thinking he is doing an interview with Bill Clinton, ask why they are doing an documentary on Bill Plympton? Well that answer is explained very thoroughly in this documentary. Bill Plympton is an Oscar nominated animator and does not get the respect he deserves. He creates movies faster than they can be released and he does it all independent. This documentary is really funny and gives great insight into the career to date of Bill Plympton. The film is also edited really well to tie everything together, kudos to Alexia Anastasio and Kevin Sean Michaels. The interviews are mixed with clips from Bill’s work, which takes us perfectly into the depths of his mind.
There are dozens of interviews included including some really big names like Terry Gilliam, Moby and “Weird Al’ Yankovic. Each person tells really fun and interesting stories about their relationship with Bill. There are also interviews with Bill’s friends and family about his career. I have seen many documentary interviews and these seem very fresh and interesting. I even liked the directors (Anastasio) approach to get opinions from critics of Bill…some who like his work, some who don’t.
You can tell that this film is really a passion piece for Alexia Anastasio (click here to read our interview with her) and a lot of time went into this project. She really seems to have an eye for capturing the documentary subject. I will look forward to her upcoming projects. This film is currently on tour in the film festival circuit, so keep an eye out for me. Bill Plympton deserves some major attention for his amazing work and hopefully this documentary will assist in that doing so. Tell your friends and don’t miss a chance to see this fun documentary.
