Conversations with some of the animation industry's most celebrated independent creators.
In this first two-part interview, Ralph Bakshi opens up about his earliest days in animation. From his career as an animator at Terrytoons and Paramount to the creation of The Mighty Heroes and other Saturday morning cartoons, Bakshi opens up about what drove him creatively and the forces that tried stopping him.
Responding to the Disneyfication of animation, Bakshi created his own take on the 1960’s counterculture with the first truly adult animated feature, Fritz the Cat. Bakshi goes in deep with the decades-old controversies surrounding his film Coonskin when it came under fire from the Congress on Racial Equality, which protested the film’s racial satire.
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying, “They don’t make them like Ralph Bakshi anymore.”
Don't miss Part 2 of the conversation!
SPEAKER
Ralph Bakshi
Boss // Bakshi Productions
(Last Days of Coney Island, Trickle Dickle Down, Spicy City, Babe, He Calls Me)
Ralph Bakshi made his name and living via animated films, comic strips, advertising, and cartooning beginning from a young age. All of which was in pursuit of supporting his insatiable drive for creating art. He was either going to be living on the street as an artist or be an artist with a paycheck. Luckily he was able to marry both his artistic passions with a real job right out of Manhattan's School of Industrial Arts in NYC. Terrytoons in New Rochelle was the first stop on a long and intense career in an animated world. While gaining renown for creating and directing cutting-edge and fiercely creative films that delivered a profound social impact, Bakshi developed a work ethic that served him well in his private studio. Never failing to steal any spare, breathing moment into his studio to paint on his own canvases — apart from his enormous film studios. Notably, the artistic genius in Bakshi’s films did not escape the attention of art critics, while applauded their audacity, always raved about the brilliant artist whose hand and head conceptualized the jazzy characters and fantastical landscapes that ended up full of life on the big screen.
Over the course of his career, Bakshi has made feature films, series and continued to pursue his passion for art.
Website // IMDb // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter
MODERATOR
Keith Blackmore
Sr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School
As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national.
Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it.
Conversations with some of the animation industry's most celebrated independent creators.
In this first two-part interview, Ralph Bakshi opens up about his earliest days in animation. From his career as an animator at Terrytoons and Paramount to the creation of The Mighty Heroes and other Saturday morning cartoons, Bakshi opens up about what drove him creatively and the forces that tried stopping him.
Responding to the Disneyfication of animation, Bakshi created his own take on the 1960’s counterculture with the first truly adult animated feature, Fritz the Cat. Bakshi goes in deep with the decades-old controversies surrounding his film Coonskin when it came under fire from the Congress on Racial Equality, which protested the film’s racial satire.
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying, “They don’t make them like Ralph Bakshi anymore.”
Don't miss Part 2 of the conversation!
SPEAKER
Ralph Bakshi
Boss // Bakshi Productions
(Last Days of Coney Island, Trickle Dickle Down, Spicy City, Babe, He Calls Me)
Ralph Bakshi made his name and living via animated films, comic strips, advertising, and cartooning beginning from a young age. All of which was in pursuit of supporting his insatiable drive for creating art. He was either going to be living on the street as an artist or be an artist with a paycheck. Luckily he was able to marry both his artistic passions with a real job right out of Manhattan's School of Industrial Arts in NYC. Terrytoons in New Rochelle was the first stop on a long and intense career in an animated world. While gaining renown for creating and directing cutting-edge and fiercely creative films that delivered a profound social impact, Bakshi developed a work ethic that served him well in his private studio. Never failing to steal any spare, breathing moment into his studio to paint on his own canvases — apart from his enormous film studios. Notably, the artistic genius in Bakshi’s films did not escape the attention of art critics, while applauded their audacity, always raved about the brilliant artist whose hand and head conceptualized the jazzy characters and fantastical landscapes that ended up full of life on the big screen.
Over the course of his career, Bakshi has made feature films, series and continued to pursue his passion for art.
Website // IMDb // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter
MODERATOR
Keith Blackmore
Sr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School
As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national.
Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it.
