Film Review: Bill Plympton's "Idiots and Angels"

Bill Plympton, the two time Oscar nominated animator and director, whose work runs the gamut of television commercials, animated shorts, and six animated feature films, has indeed enjoyed quite a bit of success with his work. Originally starting out as an illustrator and caricature artist, he has been full into animation for some 25 years since having scored with his very first short, Your Face, in 1985.

Idiots and Angels is Mr. Plympton's sixth animated feature film. The entire film was incredibly hand drawn by Bill alone, pencil on paper, and then colored and shaded digitally. He has said it took him about a year to write and storyboard the film, a year to draw it, and almost a year for post production. And that's certainly 3 years well spent on what could be considered his best feature yet.

I had the opportunity to view this film myself and found it to be an absolutely stunning work of art. The film, in short synopsis, is "a dark comedy about a man's battle for his soul." Mainly centered around a dark and dingy bar, there are five main characters: Angel, Bart the bartender, the bartender's wife, an old floozy, and a doctor.

Mr. Plympton creates his main character, Angel, as someone who is seemingly far beyond redemption (in the beginning of the film, we see him set his tie ablaze in a motorist's gas tank in order to get his parking space). So, indeed, right away we see it as a true struggle for him to accept it when a pair of wings inexplicably grow from his back and steer him away from his normal behavior. But, rather than try and give the whole story here, check out the long synopsis on the Idiots and Angels website.

(c) Bill Plympton

Idiots and Angels really is an important film with all the right elements going for it. Great story, great soundtrack, and a cleverly delivered animation style that is trademark Bill Plympton. Fiercely drawn and minimally colored, this 'cartoon noir' is simply a must see.

It's amazing to view this beautiful film and know that it simply came about from an off-hand comment Mr. Plympton himself quipped to a student when asked what his next project would be: “Oh, it’s about this a-hole who wakes up one morning with wings on his back and how he deals with these wings that make him do good things.”

(c) Bill Plympton

I really enjoyed the story and the humor, and there were some really great laugh out loud parts. One scene that really struck me funny was when, just after wiping out competing bars, Bart the bartender goes back to his own bar and oils up his cash register!

However, aside from the story and humor, what I especially enjoyed about the film was how Mr. Plympton animated it. His use of odd perspectives, like the view from the inside of an ashtray, is absolutely brilliant. Further, I loved the metamorphic transitions, like the main character's morning routine, wich you can see in the film's trailer here.

(c) Bill Plympton

Another thing I think is absolutely genius, is that there is no dialogue whatsoever. Just sound effects and a great choice of music to move the story. Along with musicians who have worked with Mr. Plympton in some of his previous works, he also used music from the likes of Tom Waits, Moby, and Pink Martini. The Tom Waits selections I thought were especially fantastic in the scenes they were used.

(c) Bill Plympton

It's definitely worth the time to check out the Idiots and Angels film website to view the movie trailer and other clips. Also, be sure to have a look at Bill Plympton's YouTube channel to see clips of his other works.

(c) Bill Plympton

I also encourage anyone to check out Mr. Plympton's website, to find out more about him and his work, and also purchase his earlier works and collections. You can also see his Ani-Cam page to watch 'over his shoulder' as he worked on drawing Idiots and Angels.

(c) Bill Plympton

Idiots and Angels is currently being shown in select theaters. Click here for more info.

Theatrically, Idiots and Angels is preceded by the Bill Plympton short, The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger, which received a nomination for the Annie Awards, in the category of Best Animated Short Subject. The Annies are given out by the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood branch, and will be presented on February 5 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles. See a clip of The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger below:

 

Idiots and Angels

78 mins, Color, 2008
Ratio, 1:1.85

Credits:

Director:  Bill Plympton
Writer: Bill Plympton
Animator: Bill Plympton
Producer: Bill Plympton, Biljana Labovic
Art Direction: Bill Plympton, Biljana Labovic
Production Artists: Biljana Labovic, Kerri Allegretta, Lisa LaBracio
Editor: Kevin Palmer
Sound Design: Greg Sextro
Music: Hank Bones, Nicole Renaud, Corey Jackson, Rachelle Garniez, Didier Carmier, 3 Leg Torso, Tom Waits, Pink Martini

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick C. Sorbin is a digital artist, sculptor, writer, and Managing Editor for Renderosity's Front Page News.

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