brewmasters
JERRY BECK
bio & contact
view posts by jerry
AMID AMIDI
bio & contact
view posts by amid
Bill Plympton’s Dog Days dvd
by amid
July 14, 2009 9:00 am


Dog Days

Independent animation great Bill Plympton has released a new dvd collecting all of the shorts he has created between 2004 and 2008: Guard Dog, Guide Dog, Hot Dog, Spiral, The Fan and the Flower, Shuteye Hotel, and Santa, the Fascist Years. The disc is packed with tons of extras including music videos for Kanye West, Weird Al Yankovic, and Parson Brown, TV commercials, animated documentary excerpts, and a TV special 12 Tiny Christmas Tales, as well as pencil tests, animatics, storyboards and filmmaker commentary. Animation director David Levy wrote a review of the dvd with insightful thoughts about Plympton’s work in general. Levy’s comments about the Parson Brown music video “Mexican Standoff” stood out to me:

I am tempted to describe Bill’s recent commissioned work, the music video “Mexican Standoff,” as one of those misfires in that it can appear to be an average work. But as soon as I think that, I correct myself: Average for whom? The film is full of innovative camera angles, daring animation, and enough style and ideas for 10 films. I wonder if one price Bill has paid for his productivity might be that we’ve become accustomed to his ordinary excellence. If we had never seen a Bill Plympton film before and started with “Mexican Standoff,” we might be asking, “Who did that terrific animation?” But, the value of the “Dog Days” collection is that it answers that injustice by forcing the viewer to look at this five-year period of Bill’s work as a whole.

This morning, we’re giving away a dvd signed by the legend himself. To enter, leave a comment below until 11am (Pacific time) and we’ll choose a random winner from the comments. To order the Dog Days dvd, which is $24.95, visit Plympton’s website.

07/14/09  9:05am
Doofus says:

Bill’s cool. Truly made a market for himself, didn’t he?

07/14/09  9:16am
DrewDraws says:

I really haven’t seen enough Plympton. If I win this DVD I can correct that.

07/14/09  9:20am
ted says:

Bill Plympton is the king of independents! All hail Plymp-Ton!

07/14/09  9:21am
slkdragon says:

One of my animation professors really pushed this guy’s work in class, and I’m glad she did. Great stuff! Really gets me inspired to keep up my own work.

07/14/09  9:30am
FP says:

I never heard of half this Plympton stuff. It would be great to see it.

07/14/09  9:30am
Lucky Jim says:

Nobody does it quite like Bill Plympton. May he animate for many more years to come.

07/14/09  9:32am
Rob T. says:

Looking forward to seeing this, whether I win it or not!

07/14/09  9:36am
Dead End says:

Woohoo! I actually got to meet Plympton at Fantasia last year. A great guy.

07/14/09  9:36am

I’d love to snag more of Plympton’s excellent (and often hilarious) work.

07/14/09  9:37am
Brice Marden says:

I hope to christ I don’t win. I liked “your face” and it has all been downhill from there.

07/14/09  9:39am
SUnday says:

Wow, such great material. Thanks for making this one a giveaway, Brew!

07/14/09  9:40am
Trevor says:

I love Bill Plympton. Whenever I try to get my parents interested in animation, they always hear me wrong and wonder why Bill Clinton is making cartoons. Help me inform them!

07/14/09  9:43am
Ellen says:

Bill is a prolific and inventive animator. I really hope his movies get distributed more often in the future.

07/14/09  9:45am

I was hooked by Bill Plympton’s wry humor and unique animation back in the day’s of Liquid Television. I know his work from then but would love to see how his work, humor, and animation daring has progressed.
That would be at treat for any animation fan.

07/14/09  9:45am
Wolf Lahti says:

How can one make a truly random comment? I mean, anything I type is predetermined by the limitations/capabilities of the computer system I am using (which, granted, being an Macintosh is more capable than some - but I digress). Random characters from the keyboard are really no less or more random within these limits than words and phrases that fall off my fingertips as I type. I mean, I really had no idea what I was going to say when I started this comment, so I guess that is fairly random.

Anyway, it will have to do at least for now.

07/14/09  9:50am
Steve says:

What a treat - whether I win or buy it. His “Anicam” is a good idea: http://www.plymptoons.com/anicam/anicam.html Though not working for me at the moment. Maybe hes on his lunch break.

07/14/09  9:54am
David says:

This looks like an awesome collection!

07/14/09  10:01am
KRod says:

one of the most unique styles of animation out there - truly independent in every way.

07/14/09  10:03am
Laurence Coleman says:

I saw Bill at Edinburgh Film Fest in 2008 and I bought the Hair High book off him.
For some reason his only copy was really muddy and all the pages bent over as if it had been dropped on it’s corner.
I should have haggled with him really. I could have got a discount!
Oh well, it was still worth it!

07/14/09  10:03am

I’d love to get the DVD. I’ll certainly order it if I don’t win! I regret missing the opportunity to meet him at the most recent NYC Comic-Con…geez, what was I thinking!

Pierre

07/14/09  10:03am
Roman says:

I’ve always admired his work, there need to be more animators like him!
haha, and I love that quote from Terry Gilliam on the dvd cover.

07/14/09  10:04am
Katie says:

I love Bill Plympton. I was introduced to him when I was a kid taking an animation pre-college course at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I think my teacher might have been a stoner because Plympton was probably the most normal thing he showed us.

07/14/09  10:04am
Philip Street says:

Bill Plympton is an inspiration to independent animators everywhere.

07/14/09  10:05am
Kevin Rucker says:

Sign me up! It can share the shelf with the Animation Show DVDs and everything will be ok.

07/14/09  10:07am
Oluseyi says:

Fantastic. I don’t get to see enough independent animation, so I’ll definitely be picking this up (assuming I don’t win, because I never win).

07/14/09  10:16am
Terry says:

I had to get Hair High from Australia to watch it. Color me interested in these shorts.

07/14/09  10:16am
Ben says:

It’s always inspiring to watch his pure pencil work - smudges and all.

07/14/09  10:16am

Bill Plympton!!!

07/14/09  10:16am
John says:

Bill is one of the reasons I got into this crazy business in the first place. He’s a genius.

07/14/09  10:20am
JMatte says:

Always enjoyed his work. I do remember seeing Guard Dog, Guide Dog and Hot Dog and would definitely love to own these on DVDs.

07/14/09  10:21am
Chris Webb says:

Let me repeat Bill’s advice to animators:

1. Make ‘em funny
2. Make ‘em short
2. Make ‘em cheap

For all of those people looking for a “business model” for their animation career - just do what Bill does: make good films.

07/14/09  10:21am
Roger A says:

I love Plympton’s work. Glad to see there’s a new DVD!

07/14/09  10:24am
Maria says:

I love Mr. Plympton’s drawings and graphic style. Especially that dog. Just looking at him makes me laugh.

07/14/09  10:30am
beckee says:

Entering on time from the east coast requires math, but i think i made it.

07/14/09  10:32am
Nicole says:

I was able to see the “Dog Trilogy” at the “Animation Show”, and loved “Fan and the Flower” … brilliant work and hopefully we will see “Idiots and Angeles” sometime released soon.

07/14/09  10:34am
Dutchie says:

Bill’s great, in person too. Very friendly. This might actually be my favorite collection of his shorts yet. All funny or moving, all great art and really funny!

Is Hair High out on DVD yet in the USA?

07/14/09  10:35am
Aaron says:

07/14/09  10:38am
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town says:

That’s a cool dvd. Does this offer include people from all over the world or just the united states?

07/14/09  10:41am
G. Melissa Graziano says:

I love Bill’s Dog series. The character animation is always excellent in them. I look forward to the next installment!

But I have to say, Your Face is still my favorite. :)

07/14/09  10:43am
Jamie B says:

Bill’s recent short work has really surprised me over the last few years , and the fact that he was making a brilliant feature film at the same is insane!

07/14/09  10:54am
Brighton Roc says:

Well I’ve read this site an awful lot (in fact it’s the first blog I followed and has lead me to all the other good ones I read) and despite the many posts I’ve desired to comment on I haven’t until the carrot of free stuff is dangled before my nose. Well, forgive me my avarice and I’ll do my best to write something worthy of your time.
I can’t really recall the first time I saw Bill Plympton’s work. I believe it was a video my parents rented which, as they do not like animation nearly as much as I do, I find kind of odd. I think it was a movie of his rather than a short and I don’t remember much other than a small character and high walls. It was his style that I always remembered and left the permanent impression on me. There is always something moving. I know other people do it but they don’t do it quite as well. It’s that constant movement that makes his animation look smoother than is possible for him (since to animate everything in the traditional sense would take way too long for one person). And that constant jerky motion flows perfectly into his imagination. Animation should do things that are impossible. That’s what makes animation believable.
And now I’ve lost my train of logic. I decided to quit writing about him and popped over to YouTube to watch a bit of him. It is great stuff. I actively enjoying watching him. Somethings you watch and get lost in the story or emotion or action of the piece. Somethings you watch and are conscious of watching them the whole time. For me that either means I’m not enjoying what I’m seeing or I’m so amazing I’m seeing what I’m am that my mind is constantly reminding me to be amazed and feel lucky I’m getting to watch it. Bill Plympton’s work generally falls into that second category for me.
Side note. When I first saw Bill’s video for “Don’t Download This Song” my computer had no sound on it. When that problem was remedied I found (despite my unseemly love for all things Weird Al) I preferred it soundless. Plympton’s work had a wonderful rhythm all by itself. Weird Al’s song didn’t seem to fit it. Perhaps that meant Bill hadn’t done a good job for his client but I think it shows how little crutches his work needs. It is solid at its core and good entirely on its own.

07/14/09  10:59am
Michael says:

yes please!

All Hail Plymptoons!

07/14/09  11:03am
Dustin Haynes says:

Gah! One minute late! Just my luck

07/14/09  11:03am
James says:

I had to hurry…

07/14/09  11:22am
chaz says:

this is a must buy regardless if you win the signed copy!

07/14/09  11:48am

It was a good time working on this DVD. There are lots of DVD extras :)

07/14/09  11:53am
Graham says:

Awww….:(

07/14/09  11:59am
Tristan says:

There is no way I’m going to win this, but how cool would that be? Super cool.

07/14/09  12:00pm

Thanks all for entering our little contest. We will announce the winner later today.

07/14/09  12:34pm
Jed G Martinez says:

Having met Bill Plympton many years ago, I can honestly say he is a one-of-a-kind animator (and I’m not saying this just to win a prize, either). I never got tired of seeing his unique cartoons when I was a (former) member of ASIFA-East (when I used to live near NYC), and I’m certainly not to start slowing down today!

07/14/09  12:56pm
Richard says:

I’ve been a Plympton fan for years. I even took a cartooning course he once taught. He’s a great guy and a talented cartoonist!

07/14/09  6:05pm
william wallace says:

I would love to have this for mine very own………..no really.

07/15/09  11:13am
Arvin says:

Plympton’s work inspired my very first forays into cel animation; oddly enough, the very first thing I remember of his was his art used in this pong-ripoff game “Take Your Best Shot” or something like that, that I had in some random PC game demo CD.

07/15/09  1:03pm
Steve Gattuso says:

I’ll be sure to grab this at ComicCon. It looks great.

07/15/09  7:32pm

bill, you’re in a class of your own! thanks for being so inspiring and kind to talk to a super young animator. starting to grow up but still keep your motto: 1) fast 2) cheap 3) hilarious.

07/16/09  4:09pm

Buying these DVDs, I’m going to run out of money!

10/16/09  7:51pm
Jacob Zaborowski says:

I only just got into animation two years ago, and now that I’m in my first year of college, I have even greater access to animated films, particularly Bill Plympton’s work. I recently saw the Dog Days DVD, and I have to admit, the quantum leap from The Tune (which I adore) to this is astounding. Seeing his films, and seeing how with his inimitable style and humor, he has branched out into doing different stories, but creating new styles within his style. Dog Days proves that he is one of hte great filmmakers.

Write a comment.





Comment: