Ralph Bakshi
- Directing
- October 29, 1938 · Haifa, Mandatory Palestine [now Israel]
Biography
Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is a Palestinian-born American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote. He has been involved in numerous television projects as director, writer, producer and animator. Beginning his career at the Terrytoons television cartoon studio as a cel polisher, Bakshi was eventually promoted to director. He moved to the animation division of Paramount Pictures in 1967 and started his own studio, Bakshi Productions, in 1968. Through producer Steve Krantz, Bakshi made his debut feature film, Fritz the Cat, released in 1972. It was the first animated film to receive an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, and the most successful independent animated feature of all time. Over the next eleven years, Bakshi directed seven additional animated features. He is well known for his fantasy films, which include Wizards (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978) and Fire and Ice (1983). In 1987, Bakshi returned to television work, producing the series Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which ran for two years before it was canceled due to complaints from a conservative political group over perceived drug references. After a nine-year hiatus from feature films, he directed Cool World (1992), which was largely rewritten during production and received poor reviews. Bakshi returned to television with the live-action film Cool and the Crazy (1994) and the anthology series Spicy City (1997). He founded the Bakshi School of Animation and Cartooning in 2003. During the 2000s, he has focused largely on painting. He has received several awards for his work, including the 1980 Golden Gryphon for The Lord of the Rings at the Giffoni Film Festival, the 1988 Annie Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Art of Animation, and the 2003 Maverick Tribute Award at the Cinequest Film Festival.
Known for
Filmography
- Midwest · Director, Writer
- Last Days of Coney Island · Director, Writer
- Trickle Dickle Down · Director, Producer
- Adventures in Plymptoons! · Self
- Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for 'The Lord of the Rings' · Self, Thanks
- Breaking the Mold: The Re-Making of Mighty Mouse · Self
- Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon · Ralph Bakshi (Voice)
- Frazetta: Painting with Fire · Self
- Malcom and Melvin · Super Hero, Director
- Babe, He Calls Me · Super Hero, Animation
- Spicy City · Connelly / Goldblum (Voice), Stevie (Voice)
- What a Cartoon! · Writer, Animation
- Cool and the Crazy · Director, Writer
- Rebel Highway · Director, Writer
- Cool World · Director
- The Ren & Stimpy Show · Storyboard Artist
- Imagining America · Director
- Reflections of A Native Son · Writer
- Tribe · Writer
- Get Your Kicks on Route 66 · Writer
- The Butter Battle Book · Director, Producer
- Hound Town · Director
- This Ain't Bebop · Writer, Director
- Christmas in Tattertown · Director, Characters
- Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures · Creator
- Cannonball Run II · Animation
- Fire and Ice · Director, Characters
- Hey Good Lookin' · Producer, Director
- American Playhouse · Writer, Director
- The Cigarette and the Weed · Cigarette / Weed (Voice), Animation
- American Pop · Piano Player (Voice), Director
- The Lord of the Rings · Director
- Wizards · Fritz (voice, uncredited), Storm Trooper (voice, uncredited)
- The Monsterizer · Director
- Coonskin · Cop With Megaphone (voice) (uncredited), Writer
- The Junker · Director
- The Plastic Blaster · Director
- The Bigger Digger · Director
- Heavy Traffic · Various Characters (voice) (uncredited), Screenplay
- The Paper Monster · Director
- The Return of the Monsterizer · Director
- The Time Eraser · Director
- The Scarecrow · Director
- Fritz the Cat · Narrator / Pig Cop #1 (Voice), Director
- The Timekeeper · Director
- The Drifter · Director
- Lost and Foundation · Director
- The Ghost Monster · Director, Story
- The Toy Man · Director
- The Frog · Director
- The Stretcher · Director
- Mouse Trek · Director, Executive producer
- Baron Von Go-Go · Director
- Mini-Squirts · Executive producer, Character Designer
- Frozen Sparklers · Director
- The Fuz · Director, Executive producer
- Marvin Digs · Production Design, Director
- Fancy Plants · Director
- Traffic Trouble · Director, Supervising Animation Director
- The Opera Caper · Director
- Dr. Rhinestone's Theory · Supervising Animation Director
- Spider-Man · Producer, Director
- Which Is Witch? · Supervising Animation Director
- Give Me Liberty · Director
- Bugged By A Bug · Supervising Animation Director
- It's for the Birds · Director
- The Heat's Off · Director
- Mr. Winlucky · Director
- A Voodoo Spell · Supervising Animation Director
- The Mighty Heroes · Creator
- Scuba Duba Do · Director, Animation
- Dr. Ha-Ha · Director
- The Monster Master · Director
- The Third Musketeer · Director
- Dress Reversal · Director
- Don't Spill the Beans · Director
- Gadmouse: The Apprentice Good Fairy · Animation, Director
- Possible Possum · Creator
- Where There's Smoke · Animation
- Crossing The Delaware · Animation