Plymptoons (2002)
Film:
DVD:

Animation by Bill Plympton

Features:

• Twenty animated shorts
  
• Special introduction/interview by Lloyd Kaufman, head burrito of Troma
  
• "House of Weirdness"--we're not really sure what this is
  
• Running commentary by Plympton
  
• Slideshow gallery of artwork and cartoons
  
• Two additional interviews of Plympton, one for Screw and one for Splat
• A rare early live action film by Plympton
  
• "Watch Bill Draw"
  
• Trailers for IndieDVD and Troma
  

Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

My Advice: Own it.

Like most people, I'm most familiar with Bill Plympton's work on "Your Face"--his animated short that was nominated for an Academy Award. I always knew that "Face" was the tip of the iceberg, though--but never really had a chance to catch up with this singular mad animator. Until now. Plymptoons has twenty animated shorts on one disc, everything from Plympton's first attempt at animating a yearbook advertisement to an abandoned whacked out children's story about an ear of corn to other classics like the miniature apocalypse that comprises "One of Those Days".

Now, the good news is that you have this gathering of classic Plympton. Where it's not funny as all hell (which seldom occurs), it's at least fascinating. You have the political statements of "Boom Town" and also a human rights short for Amnesty International. Not to mention a ridiculously piss-yourself-funny spot for MTV concerning acid rain. You also have bits like the Gary Larson on crack that comprise the titular collection of shorts, rounding out the edition.

If there are weak points in the actual content of the disc, they would be "Love in the Fast Lane" (Plympton's very un-Plympton attempt at pitching a sitcom) and "245 Days". The latter is no fault of Plympton's since the animation has its moments, but the song is from the bad side of the 80's tracks.

All this Plympton in one place would have been kosher just on its own, but the better news is that the folks at IndieDVD slathered on the features. First and foremost is the manic introduction conducted by the equally manic Lloyd Kaufman, Lord of All Things Troma and Needcoffee.com Official Swell Guy. Lloyd's constant steering of the conversation towards sex and his constant kleptomania make for an amusing combo.

Then there's Plympton's running commentary. Running as in it runs until Plympton runs out of things to say about a particular piece, but what he does say is interesting nonetheless--he takes you through the story behind the short, the art style, and tidbits regarding the making of. Very nice stuff.

The rest of the features are a completist's dream. You have everything from the obscure and disturbed "House of Weirdness" live action bit to "Famous Last Sights," his comedically pitch black series of one panel bits that detail the last thing seen by various celebrities--from Mama Cass to Helen Keller. All I can say is that my seat in hell is now reserved because I laughed my arse off at them.

This disc is everything the Plympton or general animation fan could hope for. IndieDVD has done a stellar job of stacking the thing, adding extra value on top of the already valuable animation by Plympton. Fans should pick it up, but even if you're a humorless bastard you should at least rent the thing. This one is recommended.