Ralph Bakshi
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.
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Movies (74)
Midwest
2023 · Writer, Director
Last Days of Coney Island
2015 · Director, Writer, Producer
Trickle Dickle Down
2012 · Director, Writer, Producer
Adventures in Plymptoons!
2011 · Self
Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for 'The Lord of the Rings'
2010 · Himself, Thanks
Breaking the Mold: The Re-Making of Mighty Mouse
2010 · Self
Frazetta: Painting with Fire
2003 · Self
Malcom and Melvin
1997 · Super Hero, Director, Writer
Babe, He Calls Me
1997 · Super Hero, Animation, Director, Writer
Cool and the Crazy
1994 · Director, Writer
Cool World
1992 · Director
The Ren & Stimpy Show
1991 · Storyboard Artist
Imagining America
1989 · Director
Tribe
1989 · Writer
Reflections of A Native Son
1989 · Writer
Get Your Kicks on Route 66
1989 · Writer
The Butter Battle Book
1989 · Director, Producer
Hound Town
1989 · Director
This Ain't Bebop
1989 · Director, Writer
Christmas in Tattertown
1988 · Director, Characters
Cannonball Run II
1984 · Animation
Fire and Ice
1983 · Director, Characters, Producer
Hey Good Lookin'
1982 · Director, Writer, Producer
The Cigarette and the Weed
1981 · Cigarette / Weed (voice), Writer, Director, Animation
American Pop
1981 · Piano Player (voice), Director, Producer
The Lord of the Rings
1978 · Director
Wizards
1977 · Fritz (voice, uncredited), Storm Trooper (voice, uncredited), Director, Writer, Producer
The Monsterizer
1975 · Director
Coonskin
1975 · Cop With Megaphone (voice) (uncredited), Director, Writer, Additional Photography, Lyricist
The Junker
1975 · Director
The Plastic Blaster
1975 · Director
The Bigger Digger
1974 · Director
Heavy Traffic
1973 · Various Characters (voice) (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
The Paper Monster
1973 · Director
The Return of the Monsterizer
1973 · Director
The Time Eraser
1972 · Director
The Scarecrow
1972 · Director
Fritz the Cat
1972 · Narrator / Pig Cop #1 (voice), Director, Screenplay
The Timekeeper
1972 · Director
The Drifter
1970 · Director
Lost and Foundation
1970 · Director
The Ghost Monster
1970 · Director, Story
The Toy Man
1969 · Director
The Frog
1969 · Director
The Stretcher
1969 · Director
Mouse Trek
1967 · Director, Executive Producer
Baron Von Go-Go
1967 · Director
Mini-Squirts
1967 · Executive Producer, Character Designer, Creator, Director
Frozen Sparklers
1967 · Director
The Fuz
1967 · Director, Executive Producer
Marvin Digs
1967 · Production Design, Director, Executive Producer
Fancy Plants
1967 · Director
Traffic Trouble
1967 · Director, Supervising Animation Director
The Opera Caper
1967 · Director
Dr. Rhinestone's Theory
1967 · Supervising Animation Director
Which Is Witch?
1967 · Supervising Animation Director
Give Me Liberty
1967 · Director
Bugged By A Bug
1967 · Supervising Animation Director
It's for the Birds
1967 · Director
The Heat's Off
1967 · Director
Mr. Winlucky
1967 · Director
A Voodoo Spell
1967 · Supervising Animation Director
Scuba Duba Do
1966 · Director, Animation
Dr. Ha-Ha
1966 · Director
The Monster Master
1966 · Director
The Third Musketeer
1965 · Director
Dress Reversal
1965 · Director
Don't Spill the Beans
1965 · Director
Gadmouse: The Apprentice Good Fairy
1965 · Animation, Director
Where There's Smoke
1962 · Animation
Crossing The Delaware
1961 · Animation
The Unsung Hero
1961 · Visual Effects
The Mysterious Package
1960 · Animation
House of Hashimoto
1960 · Animation
TV shows (9)
Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon
2003 · Ralph Bakshi (voice)
Spicy City
1997 · Connelly / Goldblum (voice), Stevie (voice), Director, Producer, Production Assistant, Character Designer, Creator
What a Cartoon!
1995 · Writer, Director, Animation
Rebel Highway
1994 · Director, Writer
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures
1987 · Creator
American Playhouse
1982 · Writer, Director
Spider-Man
1967 · Director, Producer, Executive Producer
The Mighty Heroes
1966 · Creator
Possible Possum
1965 · Creator