Ralph Bakshi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ralph Bakshi
Bakshi in January 2009
Born	(1938-10-29) October 29, 1938 (age 86) Haifa, Mandatory Palestine
Occupation	animator filmmaker painter
Years active	1956–2015 (animation) 1953–present (artist)
Notable work	Fritz the Cat The Lord of the Rings Heavy Traffic Coonskin Wizards American Pop Cool World Fire and Ice Spicy City Hey Good Lookin'
Style	Adult animation Comedy Drama Fantasy Urban fiction Black comedy
Spouse(s)	Elaine Bakshi Elisabeth Bassett 'Liz' Bakshi
Children	4
Relatives	Miles Bakshi (grandson) Gina Shay (daughter-in-law)
Awards	Inkpot Award (2008)

Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. He is famous for his amazing animated movies. In the 1970s, he created a different kind of animation. His films were often for grown-ups and were made independently.

Between 1972 and 1994, he directed nine movies shown in theaters. Many were about city life or fantasy worlds. He wrote five of them. He also worked on many TV shows as a director, writer, producer, and animator.

Ralph started working at a cartoon studio called Terrytoons. He began by polishing animation cels (clear sheets used for drawings). Later, he became an animator and then a director. In 1967, he moved to Paramount Pictures' animation team. He started his own studio, Bakshi Productions, in 1968.

With producer Steve Krantz, Bakshi made his first movie, Fritz the Cat, released in 1972. This film was based on a comic strip by Robert Crumb. It was the first animated movie to get an X rating (meaning it was for adults only). It is still the most successful independent animated movie ever.

Over the next 11 years, Bakshi directed seven more animated movies. Some of his well-known films include Wizards (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978), American Pop (1981), and Fire and Ice (1983). In 1987, Bakshi returned to TV. He produced the series Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which ran for two years.

After a nine-year break from movies, he directed Cool World (1992). This film was changed a lot during production and got bad reviews. It was his last movie shown in theaters for a long time. Bakshi returned to TV with a live-action film, Cool and the Crazy (1994). He also created the TV series Spicy City (1997).

In the 2000s, he mostly focused on fine art and painting. In 2003, he helped start the Bakshi School of Animation with his son Eddie. Bakshi has won several awards for his work. These include the 1980 Golden Gryphon for The Lord of the Rings and the 1988 Annie Award.

Ralph Bakshi's Early Life

Ralph Bakshi was born on October 29, 1938, in Haifa, which was then called Mandatory Palestine. His family was Krymchak Jewish. In 1939, his family moved to the United States. He grew up in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York.

His family lived in a small apartment. Ralph loved the city life around him. As a child, he enjoyed comic books. He would often search through trash cans to find them.

In a 2009 interview, Ralph said his family was very poor. He loved looking out his window and seeing the sun. He also liked the old wooden buildings and pushcarts in his neighborhood. He would build his own toys from wood. Ralph felt a strong connection to "wood, cement, and nails."

In 1947, his family moved to Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC. Ralph recalled that most of his friends and neighbors were Black. He went to a nearby Black school with his friends. This was unusual because schools were separated by race back then.

A teacher at the school called the police. The police removed Ralph from his classroom. They were worried that white people would protest if they knew a white, Jewish student was at a Black school. After a few months, his family moved back to Brownsville. They rarely talked about these events.

At age 15, Ralph found a book called Complete Guide to Cartooning. He learned how to draw cartoons to show his experiences. He also created fantasy art. He even took up boxing as a teenager.

While at Thomas Jefferson High School, he didn't care much for schoolwork. He spent most of his time drawing. After getting into trouble, he was sent to the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. There, he was taught by cartoonist Charles Allen. Ralph graduated in 1956 with an award in cartooning.

Starting a Career in Animation

First Steps in Animation (1956–1967)

When Ralph was 18, his friend Cosmo Anzilotti got a job at Terrytoons. Cosmo suggested Ralph to the studio's manager. Ralph was hired to polish animation cels. He traveled four hours each day to the studio.

After a few months, Ralph was promoted to cel painter. He started practicing animation on his own. He even tricked a coworker once to get more time to practice. Other animators at the studio helped him learn.

Ralph married his first wife, Elaine, when he was 21. Their son, Mark, was born when Ralph was 22. Elaine didn't like his long work hours. Ralph drew a comic strip called Dum Dum and Dee Dee about his marriage problems.

As he got better at animating, he took on more jobs. He created designs for the studio's head director, Gene Deitch. Ralph also drew comic strips like Bonefoot and Fudge and Junktown. These helped him deal with his marriage and the world around him.

In 1959, he moved his desk to be with the other animators. He asked for work and got scenes to animate for Deputy Dawg. Despite union threats, his mentor, Connie Rasinski, helped him become a layout artist. Ralph saw Rasinski as a father figure.

At 25, Ralph became a director. His first project was the series Sad Cat. He was separated from his wife by then. He animated each short film by himself. He wasn't happy with the traditional director's role at Terrytoons.

Other studios like Hanna-Barbera were selling shows to networks. Terrytoons' shows were becoming less popular. In 1966, Ralph helped Bill Weiss with a meeting at CBS. The network rejected all of Weiss's ideas.

As a CBS executive was leaving, Ralph quickly pitched a superhero parody called The Mighty Heroes. He described the characters, like Strong Man and Diaper Man. The executives loved the idea. CBS agreed to make the show if Ralph was the creative director.

Ralph got a pay raise, but he wasn't fully happy. He didn't have full creative control over The Mighty Heroes. He also didn't like the quality of the animation and writing. Even though the first 20 parts were successful, Ralph wanted to leave Terrytoons.

In 1967, he created designs for a fantasy series called Tee-Witt. On his way to pitch it to CBS, he had a car accident. He met Liz, who later became his second wife, at the auto body shop. CBS didn't pick up Tee-Witt. However, its designs were later used for his 1977 film Wizards.

He then learned that Paramount Pictures had fired the head of its animation team. Ralph met with a lawyer for Paramount and was hired to take over. He brought in talented comic-book artists and writers. He directed, produced, wrote, and designed four short films at Paramount.

Ralph was head of the studio for eight months. Paramount closed its animation division in December 1967. Ralph learned his job was only temporary. He was offered a payment to leave, but he tore up the contract.

A lawyer suggested Ralph work with producer Steve Krantz. Krantz had just fired a director from a Canadian science-fiction series. Ralph and artist Johnnie Vita went to Toronto to work on Rocket Robin Hood.

Ralph didn't know that Krantz was in a lawsuit. Krantz told Ralph to grab the series' drawings and return to the U.S. The studio found out, and police tried to arrest Ralph. He barely escaped.

Starting Bakshi Productions and Fritz the Cat (1968–1972)

Ralph soon started his own studio, Bakshi Productions. It was in the Garment District of Manhattan. Bakshi Productions paid its employees well. It also gave more chances to female and minority animators.

The studio started working on Rocket Robin Hood. Later, it took over the Spider-Man TV series. Ralph married Liz in August 1968. His second child, Preston, was born in June 1970.

In 1969, Ralph's Spot was created. It was a part of Bakshi Productions. It made commercials for Coca-Cola and educational shorts like Max, the 2000-Year-Old Mouse. Ralph wasn't interested in this kind of animation. He wanted to make something more personal.

He started developing Heavy Traffic, a story about city street life. Krantz told Ralph that Hollywood studios wouldn't fund it. They would prefer an adaptation of a comic. Ralph then found a comic that would become his first animated movie.

While looking in a bookstore, Ralph found Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat. He was impressed by Crumb's sharp humor. Ralph bought the book and told Krantz it would make a good film. Krantz set up a meeting with Crumb. Ralph showed Crumb his drawings to prove he could animate his style.

Crumb was impressed and lent Ralph his sketchbook. They started preparing to pitch the movie. Crumb, however, refused to sign the contract. Another artist warned Ralph about working with Crumb. Ralph later agreed, calling Crumb "one of the slickest hustlers."

Krantz sent Ralph to San Francisco to convince Crumb. After a week, Crumb left without signing. Two weeks later, Krantz told Ralph he had the film rights. Crumb's wife, Dana, had his power of attorney and signed the contract. Crumb was then very unhappy with the film and Ralph. Krantz later made a sequel, The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1974). Ralph was against it and wanted to end Fritz's story.

Ralph pitched the project to every major Hollywood studio. Warner Bros. bought it and gave an $850,000 budget. Ralph hired animators he had worked with before. The budget was tight, so they couldn't do many tests. Ralph had to check the animation by flipping drawings in his hand.

They used very few storyboards. Ralph and artist Johnnie Vita walked around New York City. They took photos of the Lower East Side, Washington Square Park, Chinatown, and Harlem. Artist Ira Turek drew the outlines of these photos onto cels. This gave the film's backgrounds a realistic look.

The watercolor backgrounds were inspired by painters like George Luks. They used unusual camera angles to show how the characters saw the city. Many scenes used real conversations instead of written dialogue. This became a common technique for Bakshi.

In May 1971, Ralph moved his studio to Los Angeles. He hired more animators. Some animators welcomed him. They felt Fritz the Cat would bring new ideas to animation. Others were not happy. They placed an ad saying his "filth" was not welcome.

John Grant wrote that Fritz the Cat "opened brand new vistas" for animators. It showed a very accurate picture of society at that time. Fritz the Cat was released on April 12, 1972. It was a big hit. It became the most successful independent animated movie ever. The same month, Ralph's daughter, Victoria, was born.

Heavy Traffic (1972–1973)

After Fritz the Cat came out, Ralph became famous. But his fame was mostly for directing a "dirty" animated film. He faced criticism and started writing poetry to express his feelings. This became a tradition for him before each new film.

The first poem was "Street Arabs." It came before the making of Heavy Traffic in 1972. Ralph got the idea for the film from penny arcades. He often played pinball there with his 12-year-old son, Mark. Ralph pitched Heavy Traffic to Samuel Z. Arkoff, who agreed to fund it.

Krantz had not paid Ralph for his work on Fritz the Cat. Halfway through Heavy Traffic, Ralph asked about his payment. Krantz said, "The picture didn't make any money, Ralph. It's just a lot of noise." Ralph found this hard to believe. Krantz had just bought a new car and a mansion.

Ralph didn't have a lawyer. He asked for advice from director friends like Martin Scorsese. He then accused Krantz of cheating him. Krantz denied it.

As he kept working on Heavy Traffic, Ralph started pitching his next project. It was called Harlem Nights. This film was based on the Uncle Remus stories. Producer Albert S. Ruddy was interested in the idea.

Krantz called Ralph and asked about Harlem Nights. Ralph hung up. The next day, Krantz locked Ralph out of the studio. Krantz called other directors, like Chuck Jones, to replace him. Arkoff threatened to stop funding unless Krantz hired Ralph back. Ralph returned a week later.

Ralph wanted the voices in the film to sound natural. He let his actors make up lines during recording. Some animation scenes looked like rough sketchbook pages. The film also used live-action video and photos.

Because Fritz the Cat was so successful, many theaters showed adult animation. Heavy Traffic did well at the box office. Ralph became the first person since Walt Disney to have two successful animated movies in a row. Critics liked Heavy Traffic a lot.

Newsweek praised its "black humor" and "peculiar raw beauty." The Hollywood Reporter called it "shocking, outrageous, offensive." But they also said it was "an authentic work of movie art." Vincent Canby of The New York Times named Heavy Traffic one of his "Ten Best Films of 1973." The movie was banned in Alberta, Canada.

Coonskin (1973–1975)

In 1973, Ralph and Ruddy started making Harlem Nights. Paramount Pictures was supposed to distribute it. Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic showed that adult animation could make money. But animated films were still not fully respected.

Harlem Nights was based on Ralph's own experiences with racism. It attacked racist ideas and stereotypes. Ralph cast actors like Scatman Crothers and Barry White. He mixed live-action and animation. He wanted to show that both styles could work together.

He wrote a song for Crothers to sing at the start. Its style was like early rap. Ralph wanted to challenge stereotypes by showing them directly. He used images from old minstrel shows. But the film also strongly criticized the Mafia.

The film's release was delayed by protests. After another company took over distribution, Paramount canceled another project Ralph was working on. Coonskin (the new title) was shown in limited theaters and soon disappeared. Early reviews were negative. However, Ralph called Coonskin his best film.

Hey Good Lookin' (1973–1975/1982)

After Harlem Nights, Ralph wanted to try something new. He wanted to make a film where live actors and animated characters worked together. He said, "The illusion I attempted to create was that of a completely live-action film. Making it work almost drove us crazy."

Hey Good Lookin' is set in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The main characters are Vinnie, a gang leader, his friend Crazy Shapiro, and their girlfriends. Vinnie and Crazy Shapiro were based on Ralph's high school friends. Warner Bros. agreed to make the film in 1973.

An early version of Hey Good Lookin' was finished in 1975. A short preview was shown at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. The film was planned for release in 1975, then 1976, then 1977, but was delayed. Ralph paid for the film's completion himself. He used money from directing other projects like Wizards and The Lord of the Rings.

The live-action parts of Hey Good Lookin' were slowly replaced with animation. A scene with the band New York Dolls was removed. Singer Dan Hicks worked on the first music score. But John Madara scored the final version.

Hey Good Lookin' opened in New York City on October 1, 1982. It was released in Los Angeles in January 1983. The film was shown in limited theaters in the U.S. It did well in other countries.

Moving to Fantasy Films (1976–1978)

In 1976, Ralph pitched War Wizards to 20th Century Fox. He used his old high school fantasy drawings for ideas. Ralph wanted to show he could make a "family picture" that was still powerful. British artist Ian Miller and comic book artist Mike Ploog helped with backgrounds and designs.

The crew included artists who were used to Ralph's style. As costs went up, Fox president Alan Ladd, Jr. didn't give Ralph more money. Ladd was also having budget problems with George Lucas's Star Wars. Ralph and Lucas had contracts that gave them ownership of their films. Ladd suggested they pay to finish their films themselves.

Ralph used a technique called rotoscoping to save money. He used it to finish the movie's battle scenes. He couldn't afford to hire a film crew or actors. So, Ralph used footage from other films with big battle scenes. He used films like Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky.

He spliced the footage he needed. But printing photos of each frame would cost $3 million. Ralph learned that IBM had a large photocopier. He asked if he could feed film reels into it to make copies of each frame. It worked! Ralph got the pages he needed for a penny each.

As War Wizards was almost done, Lucas asked Ralph to change the title to Wizards. This was to avoid confusion with Star Wars. Ralph agreed because Lucas let Mark Hamill voice a character in Wizards. Wizards was released in limited theaters. It was successful and gained fans worldwide.

Dave Kehr called it "marred by cut-rate techniques." Film historian Jerry Beck said the main character, an old sorcerer, was like Vaughn Bodē's Cheech Wizard.

In late 1976, Ralph learned that John Boorman was directing a film of The Lord of the Rings. It would combine all three books into one movie. Ralph met with Mike Medavoy at United Artists. Medavoy agreed to let Ralph direct. Ralph would pay back the $3 million spent on Boorman's script.

Down the hall, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer president Dan Melnick was interested. He agreed to pay United Artists $3 million. But Melnick was soon fired, and the project was canceled. Ralph contacted Saul Zaentz, who paid MGM's debt. Zaentz agreed to fund the $8 million budget for the first of two planned films. Before starting, Ralph and Zaentz made sure the Tolkien family would get money from the film.

Ralph didn't want to make a simple cartoon version. He planned to film the whole movie in live action. Then he would animate the footage using rotoscoping. The film also used short cel animation and live-action scenes. The live-action parts were filmed in Spain.

During a big shoot, union leaders called for a lunch break. Ralph secretly filmed actors in Orc costumes walking to the food table. He used this footage in the film. Jerry Beck later said the rotoscoped animation was "beautiful." But he wondered if the live action was for art or to save money.

A Spanish film lab found telephone lines and cars in the footage. They tried to burn it. They told Ralph's assistant director that such "sloppy cinematography" would stop Hollywood from filming in Spain. When Ralph returned to the U.S., the cost of printing frames had risen. He created his own enlarger to process the footage cheaply.

They used live-action special effects instead of animation. This kept costs low and made the film look more real. John Hurt voiced the character of Aragorn. The film's fame brought a lot of attention. Fans like Mick Jagger visited the studio. Animator Carl Bell loved drawing Aragorn so much that Ralph gave him the live-action Aragorn costume.

United Artists wanted The Lord of the Rings finished by November 15, 1978. Once it was done, Ralph was told audiences wouldn't pay for an unfinished story. Against his wishes, the film was marketed without saying a second part would follow. Reviews were mixed. But it was generally seen as a "flawed but inspired interpretation."

Joseph Gelmis wrote that the film's main reward was its unique visuals. Roger Ebert called it a "mixed blessing." He said it was "an entirely respectable, occasionally impressive job." Vincent Canby found it "both numbing and impressive." The film cost $4 million to make and earned $30.5 million. The studio refused to fund the sequel. The Lord of the Rings won an award at the 1980 Giffoni Film Festival.

American Pop and Fire and Ice (1979–1983)

After the challenges of The Lord of the Rings, Ralph wanted to work on something more personal. He pitched American Pop to Columbia Pictures president Dan Melnick. Ralph wanted to make a film where songs got new meaning from the visuals.

American Pop follows four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians. Their careers show the history of American pop music. Actor Ron Thompson played two main roles. The film's themes were inspired by people Ralph met in Brownsville.

The crew included artists like Louise Zingarelli and Johnnie Vita. Ralph again used rotoscoping. He wanted to capture the emotions and movements needed for the story. Ralph said, "Rotoscoping is terrible for subtleties, so it was tough to get facial performances to match the stage ones."

Ralph got the rights to many famous songs for under $1 million. These included songs by Janis Joplin and The Doors. The film was released on February 12, 1981. It was a financial success. The New York Times' Vincent Canby wrote, "I'm amazed at the success that Mr. Bakshi has in turning animated characters into figures of real feelings." Jerry Beck called it "one of Bakshi's best films."

By 1982, fantasy films like The Beastmaster were doing well. Ralph wanted to work with his friend, fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. Fire and Ice was funded by some of American Pop's investors for $1.2 million. 20th Century Fox agreed to distribute it.

Fire and Ice was the most action-packed story Ralph had directed. So he used rotoscoping again. The realistic design and animation copied Frazetta's art. Ralph and Frazetta were very involved in filming the live-action parts.

The film's crew included background artists James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade. The film was released in limited theaters. It was not financially successful. Andrew Leal wrote that the plot was "standard." He said Fire and Ice was like a more detailed episode of He-Man.

Breaks from Animation (1983–1986)

After Fire and Ice, Ralph tried several projects that didn't happen. He turned down offers to direct films like Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. He passed on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? to Ridley Scott. That book became the movie Blade Runner.

During this time, Ralph reread The Catcher in the Rye. He saw similarities between his life and the main character's. He wanted to make a film of the book. He planned to film some parts live and animate the rest. The author, J. D. Salinger, had always refused film offers. Ralph sent Salinger a letter explaining why he should adapt the book. Salinger replied, saying the book was best as it was.

Because of Salinger's letter, Ralph took a break to focus on painting. He also finished a screenplay for a live-action film called If I Catch Her, I'll Kill Her. He had been working on it since the 1960s. Studios were not willing to produce it.

In 1985, he got a call from The Rolling Stones' manager. The band wanted Ralph to direct a music video for their song "Harlem Shuffle." He had to finish the live-action part in one day. The band's arrival was delayed by a snowstorm. Ralph had to pay union wages himself. The animation and live action didn't perfectly match. But the video was finished on time.

Ralph saw the talent in animator John Kricfalusi. He wanted Kricfalusi to lead a project. Ralph and Kricfalusi wrote a screenplay called Bobby's Girl. It was a take on teen films. A studio put up money to develop it. Ralph moved back to Los Angeles. But when the studio's executives changed, they stopped funding.

Ralph and artist Louise Zingarelli started developing a film about Hollywood's Golden Age. Bobby's Girl was reworked as a TV series idea, but no one was interested.

Back to Television (1987–1989)

In April 1987, Ralph met with Judy Price, head of CBS's Saturday morning cartoons. Ralph and his team brainstormed ideas. Price rejected his prepared pitches. But she asked what else he had. He told her he had the rights to Mighty Mouse. She agreed to buy the series.

However, Ralph didn't actually own the rights. He found out that CBS had bought the entire Terrytoons library in 1955 and forgotten about it. Ralph said, "I sold them a show they already owned, so they just gave me the rights for nothin'!"

Kricfalusi's team wrote story outlines for 13 episodes in a week. Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures started production right away. It was set to premiere on September 19, 1987. The crew was split into four teams. Each team worked almost independently. Kricfalusi made sure artists added visual jokes.

In 1988, Ralph won an Annie Award for his animation work. That same year, he started a TV pilot based on his Junktown comic strips. Ralph said it would bring back the cartoon style of the 1920s and 1930s. Nickelodeon was initially willing to make 39 episodes.

The series was canceled. The pilot aired as a special, Christmas in Tattertown, in December 1988. It was the first original animated special for Nickelodeon. Ralph moved to a warehouse loft in Los Angeles. He was offered $50,000 to direct a live-action film for PBS.

His son Mark produced the film, This Ain't Bebop. It was their first time working together. Ralph wrote a poem for the narration. Harvey Keitel spoke the narration. Ralph said it was the film he was most proud of since Coonskin.

Because of this film, Ralph got an offer to adapt Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book for TNT. Dr. Seuss had never liked previous film versions of his work. Ralph wanted to make a very faithful adaptation. Dr. Seuss was pleased with the final product. Ralph then directed the pilot Hound Town for NBC.

Cool World and Later Projects (1990–1997)

In 1990, Ralph pitched Cool World to Paramount Pictures. It was planned as a partially animated horror film. The live-action parts were meant to look like "a living, walk-through painting." Huge sets were built in Las Vegas. The animation was influenced by old cartoon styles.

As the sets were being built, a producer secretly rewrote the script. The new version was very different from Ralph's original idea. Paramount threatened to sue Ralph if he didn't finish the film. Ralph and the studio also argued about casting. To keep actor Brad Pitt, Ralph had to replace Drew Barrymore with Kim Basinger. The animators were never given a script. Ralph told them, "Do a scene that's funny, whatever you want to do!"

Designer Milton Knight said audiences wanted a wilder Cool World. Critics generally didn't like the film. Roger Ebert wrote, "If you liked Roger Rabbit, quit while you're ahead." The film did not do well at the box office. Ralph started focusing more on painting.

In 1993, Lou Arkoff asked Ralph to direct a low-budget live-action film for Showtime. Ralph used his old screenplay for If I Catch Her, I'll Kill Her. He renamed it Cool and the Crazy. The film aired on September 16, 1994. It starred Jared Leto and Alicia Silverstone.

Reviewer Todd Everett noted it had the same "hyperdrive visual sense" as Ralph's animated films. He said Ralph used many unusual camera angles. He also showed strong action without blood. Ralph got good performances from the young actors.

In 1995, Hanna-Barbera producer Fred Seibert offered Ralph a chance to create two animated short films. These were for Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon!. They were called Malcom and Melvin and Babe, He Calls Me. Both were heavily edited after Ralph submitted them. He disowned them because of the changes.

Ralph was then contacted by HBO. They wanted to launch the first animated series specifically for adults. Ralph brought in writers, including his son Preston. They developed Spicy Detective, later called Spicy City. It was a series set in a future city. Each episode was told by a host named Raven.

The series premiered in July 1997. It was the first "adults only" cartoon series. Critics generally didn't like it, but it got acceptable ratings. A second season was approved. But the network wanted to fire Ralph's writers and hire new ones. When Ralph refused, the series was canceled.

Painting, Teaching, and Final Animation (1997–2015)

Ralph retired from animation again. He went back to his painting. In 2000, he started teaching an animation class at New York's School of Visual Arts. In 2001, he did some paintings for the film Vanilla Sky.

He later worked on several film projects. In September 2002, Ralph and his family moved to New Mexico. There, he painted more than ever. He also started developing a film called Last Days of Coney Island. In 2003, he appeared as the Fire Chief in an episode of John Kricfalusi's Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon".

In September 2008, Main Street Pictures announced a sequel to Wizards with Ralph. In 2012, Ralph started making short films called Bakshi Blues. The first one, Trickle Dickle Down, used old animation from Coonskin. It criticized a 2012 presidential candidate. The shorts were about "old and new characters" and modern America.

In February 2013, Ralph successfully raised money online for his film, Last Days of Coney Island. Actor Matthew Modine joined the film. Modine was a longtime fan of Ralph's work. Last Days of Coney Island was released online in 2015. Ralph later released it for free on YouTube in October 2016.

After Animation (2016–Present)

After leaving the animation industry, Ralph did many interviews and podcasts. He continues to sell his art online. He has an art series called Little Guys and Gals. These are fictional portraits of cartoon people. The series started in 2020.

Ralph appeared as a guest at a Canadian animation festival in 2021.

Awards and Recognition

In 2003, Ralph received a Maverick Tribute Award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival. That same year, he started teaching an animation class in New Mexico. This became The Bakshi School of Animation and Cartooning. His son Edward and Jess Gorell run the school.

The Online Film Critics Society listed the "Top 100 Animated Features of All Time" in 2003. It included four of Ralph's films: Fritz the Cat, The Lord of the Rings, Coonskin, and Fire and Ice. Fritz the Cat was ranked number 56 in a 2004 poll by Britain's Channel 4. The Museum of Modern Art has added Ralph's films to its collection for preservation.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he was on the advisory board of the Los Angeles Student Film Institute. In 2021, Ralph Bakshi won the Animafest Zagreb Lifetime Achievement Award. This was for his animation career and the impact of his films.

Ralph Bakshi's Influence

Ralph Bakshi's work becoming available online led to new interest in his career. The American Cinematheque held a three-day event in 2005. It showed his films in Hollywood and Santa Monica. A book of his art, Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi, was released in 2008. Quentin Tarantino wrote the foreword.

His rotoscoping in Lord of the Rings inspired other animators. The independent film The Spine of Night used similar techniques. The animators studied how Ralph worked. Singer Billie Eilish wanted an animated version of herself for a concert film. She suggested a 1980s look with rotoscope-like animation. Eilish mentioned Ralph Bakshi's work to the director.

Gore Verbinski, director of the animated movie Rango, spoke about Ralph's influence. He said, "What happened to the Ralph Bakshis of the world? We're all sitting here talking family entertainment. Does animation have to be family entertainment? Audiences want something new."

On January 12, 2014, there was a special screening of Ralph's film American Pop. Actors Ron Thompson and Mews Small were there. It was the first time Ron Thompson had introduced the film to a live audience.

On March 27, 2015, there was a screening of Heavy Traffic and American Pop. Ralph, Ron Thompson, and Mews Small attended. Fritz the Cat has also been called an animated art film.

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer	Actor	Role	Notes
1972	Fritz the Cat	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Pig Cop No. 1
1973	Heavy Traffic	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Various
1975	Coonskin	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Cop with megaphone
1977	Wizards	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fritz Storm Trooper
1978	The Lord of the Rings	Yes	No	No	No
1981	American Pop	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Piano Player
1982	Hey Good Lookin'	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
1983	Fire and Ice	Yes	No	Yes	No
1992	Cool World	Yes	No	No	No
2015	Last Days of Coney Island	Yes	Yes	Yes	No		Short film Also animator and background artist

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Animator	Voice	Notes
1959	Hector Heathcote	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Creator
1960	Mighty Mouse	No	No	No	Yes	No	Animator for "The Mysterious Package"
1962	The Adventures of Lariat Sam	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
1964	Deputy Dawg	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
1965	Sad Cat	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Creator
1966–1967	James Hound	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Creator
1966–1967	The Mighty Heroes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Creator
1968	Rocket Robin Hood	Yes	Yes	Executive	No	No
1968–1970	Spider-Man	Yes	Yes	Executive	No	No
1987–1988	Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Creator
1988	Christmas in Tattertown	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Television special
1989	This Ain't Bebop	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Television short
	The Butter Battle Book	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Television special
	Hound Town	Yes	No	Executive	No	No	Pilot
1994	Cool and the Crazy	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Television film
1997	Malcom and Melvin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Television short
	Babe, He Calls Me	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Television short
	1997	Spicy City	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Creator
2003	Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"	No	No	No	No	Yes	Episode: "Fire Dogs 2"

I Selected episodes
II Provided the voices of Connelly and Goldblum, and Stevie in the episode "Mano's Hands"
III Provided the voice of the Super Hero
IV Animated in conjunction with Doug Compton
V Provided the voice of Fire Chief in the episode "Fire Dogs 2"

Film Releases and Ratings

Title	Release date	Distribution	Rating
Fritz the Cat	April 12, 1972	Cinemation Industries	X (rating surrendered in 2001)
Heavy Traffic	August 8, 1973	American International Pictures	X (re-rated R)
Coonskin	August 20, 1975	Bryanston Distributing Company	R
Wizards	February 9, 1977	20th Century Fox	PG
The Lord of the Rings	November 15, 1978	United Artists
American Pop	February 13, 1981	Columbia Pictures	R
Hey Good Lookin'	October 1, 1982	Warner Bros. Pictures
Fire and Ice	August 26, 1983	20th Century Fox	PG
Cool World	July 10, 1992	Paramount Pictures	PG-13

See Also

• Heavy Metal
• Ron Thompson
• John Kricfalusi
• Katsuhiro Otomo
• Rock & Rule
• Independent animation
• New Hollywood