“Idiots and Angels” is Bill Plympton’s latest feature film, a dark comedy about a man’s battle for his soul. Featuring the music of Tom Waits, Moby and Pink Martini, it’s a much darker and more mysterious film than his previous comedies.

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8baLlP_xLVM"]

Plympton’s life-long fascination with animation led to the eventual genesis of “J. Lyle”. “Making ‘The Tune’, I had a lot of ideas I realized wouldn’t work with animation, but would be lots of fun with real people! I took those ideas and made ‘J. Lyle’. Besides, my hand needed a rest after drawing ‘The Tune’. Live action is so much quicker. I was working on ‘The Tune’ for about two years and now I’m done with ‘J. Lyle’ after less than a year!” Like “The Tune”, “J. Lyle” has been financed entirely by the animator himself.

Plympton’s second live-action feature,”Guns On the Clackamas”, a behind-the-scenes look at an imaginary disastrous Western, was shot in Oregon and New York. Plympton says the idea came from the 1937 movie “Saratoga”, in which star Jean Harlow died during the filming and a stand-in was used to finish. “It was supposed to be a drama,” says Plympton, “but it ended up being funny. Every time Harlow’s stand-in was in a scene, a box or something blocked the view.”

Plympton has now completed another animated feature, titled “I Married a Strange Person”. It’s a heartwarming story of a newlywed couple on their wedding night. Grant, the husband, starts experiencing strange, supernatural powers and Kerry, his wife, can’t cope. Whenever Grant thinks of something, it becomes reality, yet he doesn’t know where these magical powers come from. Once again Bill Plympton has single-handedly drawn and financed an animated feature extravaganza – only this time it’s for adults and the unpolitically correct. Get ready for the most bizarre animated film of the 90′s!
Plympton’s short films continue to be shown in animation festivals around the world, and he has also released a comic book featuring “The Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton”. “Plymptoons”, a video collection of Bill’s short films, is available in online stores.