dramafreak42
Whether or not you're going to get enjoyment out of this film really comes down to whether or not you know who Bill Plympton is. If you're familiar with the unique animator and some of his other films or (more likely) his shorts and you know you like his stuff then this is going to be a fun diversion for you. However if you've never heard of the guy, this is probably just going to be too difficult to get in step with.The "plot" is really just the excuse that strings the songs and segments together. A song writer is desperately trying to finish off what he hopes will be his big breakout hit, but he only has 47 minutes to finish and get to the meeting with his boss. On the way he goes on several musical diversions to odd places that may in fact be outside reality as we know it. There isn't that much explanation put into things, as with much of Plympton's work things get weird just because that's the visual language the guy speaks in.If you know Plympton at all then you should know better than to be watching this movie for the "story." Really it's just a framing device as the film flits from one musical set piece to the other. There's not much in the way of character depth or growth, but that's not why we're here. Plympton's visual inventiveness and sense of humor is the reason to watch this. He has a visual wit that makes sense when you see it, even though it's almost impossible to try and describe to someone.As mentioned this is probably not the best place to start with the man's work if you're new to Plympton. It's better to start with his shorts and get a feel for the guy before trying to take in the longer form stuff. He would refine his ability to tell what could be considered a cohesive story with his later films like "I Married a Strange Person" and "Mutant Aliens." But one sees the first buds of those later films being planted here and it's an interesting first step. A must see for completionist fans of the animator, but it's hard to recommend to more casual viewers.
DICK STEEL
This is a story about a song writer called Del (voiced by Daniel Nieden), who's working on the latest hit for his boss, Mr Mega (Marty Nelson). However he's suffering from creator's block, and couldn't find the inspiration to finish the tune. At the same time, his relationship with Mr Mega's secretary, Didi (Maureen McElheron), may start to fall apart should he not be able to complete the tune, and this just adds to the pressure.What follows is something like an adventure in Alice's Wonderland, as Del, en route to submitting his incomplete work to Mr Mega, finds himself on the wrong end of a highway, and gets transported to the extremely weird world of Flooby Nooby, where it seems like everyone is able to hold their own tune. The secret of course is to write from the heart, and he embarks on this quest within Flooby Nooby to learn just how to do that.There are more than 10 songs featured in the movie, which just gets better and better with each song being played, ranging from pop to folk and even the blues. The songs are naturally the highlight of an animated film hinging on them, and Maureen McElheron certainly created the tunes that combined perfectly with Bill Plympton's visuals.Del encounters different folks with different strokes, and I'm still in awe at the immense creativity that Bill Plympton has featured in the characters of this movie. Infusing great humour, there are plenty of mini episodes which could stand alone as comedic animated shorts, like the two violent men, the sad story of a taxi driver, and of course my personal favourite, probably the precursor to The Matrix Reloaded's Architect in the Wiseone (Chris Hoffman).What's amazing too is the different animation styles adopted by Plympton within the film, and truly, this is great stuff. You have animators who, after discovering a style they're comfortable with, sticks to it and you can see the style replicated in their drawings. Plympton's so diverse, you can hardly classify his works as they are extremely wide-ranged. The shorts who have provided this hint, but I didn't expect him to combine the styles into one coherent feature length movie so seamlessly.Before the screening began, Bill Plympton shared with the audience that The Tune costed around US$150-175K in those days, and it took him about two and a half years to make the film. You see, rarely does the creator animate his own stuff, but Bill probably is the first who did it, for a feature length animation. Though he prefers to admit that he's not too diligent and likes to spend time travelling, which of course, adds to the production schedule.He's been able to recoup the cost of production only recently, thanks to the advent of technology like the Internet and DVD sales. He also shared that his stuff is wildly popular in Korea, that it is a huge market for him. And for budding animators, his advice would be to own their own creations. When asked a question about opportunity cost between working independently, and for a studio / production house, he highlighted his preference for having the creative freedom to do what he wants, instead of having someone else provide the directions and nagging if something is too politically incorrect or too violent.
Michael Sean
Celebrated cartoonist Bill Plympton's first feature film is a surreal musical fantasy with some inspired animation. He financed it entirely by himself, raising extra money by doing work for a few television commercials (see "Plymptoons: Complete Works" on DVD). He also released early portions of the film as shorts to help generate funds ("Dig My Do" in 1990, "Push Comes To Shove" and "The Wiseman" in 1991), even winning the 1991 Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for "Push Comes To Shove." Working again with Maureen McElheron (she scored his 1988 Oscar-nominated short "Your Face"), Plympton pieces together the story of a songwriter who, after receiving a 47-minute deadline to deliver a hit song or get fired, finds himself lost in the town of Flooby Nooby. Through the course of ten musical numbers (touching on various popular music genres) and some outstanding animation sequences, he learns to pen songs from the heart rather than by the book. This film is classic Plympton, but the light-hearted theme and often silly songs contrast greatly with the bizarre sex and violence of his second feature-length film "I Married A Strange Person."
