Ralph Bakshi

Directing·Oct 29, 1938·Haifa, Mandatory Palestine [now Israel]

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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.

Film	Credit
Midwest2023 · Actor, Director, Writer	Actor, Director, Writer
Last Days of Coney Island2015 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Trickle Dickle Down2012 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Malcom and Melvin1997 · Super Hero, Director, Writer	Super Hero, Director, Writer
Babe, He Calls Me1997 · Super Hero, Director, Writer	Super Hero, Director, Writer
Cool and the Crazy1994 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Cool World1992 · Director	Director
Imagining America1989 · Director	Director
The Butter Battle Book1989 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
Hound Town1989 · Director	Director
This Ain't Bebop1989 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Christmas in Tattertown1988 · Director	Director
Fire and Ice1983 · Producer, Director	Producer, Director
Hey Good Lookin'1982 · Producer, Director, Writer	Producer, Director, Writer
The Cigarette and the Weed1981 · Cigarette / Weed (voice), Writer, Director	Cigarette / Weed (voice), Writer, Director
American Pop1981 · Piano Player (voice), Director, Producer	Piano Player (voice), Director, Producer
The Lord of the Rings1978 · Director	Director
Wizards1977 · Storm Trooper (voice, uncredited), Fritz (voice, uncredited), Director, Writer, Producer	Storm Trooper (voice, uncredited), Fritz (voice, uncredited), Director, Writer, Producer
The Monsterizer1975 · Director	Director
Coonskin1975 · Cop With Megaphone (voice) (uncredited), Director, Writer	Cop With Megaphone (voice) (uncredited), Director, Writer
TThe Junker1975 · Director	Director
TThe Plastic Blaster1975 · Director	Director
TThe Bigger Digger1974 · Director	Director
Heavy Traffic1973 · Various Characters (voice) (uncredited), Director, Screenplay	Various Characters (voice) (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
TThe Paper Monster1973 · Director	Director
TThe Return of the Monsterizer1973 · Director	Director
TThe Time Eraser1972 · Director	Director
TThe Scarecrow1972 · Director	Director
Fritz the Cat1972 · Narrator / Pig Cop #1 (voice), Screenplay, Director	Narrator / Pig Cop #1 (voice), Screenplay, Director
TThe Timekeeper1972 · Director	Director
TThe Drifter1970 · Director	Director
LLost and Foundation1970 · Director	Director
TThe Ghost Monster1970 · Director	Director
TThe Toy Man1969 · Director	Director
TThe Frog1969 · Director	Director
TThe Stretcher1969 · Director	Director
Mouse Trek1967 · Director	Director
Baron Von Go-Go1967 · Director	Director
Mini-Squirts1967 · Director	Director
FFrozen Sparklers1967 · Director	Director
The Fuz1967 · Director	Director
Marvin Digs1967 · Director	Director
Fancy Plants1967 · Director	Director
Traffic Trouble1967 · Director	Director
The Opera Caper1967 · Director	Director
Give Me Liberty1967 · Director	Director
IIt's for the Birds1967 · Director	Director
The Heat's Off1967 · Director	Director
MMr. Winlucky1967 · Director	Director
Scuba Duba Do1966 · Director	Director
Dr. Ha-Ha1966 · Director	Director
The Monster Master1966 · Director	Director
The Third Musketeer1965 · Director	Director
Dress Reversal1965 · Director	Director
Don't Spill the Beans1965 · Director	Director
Gadmouse: The Apprentice Good Fairy1965 · Director	Director