WINSOR McCAY RESTORATION PROJECT

Bill Plympton is working to reanimate/restore Winsor McCay's short "The Flying House". Bill is creating a sound and color version of this wonderful surreal short from 1921, featuring the voice talents of Patricia Clarkson and Matthew Modine.

Winsor McCay is considered by many to be the "father of animation." He is probably best known for his newspaper comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland and the animated short film, Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). His work influenced countless generations of illustrators and animators, including Walt Disney. Unfortunately, outside of film history books, Winsor never received the attention that he deserved.

"Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House" (1921) was Winsor McCay's last animated short. It has long been forgotten, for a number of reasons: The prints are scratched and dirty, and in black and white. There are no voices, sound effects, or music and the word balloons and inter-titles make it hard to watch.

Bill Plympton is sponsoring a restoration project, in which each frame is being cleaned and colored, music and voices are being added, and the word balloons are being eliminated, thus shortening the film and improving the pacing. However, the restoration is becoming labor-intensive and costly, so a Kickstarter page has been created, to raise funds toward the project's completion.

If you'd like to donate or learn more, please visit the link below. Kickstarter rewards are being offered for pledges of $5, $10, $30, $60 - plus pledge $125 and you'll receive a limited-edition poster signed by Bill Plympton and Matthew Modine! Pledge $200 and receive a signed copy of Bill's new book "Independently Animated: Bill Plympton".

Help Bill make his goal of raising $10,000 by Friday, July 15 by visiting Kickstarter today!

UPCOMING EVENTS - JUNE

Bill Plympton will be appearing at the Solyanka Gallery in Moscow, Russia, June 21-25. Art from many of his animated films will be on display and available for sale, and Bill will conduct a MasterClass in animation at the Gallery.

From there, Bill travels to the Neum Animation Festival in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he will screen a selection of his recent short films, and also host an animation MasterClass. He will also serve on the jury for the festival's animation competition section. More details here.

In July, Bill will return to his hometown of Portland, Oregon for a special run of his film "Idiots and Angels", preceded by the short "The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger", at the Clinton St. Theater, from July 15-20. Bill will attend the shows on July 15 and 16 and host Q&A sessions. More details here.

While in Portland, Bill will sign copies of his new Rizzoli Press book "Independently Animated: Bill Plympton" at Powell's Books, at 1005 West Burnside St. on Monday, July 18 from 7:30 to 9 pm. More details here.

From Portland, it's on to San Diego, home of the annual Comic-Con! This year's Con runs July 21-24, with a Preview Night July 20, and if you happen to be one of the 125,000 lucky people with a badge, come visit Bill Plympton in Booth #1537 (new location this year!) where you can purchase a signed copy of Bill's new book, or his new DVD "Idiots and Angels", or even some classic animation art! Bill will host a special panel at Comic-Con on July 21, 2-3 pm, in Room 25ABC, where he'll discuss his new book, his new DVD release, and screen some of his recent shorts, along with a few new surprises and sneak peeks at future projects! More details here.

Also in San Diego, in the shadow of Comic-Con, Bill will make an appearance at the Hustler Store, on 929 6th Avenue, on Friday, July 22, 8-10 pm. Don't miss this chance to pick up DVDs of "Bill's Dirty Shorts", his books "Sleazy Cartoons" and "Sloppy Seconds", plus other items that are too hot for Comic-Con! Get a copy of the famous "100 Breasts" poster that can't be displayed at a family event, and much more!

Following Comic-Con, Bill will travel to San Francisco for screenings of "Idiots and Angels" and "The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger" at the Balboa Theater, July 25-27. Bill will host Q&A sessions each night, and also host a special animation MasterClass on July 27. Bill will also screen clips from his current and future projects, including "Tiffany the Whale". More details here.

Also, while in San Francisco, Bill will host a film screening and book signing at the Cartoon Art Museum at 655 Mission St. The details are still being arranged, but please keep an eye out here.

FULL SCREENING SCHEDULE

IDIOTS AND ANGELS:
•Clinton Street Theater, Portland OR, July 15-20, 2011
•Balboa Theater, San Francisco CA, July 25-27
•BAM Cinematek/Movies With a View, Brooklyn NY, August 4
•Nitehawk Cinema, Brooklyn NY, August 14
•Animanima, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, September 7-10
•George Eastman House, Rochester NY, September 29

THE COW WHO WANTED TO BE A HAMBURGER:
•Clinton Street Theater, Portland OR, July 15-20, 2011
•Filmfest Dresden Open Air Tour, Germany, July 22-August 16
•Balboa Theater, San Francisco CA, July 25-27
•George Eastman House, Rochester NY, September 22

GUARD DOG GLOBAL JAM:
•Melbourne Intl Animation Festival, Melbourne, Australia, June 19-26, 2011
•London Intl Animation Festival, London UK, August 26-September 4
•Athens Intl Film Festival, Athens, Greee, September 14-25

Come see Bill's films at a festival near you! As always, please check with each festival for exact screening dates, times and ticket information.

IDIOTS AND ANGELS DVD

You can now PRE-ORDER copies of the DVD release of Bill Plympton's animated feature "Idiots and Angels" by visiting the store here.

The DVD will ship later in the summer, but orders received before July 4 will get a special gift, a 35mm piece of one of the actual film prints, autographed by Bill Plympton!

You can also add "Idiots and Angels" to your Netflix queue here.

ADVENTURES IN PLYMPTOONS

After taking the Annecy Festival by storm, and screening at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, the documentary "Adventures in Plymptoons", directed by Alexia Anastasio, and a successfully-funded Kickstarter project, will be screening in select theaters soon! Visit these links for more information:
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