Plympton's surreal, twisted cartoons predate Beavis, appear at Media Center

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RATING: * * * 1/2

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by Dan McDermon

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Animator Bill Plympton credits a rainy Portland childhood when asked about the origins of his uniquely bent sense of humor. That's believable when you look at his work: It's full of an elementary twistedness that could only come from the mind of a constrained child.

This consideration is especially significant regarding his earliest works such as "Lucas, the Ear of Corn," which chronicles the life of an unfortunate chunk of maize from stalk to steamer.

Later cartoons, such as the promotional shorts he made for MTV or the commercials he made for Trivial Pursuit and Sugar Delight, involve a more complicated perspective. But all his works are best when they're driven by the inquisitive, provocative will of a kid.

This is true even in his more overtly political cartoons such as the excellent "Boomtown," a desperately funny analysis of the explosion in defense spending during the '80s. This commitment extends through his promotional work for Amnesty International and his environmental advertisements.

His funniest material, however, is pure Everyman angst: "25 Ways to Quit Smoking," "One of Those Days" and "Drawing Lesson #2."

Recently, Plympton has incorporated more live-action into his animated projects. His latest work, a feature-length film, J. Lyle , is a surrealistic comedy about a sleazy landlord and his talking dog.

Plympton himself will attend the April 20 screening of J. Lyle at the Rice Media Center.

Meanwhile, the Rice Media Center spotlights the work of Bill Plympton this Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. On the program is a wide selection of Plympton's work, from his first short (a promotional ad for a school yearbook in 1968) to brand new material including "Plymp-mania" and "How to Make Love to a Woman."

The program also includes "Your Face," Plympton's Oscar-nominated short from 1987.

Admission is $5; $4 with a Rice ID.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the March 29, 1996 issue.

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