Ralph Bakshi

[Cool World Fan]

Mr. Bakshi,

Were you inspired at all by Tex Avery? In Cool World the Coyotes/Wolfs in the Night Club resemble Tex Avery style Coyotes/Wolfs and Holli resembles Red Hot Riding Hood. Tex Avery's cartoons were aimed at adult audiences and he also pushed the limits of what was acceptable.

[Ralph B]

First of all, here's a Tex Avery story...Irv Spence, one of my favorite animators, came into my office one day and said "how would you like to meet my friend Tex"? Now, at this point I was kind of familiar with Avery but being more a comic strip fan and comic book fan, I was getting most of my inspiration there. I wasn't that big an animation buff.

When I realized it was the same Avery who did the Wolf shorts and some other stuff I loved, I told Irv "Bring him up!"

Now in those bad times of animation, Tex was out of a job like a lot of other animators I picked up, Irv, Manny, etc...they were out of work at the time I met them. I thought Irv was trying to get Tex a job and of course, the man was hired. He showed up, he loved what we were trying to do but he told us he was all finished and couldn't do it anymore.

I'm not sure what he meant by that but, and I could be wrong, I think he died a short time after.

Irv Spence had a live action 16 mm film that he'd directed, an amazing ganster epic, about 35 minutes long, starring him, Tex Avery and a lot of the other Warner/MGM animators of the time playing crooks. The film was great, Irv's family may have it...it is worth trying to get a hold of.

SO, back to Cool World.

Are those Tex Avery wolves? Is Holli looking at Tex Avery's dancing girl? You betcha. From the time I met Tex and found out who he was, I would have let him direct before John K. Because both John and I and everyone else just loved Tex Avery.

-Ralph

[Movie-Man]

But are you familiar with Chuck Jones also? Because I also noticed in Cool World is when Nails and Harris are on their way to Holli's place; I noticed on one of the overhead shots of of Cool Eorld that there was a sign that had Daffy Duck's face on it.

[JC101]

I guess the question would b better asked if Ralph ever knew Chuck personally...

...I think it would b safe 2 say that "Cool World" gave the opportunity 4 Ralph, 2 celebrate, and poke fun at comic books, and the animation industry in various ways, there was a review online which someone mentioned the apocalypse scene in Las Vegas is a jab at Disney's "Fantasia"

....All these refferences would b natural since it's a film about a cartoon universe that would exist outside of our state of existence, this would make it a satire.

[gagbonkers]

[ZEES]

Ralph worked at Paramount/Famous Studios, which was started by Max Fleischer, who by lack of better information, along with his brother Dave "invented" Rotoscoping.
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Attack of the Killer ZEES