RALPH BAKSHI — current posts — Fantasy/Animation

The Story of Plaything

The story of my animated film Plaything (still in production) and its themes of minstrelsy and racism is a long arduous journey that continues to surprise me even as I author this article. Once the film is completed, it will dive firmly and deeply into the darkest depths of American history and explore the disturbing roots of Blackface minstrelsy, slavery, and Jim Crow, which have nourished and supported multiple media form for nearly two centuries, from the macabre roots of the Southern Gothic sub-genre to cartoons and animated filmmaking.

CREATIVE REFLECTIONShakeem R. WinnJanuary 24, 2025RACE, RALPH BAKSHI, REPRESENTATION, HOLLYWOOD, CRAFTComment

Wizards: Flaws of Human Nature through Fantastical Animation

Western culture has long had a preconceived notion that animation is primarily for children. Two prominent reasons for this positioning were the arrival of the Hays Code, a motion picture guideline that made censorship stricter starting in 1934 up until 1968 (and which included the censoring of animated stars such as Betty Boop), and the dominant influence that the Walt Disney Studios had upon shaping the identity of the medium as family-friendly (see Lewis 2021). These two forces converged to create cartoons marketed primarily towards younger audiences, leaving future generations of animators and studios to adopt and perpetuate this convention.

EDITORIALJames GorczycaJune 14, 2024ADULT, RALPH BAKSHI, REPRESENTATION, FANTASYComment

When Hobbits Go Bad: Ralph Bakshi the Fantasy Provocateur

When Christopher Holliday and I first conceived of Fantasy/Animation: Connections Between Media, Mediums and Genres, the animator Ralph Bakshi sprung to mind immediately as an example of an individual whose work I thought would benefit from the methodology we were hoping to inspire within both our edited collection, and through future collaborations on this research network. If you are unfamiliar with who Bakshi is, chances are you are nonetheless a fan of either an animator or live-action filmmaker who has been inspired by his productions.