Ralph Bakshi

Known for DirectingBorn 1938-10-29 (age 87)Haifa, Mandatory Palestine [now Israel]

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for 'The Lord of the Rings'

The Stretcher

The Heat's Off

Traffic Trouble

House of Hashimoto

Lost and Foundation

It's for the Birds

Mr. Winlucky

A Voodoo Spell

Gadmouse: The Apprentice Good Fairy

Rebel Highway

The Fuz

Fancy Plants

Frozen Sparklers

Which Is Witch?

Dr. Rhinestone's Theory

Scuba Duba Do

Dr. Ha-Ha

Dress Reversal

Babe, He Calls Me

What a Cartoon!

Spider-Man

Where There's Smoke

The Mysterious Package

Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures

American Pop

Mini-Squirts

Mouse Trek

Baron Von Go-Go

Bugged By A Bug

Give Me Liberty

The Third Musketeer

Don't Spill the Beans

Malcom and Melvin

Frazetta: Painting with Fire

Crossing The Delaware

Fire and Ice

The Mighty Heroes

American Playhouse

The Butter Battle Book

Imagining America

The Lord of the Rings

Heavy Traffic

Marvin Digs

Breaking the Mold: The Re-Making of Mighty Mouse

Wizards

Fritz the Cat

Coonskin