Ralph Bakshi: Animation Risk-Taker
Ralph Bakshi was a trailblazer in animation, even if most people in the modern era have never heard of him. He was one of the first directors in animation who saw the art form as it truly was, an artform and didn’t think it should be limited to entertainment for children. Animation was a chance for any artist to express themselves in any way they wanted, and sometimes that included adult-oriented material. In the last fifties, Bakshi got his start in animation working for TerryToons. He was a cell polisher, he cleaned up animation cells before they were filmed, the lowest rung at the studio, but a solid foot in the door. He was soon promoted to cell painter and then began training in animation. While struggling to get his animation career moving, he worked on comic strips, Dum “Dum and Dee Dee” and “Bonefoot and Fudge” trying to focus on his own style. Over the next several years he worked with companies like CBS, trying to pit...