Cool World is a 1992 American live-action/adult animated fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt, it tells the story of a cartoonist who finds himself in the cartoon-like universe he thinks he created, but has existed long before. In this world, he is seduced by one of the characters, a femme fatale who wants to become human.
Theatrical release poster
Storyboard by Louise Zingarelli based on Bakshi's original screenplay
Jack and Holli. Reviews were critical of the compositing of animation and live-action.
Ralph Bakshi is an American animator, filmmaker and painter. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1994, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, predominantly urban dramas and fantasy films, five of which he wrote. He has also been involved in numerous television projects as director, writer, producer and animator.
Bakshi in January 2009
An image from Fritz the Cat, with Fritz and a trio of young women he is trying to pick up by Washington Square Park: The background demonstrates one of the film's stylistic innovations - it is a watercolor painting based on a tracing from a photograph.
Bakshi speaking at Comic-Con International on July 26, 2008