User blog:ARTaylor/Ralph Bakshi Turns 80

Today is the eightieth birthday of Ralph Bakshi. He is an animator and director know for numerous animation and live-action works in film and television. He rose to fame directing the infamous animated feature Fritz the Cat, the first X-rated animated feature and still the most successful independent animated feature of all time. He followed that up with Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, The Lord of the Rings, and Cool World. He is known to Marvel fans as the executive producer, director, writer, and script supervisor of the 1967 series Spider-Man, the webslinger's first foray into animation. In recent years, he has focused mostly on fine arts and painting. He and his sons founded The Bakshi School of Animation in 2003. He has received numerous awards for his works including a Golden Gryphon, Annie Award, and Maverick Tribute Award.