Bill Plympton to Release Satirical ‘Hitler’s Folly’ Free on Internet

Indie animation legend Bill Plympton will release his next feature film, mockumentary “Hitler’s Folly,” for free on the Internet next month.

The 67-minute movie, billed as a “merciless satire” in which Adolf Hitler is reimagined as a successful animator and artist, will be available free to stream at plymptoons.com on Friday, June 3, “as special thank-you to his loyal fans,” his company said. It also will be available on YouTube and Vimeo.

“Hitler’s Folly” stars Nate Steinwachs (“Goddess of Time”) as Hitler and Dana Ashbrook (“Twin Peaks”) as Josh. It is directed, designed, animated and written by Plympton.

Using Hitler’s early artwork, World War II footage and Plympton’s signature animation, the film explores the dictator’s unfulfilled animation career in the spirit of Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” Walt Disney’s “Der Fuhrer’s Face” and Tex Avery’s “Blitz Wolf,” Plymptoons said.

A rep for Plympton said “Hitler’s Folly” is an “experimental film” and explained that if he had pursued traditional distribution it would have reached a more limited audience on a much slower timeline. By releasing it free on the Internet, the film will reach the widest possible audience possible and a younger demographic, the rep added.

Plympton, who’s been called the “King of Indie Animation,” produced many animated shorts that appeared on MTV and Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation before focusing on film. He has received Oscar nominations for animated shorts “Your Face” and “Guard Dog.” His film “Push Comes to Shove” won the Cannes 1991 Palme d’Or, and in 2001, another short film, “Eat,” won the grand prize for short films at Cannes Critics’ Week. Plympton also has collaborated with Madonna, Kanye West and Weird Al Yankovic on a number of music videos and book projects.

In addition to streaming “Hitler’s Folly” online, Plympton will host a free New York premiere of the film on June 1 at 7 p.m. at SVA Theater in Manhattan followed by a Q&A. He’ll also do special live drawings of a character from the film after the screening. The event is open to the public with seating available on a first-come-first-served basis.

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