Known as the “Father of Claymation,” Will Vinton revolutionized the animation business during the 1980s and 90s, creating such iconic characters as the California Raisins and Domino’s The Noid. But after thirty years of being the unheralded king of clay, Vinton’s carefully sculpted American dream came crumbling down. Structured around interviews with this charismatic pioneer and his close collaborators, along with a treasure trove of clips of their work together, CLAYDREAM charts the rise and fall of the Oscar®- and Emmy®-winning Will Vinton Studios. Documentarian Marq Evans brings to life the battle between art and commerce in this affectionate, insightful portrait of an artist who put so much of himself into his craft.
SPECIAL FEATURES
– DELETED SCENES
– COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR MARQ EVANS AND PRODUCERS TAMIR ARDON AND KEVIN MOYER
– AN ODD, UNCUT VOICEMAIL FROM MICHAEL JACKSON TO WILL VINTON
– THE ENTIRETY OF WILL VINTON’S ANIMATED SHORT FILMOGRAPHY FROM THE 20TH CENTURY: CLOSED MONDAYS (1974), MOUNTAIN MUSIC (1976), MARTIN THE COBBLER (1977), CLAYMATION: THREE DIMENSIONAL CLAY ANIMATION (1978), RIP VAN WINKLE(1978), THE LITTLE PRINCE (1979), LEGACY: A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF NATURAL RESOURCES (1979), DINOSAUR (1980), A CHRISTMAS GIFT (1980), THE CREATION (1981), THE GREAT COGNITO (1982)
– THEATRICAL TRAILER
“Brilliant! Heartbreaking! Will Vinton’s meteoric rise to giddy California Raisin ubiquity, dreams of Disneyland-like Claymation-themed fantasias, outrageous Shakespearean betrayals, and the sad, fizzling death-plummet back through shattered friendships, loyalties, and hopes engrave in graveyard spirals the epic tragedy of a creative genius. Lovely! Dire! Riveting!.”
— Guy Maddin
“It’s a story with a little bit of everything: outsized ambitions, artistic wonderment, emotional repression, psychedelic drugs, awards shows, mental illness, overnight success, voice messages from Michael Jackson, assassination threats, bad business decisions, and betrayal… What more could you want in a movie about a guy making vaguely creepy cartoons?”
— Reuben Baron, CBR
