Cool World

1992 Comedy

Four years after Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Ralph Bakshi tapped into the live action mixed with cell animated world in this adult-themed production telling the story of an edgy comic book artist who crosses the line into his own cartoon universe. The story begins with a prologue in postwar Las Vegas, where Vegas cop Frank Harris (Brad Pitt) is catapulted into the cartoon Cool World after crashing his motorcycle. The Cool World is a jive-animated parallel dimension created by animator Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne). Among Jack's many creations is the knock-out broad Holli Would (Kim Basinger). Holli wants to become human -- or a "noid" in Cool World parlance. So, she compels Jack to fall into his own cartoon void where her attempts to seduce him could have grave consequences for both the animated and the "real" world.

Director: Ralph Bakshi

Starring: Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne, Brad Pitt, Michele Abrams, Deirdre O'Connell

Reviews

  • But the erotic potential of animation has never been realized and Cool World doesn't even try.

    Peter Rainer - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • Ralph Bakshi's first feature in nearly a decade would like to be a down-and-dirty "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," but Bakshi isn't up to the task.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • A brilliant but completely muddled concoction about the relationship between fantasy and reality.

    Julie Salamon - The Wall Street Journal

    19 January 2013

  • Technically, Bakshi's work is uneven; some of the characters in his Cool universe are hilarious, while others are flat.

    Hal Hinson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Underdrawn and overheated, Cool World will leave you cold.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Most Desirable Female

    MTV Movie Awards (1993)

     
  • Worst Actress

    Razzie Awards (1993)