Cool World

This article is about the 1992 hybrid live-action animated film. For other uses, see Cool World (disambiguation).
"Noids" redirects here. For other uses, see Noid (disambiguation).
"Holli Would" redirects here. Not to be confused with Holy Wood, Holly Wood, Hollywood, or Holly Woods.

Cool World
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRalph Bakshi
Written by
Produced byFrank Mancuso Jr.
Starring
CinematographyJohn A. Alonzo
Edited by
  • Steve Mirkovich
  • Annamaria Szanto
Music byMark Isham
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • July 10, 1992 (1992-07-10)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[2]
Box office$14.1 million[3]

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.[4]

Following the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and his own professional resurgence in television in the late 1980s, Bakshi conceived it as a live-action animated horror film. He brought the idea to Paramount Pictures, and became attached to direct; it was his first feature film in nearly a decade. The film was intended as his comeback. However, interference from producer Frank Mancuso Jr. led to an extensive rewrite from Michael Grais, Mark Victor, and an uncredited Larry Gross. As a result, relations between Bakshi, Mancuso, and the studio deteriorated, and the film had a highly tumultuous production.

Cool World was released by Paramount on July 10, 1992. Upon its release, the film was a critical and commercial failure. It was criticized for its story, acting, and the effects combining animation and live-action; however, the soundtrack and visuals received praise. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $14 million against a budget of $28 million. Despite its poor reception, Cool World developed a cult following.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Cool World". Box Office Mojo.
  4. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 174. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Taylor, Trey (October 7, 2016). "What makes cult film Cool World so universally hated?". Dazed. Retrieved October 24, 2022.