dir. Ralph Bakshi

1992

Lucia Droga

(she/her)

After a bizarre incident, Frank Harris (Brad Pitt) is transported into the cartoon realm of Cool World, where he remains the only human among various animated characters for years. Eventually, artist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) also enters Cool World and sets his lustful sights on his own creation, a blond bombshell named Holli Would (Kim Basinger). However, excessive intermingling between cartoons and humans is said to lead to ‘dire consequences’.

If Jack is so sleep with Holli, she will become human - a risk he seems ready to take.

Upon its release, Cool World received negative reviews due to its story, acting, animation, and the effects combining that animation with the live-action. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 4% based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10.

The consensus reads: "Cool World throws a small handful of visual sparks, but they aren't enough to distract from the screenplay's thin characters and scattered plot.”

To be fair, it’s never explained why it would be so bad for a cartoon girl to become human?

Despite these discouraging reviews, I highly recommend this film. As well as watching a sexy young Brad Pitt in action, it’s a bumbling, funny and confusing, yet loveable, story with much to enjoy.

The soundtrack is also great - the only aspect of the film that received any praise - with features by The Cult, David Bowie and Moby.