Dear Mr. Watterson
A documentary exploring the impact of Calvin and Hobbes.
Dear Mr. Watterson is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Joel Allen Schroeder. It examines the career of Bill Watterson, creator of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, and the cultural influence of both the strip and its reclusive author. The film was produced by Christopher Browne and Matt McUsic, with Andrew P. Waruszewski as cinematographer.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Joel Allen Schroeder
- Producer
- Chris Browne; Matt McUsic
- Starring
- Seth Green
- Berkeley Breathed
- Stephan Pastis
- Music
- Mike Boggs
- Cinematography
- Andrew Waruszewski
- Released
- 15 November 2013
- Runtime
- 89 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
History
The project began in December 2007 when Schroeder conducted fan interviews to understand the cultural impact of Watterson's strip. A first Kickstarter campaign ran from December 15, 2009 to March 15, 2010, raising over 200% of its $12,000 goal. With those funds, the filmmakers interviewed Berkeley Breathed, Lee Salem, Stephan Pastis, Jef Mallett, Dave Kellett, Charles Solomon, Seth Green, Keith Knight, Jenny Robb, Tony Cochran, Andrew Farago, Joe Wos, Jean Schulz, Jan Eliot, Bill Amend, and others. A second Kickstarter campaign funded completion, ending July 14, 2012. In late December 2012, nearly 200 posters were shipped to backers worldwide. The documentary was accepted into the 37th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival on March 1, 2013.
Influences and impact
Schroeder did not seek to interview Watterson, aware of the artist's reclusiveness; Watterson was invited to the premiere but watched the DVD instead. Schroeder told NPR's Weekend Edition that Watterson's final cartoon exemplified the strip's enduring appeal, describing the panel showing Calvin and Hobbes with a toboggan in fresh snow and Calvin saying, 'It's a magical world, old buddy ... let's go exploring.' He called those words a challenge to maintain curiosity. The film was later parodied in a Documentary Now! episode titled 'Searching for Mr. Larson', with Fred Armisen portraying a narcissistic filmmaker seeking The Far Side creator Gary Larson.
More in Characters
Elsewhere in Calvin and Hobbes
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