Immerse yourself in the captivating world of rotoscope animated films with this crazy good watchlist.
From Koko the Clown and the animated epic Gulliver’s Travels to contemporary masterpieces like A Scanner Darkly and Tower this list takes you on a century long journey through the art of rotoscope.
I was an animator on Scanner and was the Animation Director of Tower. Each film showcases the unique artistry and storytelling possibilities of this mesmerizing technique.
The films on this list will prime your brain to begin “thinking in roto.”
- Koko the Clown
- Koko the Clown is a classic cartoon character created by Max Fleischer in 1919.
- Gulliver’s Travels
- Max Fleischer’s Gulliver’s Travels is an animated feature film produced by Fleischer Studios and released in 1939.
- Superman
- Max Fleischer’s Superman serial produced by Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s.
- American Pop
- Ralph Bakshi’s American Pop is an animated feature film released in 1981.
- A Scanner Darkly
- Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly is a 2006 animated science-fiction film based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick.
- Tower
- “Tower” is a documentary film directed by Keith Maitland that uses rotoscope animation to recount the events of the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting.
- Loving Vincent
- Loving Vincent is a 2017 animated biographical drama film about the life and death of painter Vincent van Gogh.
- Apollo 10 ½
- Richard Linklater’s “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure” is set in the summer of 1969 during the Apollo 11 moon landing.