A woman’s escapist dream, of discovering her husband about to fly their house away from their problems, could well be something that might happen today. This film has current overtones and themes, of a landlord threatening impending mortgage foreclosure, people gathering in protest rallies who won’t take it anymore and the search for new worlds to live in.
Bill Plympton, Legendary Oscar-nominated Animator, stated: “Amazingly, 90 years after its original creation THE FLYING HOUSE won the Best Animated Film Award, straight out of the box, at the 2011 Second Annual Williamsburg Independent Film Festival. Using Winsor McCay’s beautiful artwork, I took it upon myself to resurrect his last animated short, “Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House” (1921), using contemporary digital technology. This landmark re-mastering of McCay’s beautiful film is attracting a great deal of attention and controversy. I hope that my updating of this obscure short film will bring the genius of Winsor McCay to the attention of a new generation of animation fans. This brilliant piece of animation was McCay’s last film; he was forbidden to make any further ones by press baron William Randolph Hearst.”
In August 2011, Bill Plympton’s studio completed the work of modernizing the film. The original black and white prints were in bad condition, deteriorating, scratched and dirty, there were no voices, sound effects, or music, and the word balloons and inter-titles made it hard to watch. Painstakingly, his studio digitally cleaned each frame of damaged footage, added full color, the voices of Patricia Clarkson and Matthew Modine, and a new score.
Cast and Crew:
Bill Plympton, Producer, modernization. Winsor McCay, Director, original film
Voice Actors: Matthew Modine; Patricia Clarkson; John Holderreid; Bill Plympton
Executive Producers: Adam Rackoff and Matthew Modine (Cinco Dedos Peliculas)
Co-Producer: Society of Illustrators, (founded in 1901, Societyillustrators.org)
Associate Producer: Serge Bromberg (Lobster Films)
Production Supervisor/Editor: Desiree Stavracos
Restoration Supervisor: Kerri Allegretta
Art Director/Color: Lindsay Woods
Digital Compositing: Celeste Lai, Judy Lee, Desiree Stavracos and Lindsay Woods
Music Composer: Thomas Vanoosting
Music Editor: Biljana Labovic
Sound Mix Designer: Weston Fonger
Clean-Up & Coloring: Julia Altabef, Rene Chandler, Che Min Hsiao (Pegasus), Emily Garrett, Yoomi Kim, Celeste Lai, Judy Lee, Bora Nah, Mina Sanwald, Ying Zhang
Reviews:
“Famous animator Winsor McCay (perhaps best associated with the 1914 short Gertie the Dinsoaur), who started as a newspaper cartoonist and gained national appeal for strips such as Little Nemo in Slumberland and Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend, completed the seven minute short ‘The Flying House’ in 1921. Animator Bill Plympton (of Plymptoon fame, with an easily recognized, distinctive style – see the Academy Award-nominated 1987 short “Your Face” for a superb sample of his talent) produced the restoration and re-release of ‘The Flying House,’ giving the title card a notation of 1921-2011, as well as the statement that it was drawn by Robert Winsor McCay using the Winsor McCay process of animated drawing.” — Mike Massie
“Bill Plympton Studios brings to audiences a remastered version of ‘The Flying House – Dream of the Rarebit Fiend,’ the original being the final animated short from the inventor of Animation, Winsor McCay. Gone is the original black and white; it is replaced with color. The dialogue as well, originally presented as cartoon balloons and inter-titles, is replaced with the voice acting talents of Patricia Clarkson and Mathew Modine. Although made in 1921, the film still holds up fairly well today. A couple afraid to have their house foreclosed on get it to fly and go on an adventure to escape their creditors. While the animation is crude when compared to the modern day far offered up by Pixar and DreamWorks, it’s wonderful to see what one man, who doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, was able to create. ‘The Flying House’ is a short that is both timely and timeless, and should be viewed by anyone with an appreciation of Animation as not just a medium but an art form. Grade 94/100” — Chris Hill
“For those fortunate enough to know the fascinating set of the works of Winsor McCay, there is good news! Plymptoons has re-mastered McCay’s ‘The Flying House’ and added dialogue as spoken by Patricia Clarkson and Matthew Modine. The color and the animation restoration is excellent. The story, as everyone knows, is a dream on the part of the woman in which her house (with the controls of her husband) takes off on a fantastic flight. The short is now listed as being by Winsor McCay and Bill Plympton, the date now being 1921-2011! This is a delightful experience in fully appreciating the animation techniques of Winsor McCay as embellished with current fine actors and modern re-mastering.” — Grady Harp
