Making 'Toons That Sell Without Selling Out

Chapter 11

SELLING YOUR FILM

In 1987, I took my first animated film, “Your Face,” to the Annecy Festival in France. I’d been there two years before with “Boomtown,” a film I directed but did not produce—but “Your Face” was a very different beast; it was funny and quirky, while “Boomtown” was serious and political.

I had no idea how “Your Face” would play to European audiences, because it was such a goofball film. Well, the European audiences loved the film. What a great relief for me—afterward, people came up to congratulate me, which was another wild shock. But the most astounding experience came when buyers approached me, offering money for ...