Monster Road (Collector’s Edition)

Monster Road explores the wildly fantastic worlds of legendary underground animator Bruce Bickford. Tracing the origins of Bickford’s remarkably unique worldview, the film journeys back to Bickford's childhood in a competitive household during the paranoia of the Cold War and examines his relationship with his father, George, who is facing the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Bickford’s early films, especially the dark and magical clay animations he created for Frank Zappa in the 1970s, have achieved cult status worldwide. Entirely self-taught, the sixty-one-year-old Bickford works alone in a makeshift basement studio in his house near Seattle making films for no apparent audience.

Bickford’s father George, a retired aerospace engineer of the Cold War era, is the other main character. George’s talent for maximizing the space inside missiles parallels his son’s animations, which often contain dozens of inch-tall figures fighting battles on a tiny set. George’s wondrous musings on the mysteries of the universe reveal a deep admiration for the implicit architect of such splendor while atheism prevents him from admitting the possibility of a God. Along with the wonder of creation, George considers the pain of a life spent disengaged from his family and centered on the imperfections in those around him.

The new Monster Road Collector’s Edition DVD offers greatly improved encoding on a dual layer disc, plus 45 minutes of “extras,” including previously unreleased animations, deleted scenes, and the Monster Road trailer.

Watch the trailer/clips and buy the DVD. Bruce Bickford is a pure artist of modest means. When you buy the Monster Road or Prometheus’ Garden/Luck of a Foghorn DVDs from Bright Eye Pictures, you directly support this legendary animator whose work continues to inspire new generations of artists.

What the critics are saying about Monster Road:

“Fascinating, disturbing, and often hilarious”
- SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“Oddly hypnotic”
- BIRMINGHAM WEEKLY

 “A detailed and intelligent portrait”
- SENSES OF CINEMA

“Major achievements in form”
- SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

“Weightlessly examines heavy existential questions”
- WILLAMETTE WEEK

“A captivating story”
-WILMINGTON STAR-NEWS

“A must see”
- ANIMATION MAGAZINE

“Enthralling”
- THE OREGONIAN

 “Excellent”
- ANIMATION WORLD JOURNAL

****1/2
- FILM THREAT