Since the 1970s, Sally Cruikshank has produced some of the most mind-bending independent animations of her generation. Featuring a motley assortment of talking animals and smart objects, her works blend the anarchic style of Depression-era cartoons with a darkly humorous sensibility. In her best-known film, Quasi at the Quackadero (1975), a misshapen duck blunders through a surreal amusement park. In Face Like a Frog (1987), creatures cavort to music by Danny Elfman. Cruikshank presents work from throughout her career, including classic Sesame Street spots and a recent new media project featuring a chatbot named Whinsey. Film prints courtesy of the Sally Cruikshank and Jon Davison Collection at the Academy Film Archive.
1971–2016, USA, multiple formats, ca 60 min + discussion
Sally Cruikshank (b. Chatham, NJ) is an artist and animator. Her work has been screened in movie theaters and broadcast on televisions around the globe. Best known as an independent animator, she has also produced spots for Sesame Street and titles for feature films like Ruthless People (1986) and Smiley Face(2007), among many others. Cruikshank is the recipient of numerous awards including the inaugural Maya Deren Award for Animation from the American Film Institute. Her 1975 film Quasi at the Quackadero is considered one of the most important independent animations of the 20th century and was inducted into the US National Film Registry in 2009. She splits her time between rural Colorado and Los Angeles.