Picha
Encyclopedia
Jean-Paul "monda" Walravens (born 2 July 1942) is a cartoonist and film director. He was born in Brussels
, Belgium
.
for many newspapers and magazines around the world including National Lampoon
and The New York Times
. During this period, he adopted the pseudonym
Picha. A passion for drawing led Picha to the world of comics. He is the author of several books, as Picha at Club Med (1971) or Persona non grata
(1975).
After this period, he went on to animation. In 1975, he co-directed the film Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle
, a raunchy parody of the Tarzan
stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs
. The film was a huge success in it's home country France
, but ran through troubles with the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate when the estate sued the creators of the film for plagiarism. The estate lost the case when the creators stated that the film was a parody. However, when the film was released in the U.S. , the estate demanded that the film title and main character "Tarzoon" be changed due to the film's nature degrading the Tarazan name. In 1979, the now R-rated film was released under the title Shame Of The Jungle, and was rewritten by Saturday Night Live
writers Anne Beatts
and Michael O'Donoghue
and was dubbed by John Belushi
, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr., Bill Murray
, and several others. Despite these efforts, the film was a critical and financial flop.
Picha's next film was the 1980 film The Missing Link
. Though it wasn't as successful as Tarzoon, the film was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival
. In 1984, the film was released into the U.S. under the title B.C. Rock. Major changes to the film included newly-written dialogue by the comedy duo The Funny Boys (Jim Vallely
and Jonathan Schmock), recut footage, different voices, different instrumental score, the absence of the narrator (with the main character telling the story), and nearly all the songs written and performed by Leo Sayer
have been replaced by songs by other artists (including Steel Breeze
, Hall & Oates
, and Rick Wakeman
) in order to attract a wider audience. Unfortunately, the film was poorly promoted on video and faded into obscurity. However, this version manages to have a cult following
to this day. Picha's future work would never be released in American theaters.
Picha's next film was 1987's The Big Bang
. After the small success of the film, Picha left the movie industry to concentrate on writing for television
. Picha's television works included Zoo Olympics (1990–1991), Zoo Cup (1992–1993), and The Jules ... Dog's life (1995). In 2007, Picha made a comeback with Snow White: The Sequel
, a parody of fairy tales, which most animated films were doing at the time.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Biography
Jean-Paul Walravens, quickly fascinated by drawing, performs his studies at the Institute of Fine Arts Saint-Luc. In 1960, he contributed his work as a caricaturist and cartoonistCartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
for many newspapers and magazines around the world including National Lampoon
National Lampoon
National Lampoon was both a ground-breaking American humor magazine and also a wide range of productions directly associated with that magazine. The magazine ran from 1970 to 1998, and was originally a spinoff of the Harvard Lampoon....
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. During this period, he adopted the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Picha. A passion for drawing led Picha to the world of comics. He is the author of several books, as Picha at Club Med (1971) or Persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
(1975).
After this period, he went on to animation. In 1975, he co-directed the film Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle
Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle
Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle is a 1975 adult-oriented French/Belgian animated film directed by cartoonist Picha and Boris Szulzinger. The film was the first foreign-animated film to receive both an X rating and wide distribution in the United States....
, a raunchy parody of the Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
. The film was a huge success in it's home country France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, but ran through troubles with the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate when the estate sued the creators of the film for plagiarism. The estate lost the case when the creators stated that the film was a parody. However, when the film was released in the U.S. , the estate demanded that the film title and main character "Tarzoon" be changed due to the film's nature degrading the Tarazan name. In 1979, the now R-rated film was released under the title Shame Of The Jungle, and was rewritten by Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
writers Anne Beatts
Anne Beatts
- Early life:Born to parents Beatts describes as "beatniks", Beatts grew to have what has been called an "aggressive, dark sensibility" which she later put to use in the world of comedy. Growing up in Somers, New York she later attended McGill University....
and Michael O'Donoghue
Michael O'Donoghue
Michael O'Donoghue was a writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to National Lampoon magazine, and was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live.-Childhood:O'Donoghue was born Michael Henry Donohue in Sauquoit, New York...
and was dubbed by John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr., Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, and several others. Despite these efforts, the film was a critical and financial flop.
Picha's next film was the 1980 film The Missing Link
The Missing Link (film)
The Missing Link' is a 1980 French–Belgian animated film written and directed by Picha. Though it was not as successful as Picha's previous film, it was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
. Though it wasn't as successful as Tarzoon, the film was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival
1980 Cannes Film Festival
The 33rd Cannes Film Festival was held on May 9-23. The showing of Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker is interrupted by an electricians strike.- Jury :*Kirk Douglas *Ken Adam *Robert Benayoun *Veljko Bulajić...
. In 1984, the film was released into the U.S. under the title B.C. Rock. Major changes to the film included newly-written dialogue by the comedy duo The Funny Boys (Jim Vallely
Jim Vallely
Jim Vallely is an American television producer, and screenwriter. He was a writer and consulting producer for Arrested Development, an Emmy Award-winning television show on the Fox network, and was an executive producer and co-creator of Running Wilde, also on Fox, along with Mitchell Hurwitz and...
and Jonathan Schmock), recut footage, different voices, different instrumental score, the absence of the narrator (with the main character telling the story), and nearly all the songs written and performed by Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
have been replaced by songs by other artists (including Steel Breeze
Steel Breeze
Steel Breeze is an American album-oriented rock group that had a popular video on MTV with "You Don't Want Me Anymore" in 1982, followed by "Temperance Dreams" the following year.-Career:...
, Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
, and Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
) in order to attract a wider audience. Unfortunately, the film was poorly promoted on video and faded into obscurity. However, this version manages to have a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
to this day. Picha's future work would never be released in American theaters.
Picha's next film was 1987's The Big Bang
The Big Bang (1987 film)
The Big Bang a.k.a. Le Big-Bang is an X-rated animated science fiction fantasy film, originally released in 1987 by 20th Century Fox in France and Entertainment Film Distributors, Ltd. in the United Kingdom...
. After the small success of the film, Picha left the movie industry to concentrate on writing for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. Picha's television works included Zoo Olympics (1990–1991), Zoo Cup (1992–1993), and The Jules ... Dog's life (1995). In 2007, Picha made a comeback with Snow White: The Sequel
Snow White: The Sequel
Snow White: The Sequel is a 2007 Belgian-French X-rated animated film directed by Picha. It's based on the fairy tale of Snow White and intended as a sequel to Disney's classic animated adaptation. However, like all of Picha's cartoons the film is actually a sex comedy featuring a lot of bawdy...
, a parody of fairy tales, which most animated films were doing at the time.
Films
- Cartoon Circus (1972)
- Tarzoon, la honte de la jungle (1975, Directed with Boris SzulzingerBoris Szulzinger[[Category:Year of birth missing [[Category:Living people]][[Category:Belgian film directors]][[fr:Boris Szulzinger]][[is:Boris Szulzinger]]...
) - Le Chainon manquant (1980)
- Le Big-BangThe Big Bang (1987 film)The Big Bang a.k.a. Le Big-Bang is an X-rated animated science fiction fantasy film, originally released in 1987 by 20th Century Fox in France and Entertainment Film Distributors, Ltd. in the United Kingdom...
(1987, Directed with Boris SzulzingerBoris Szulzinger[[Category:Year of birth missing [[Category:Living people]][[Category:Belgian film directors]][[fr:Boris Szulzinger]][[is:Boris Szulzinger]]...
) - Blanche-Neige, la suite (2007)
Television Series
- Zoo Olympics (1992)
- Zoo Cup (1994)
- Les Jules, chienne de vie.. (1997)
External links
- Picha at The Internet Movie Database