Movies You Have Not Seen But Should: Dear Mr. Watterson

5

No, you aren’t imagining things, it’s this week’s Movies You Have Not Seen But Should!

Calvin and Hobbes Movie

Dear Mr. Watterson

Welcome back to Movies You Have Not Seen But Should. This week we will take a look at the 2013 documentary Dear Mr. Watterson.

This film is about the life and work of cartoonist Bill Watterson, who is most famous for his comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. Calvin & Hobbes is about the life and adventures of Calvin, a 5-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his stuffed tiger who Calvin imagines is alive. Calvin’s imagination seems to run wild and gets him in and out of trouble both at home and at school. It is a beloved comic strip, especially for those who grew up reading them in the 1980s & ’90s.

Joel Allen Schroeder directed the film, and he goes on a journey that takes him across the country. He interviews fans of Watterson’s work, as well as Watterson’s fellow cartoonists. Those who were interviewed for the film include Seth Green, Bill Amend, Berkeley Breathed, and Jean Schultz (widow of Charles Schultz). Schroeder also went to Watterson’s hometown to see where he got his start in drawing and to see the place that influenced his work. However, Watterson was not interviewed for the film because, as the film documents, he is a very private person. The film does a good job of being objective as well as being a kind of fan letter to Watterson (which is fitting, given that the title of the film is Dear Mr. Watterson).

The film’s production was supported by fans who helped fund the project through Kickstarter. The filming was finally completed in November of 2012 and premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival on April 9, 2013. It went on to receive a limited theatrical release on November 15, 2013, as well as same day video-on-demand release.

Dear Mr. Watterson is available on DVD, Netflix Instant Streaming and Amazon Instant Streaming. It’s a great documentary about a beloved classic. If you’re a fan of Calvin & Hobbes, then you’ll enjoy this documentary. It will bring back fond memories of reading the comics. It’s a great documentary that you may not have seen, but should.

About author

5 comments

Post a new comment

Star Wars Angry Birds??

EDIT: Fast Company has confirmed that it is not only a new game, but a series of toys featuring the likes of Luke Skywalker as ...