Cool World (1992)

Cool World is a 1992 American live-action animated fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. The film stars Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt. Its plot follows a cartoonist who finds himself in a cartoon-like universe he believes he created, where he is seduced by one of the characters, a femme fatale who wants to become human.

Following the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and his own professional resurgence in television in the late 1980s, Bakshi conceived Cool World as a horror film. He brought the idea to Paramount Pictures, and became attached to direct; it was his first feature film in nearly a decade, and intended as his comeback. However, interference from producer Frank Mancuso Jr. led to an extensive rewrite from Michael Grais, Mark Victor, and an uncredited Larry Gross. As a result, relations between Bakshi, Mancuso, and the studio deteriorated, and the film had a highly tumultuous production.

Cool World was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on July 10, 1992. The film received largely negative reviews from critics, and was a box-office failure, grossing $14.1 million against a production budget of $28 million.