This has admittedly been online for a while, but has just been brought to our attention by a small piece in the New York Times. And if you, like us, had so far managed to miss news of Joel Allen Schroeder's Dear Mr. Watterson - an affectionate missive to Calvin and Hobbes and their creator - you'll thank us for sharing the love and bringing you this trailer.
If you're new here - and you've been seriously missing out if you are - Calvin and Hobbes was a syndicated newspaper comic strip, involving a boy and his tiger (real to Calvin, stuffed to everyone else), that ran from 1985 to 1995. In far too small a nutshell for the job, it basically deals with the awkward co-existence of real life and Calvin's fantasy inner world. It's beautifully drawn, meticulously observed, quietly philosphical and never not funny.
A man of principle, Watterson always refused what would no doubt have been an absolute fortune in merchandising opportunities, preferring to keep his creation unsullied by the market. He also continues to eschew the spotlight and doesn't do interviews. Hence, Schroeder's crowdfunded documentary is a collection of talking heads in celebration of the work, rather than an attempt to track down its source (although a project like that kind of exists, in Nevin Martell's book Looking For Calvin And Hobbes).
Seth Green, Berke Breathed (Bloom County), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Jef Mallett (Frazz), Keith Knight (The K Chronicles), Jan Eliot (Stone Soup) and Bill Amend (Fox Trot) are among the interviewees. Dear Mr. Watterson has just been picked up for distribution in the States, with November 15 the official release date.