The Legend of Leatherface Larry

Outlaws. Desperadoes. Banditos. Call them what you will. None of them can outrun the law in this animated Western where the sheriff is on a mission to uncover the diabolical plot behind his town’s vanishing horses.

  • Tommy Simms
    Director
  • Tommy Simms
    Writer
  • Tommy Simms
    Producer
  • Tim Decker
    Key Cast
    "Leatherface Larry"
  • Tommy Simms
    Key Cast
    "Pianee Playin' Pete / Floyd"
  • Mike Tews
    Key Cast
    "George"
  • Shannon Ambrowiak
    Key Cast
    "Annie OK"
  • Rob Yeo
    Key Cast
    "S Troop Captain"
  • Jamie Hazelwood
    Key Cast
    "S Troop Corporal"
  • Evan Decker
    Key Cast
    "Young Larry"
  • Tommy Simms
    Animation
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Western, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2012
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  • 67th Festival de Cannes
    Cannes
    France
    May 14, 2014
    Court Métrage Short Film Corner
  • AniFilm 04 - International Festival of Animated Films
    Třeboň
    Czech Republic
    May 8, 2013
  • The Grim Natwick Animated Film Festival
    Wisconsin Rapids
    United States
    June 23, 2012
    Official Selection
  • An Evening With Young Wisconsin Animators
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    United States
    May 26, 2012
  • 61st UWM Student Film & Video Festival
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    United States
    December 16, 2011
    Winner - Second Place
  • UWM Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    United States
    May 11, 2011
Director Biography - Tommy Simms

Tommy Simms is an interdisciplinary artist and award-winning filmmaker, specializing in stop-motion animation. Earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his senior animation was showcased at the Festival de Cannes. For years, he taught classes online and at art camps across the United States, inspiring younger generations with puppetry and stop-motion. Ranging from cartoons to live-action, Tommy's work has been featured in film festivals around the world, on PBS, in theatre productions, and at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. His animated adventures continue through the production of independent films and music videos.

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Director Statement

Western Stunt Shows and a love for the wild Westerns of the silver screen set ablaze a desire to animate The Legend of Leatherface Larry. Especially after seeing the cartoon-like slapstick scenarios that ran wild in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles. When we meet Gene Wilder’s washed up Waco Kid in Brooks’ film, he recalls the tale of how a six year old kid shot him off guard; Leatherface Larry expands upon the legend of that little kid, all grown up. Now the local sheriff, it’s up to Larry to rustle up an ornery varmint behind a mystery that’s been pestering his posse. Stop motion filmmaking requires a hands-on approach which breaks down the action shot by shot. The wackiest bunch of cowpokes this side of the Rio Grande were brought to life by painstakingly inching the characters along pose by pose in a series of thousands of photographs. Every little detail you see on the screen in this dusty, little two-horse town is physically present and meticulously handcrafted. Every clay cowboy, every store front, every rock, and every tree; right down to the orange roof on Howard Johnson's outhouse. Creating and populating an entire miniature world like this necessitated a variety of artistic techniques and allowed me to roam the wild frontier of my imagination. In order to animate Leatherface Larry, I had to become Leatherface Larry. It’s just like I was a little kid playing cowboy again.