Audio By Carbonatix
Whether delivering a treehouse harangue as dictator-for-life of G.R.O.S.S. or getting sneak-pounced by his tiger sidekick, Calvin was our kid id. Operating on a combination of misunderstood genius and prankster mischief, he and Hobbes conquered the world, time travel, art, dumb girls and physics, one perfectly drawn frame at a time. Bill Watterson, the hand behind the ink, became our collective cool uncle. He just got us. More important: He got Calvin.
No cartoonist since has captured children’s imaginative capacity the way Watterson did. He knew bottle caps are really medals of honor. That dinosaurs sometimes materialize out of nowhere. And that a cardboard box serves at least 3,000 important purposes. The new film Dear Mr. Watterson is a look at all of that, told by those who Watterson influenced. The movie’s a sorta Calvin and Hobbes tribute, colored-in with visits to Watterson’s hometown, discussions with comic historians and even talks with a few folks you’ve heard of, like Seth Green, who — surprise — is, like, a really big fan too. Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) is the only screen in the entire state that’s showing the thing — and we believe a few Dallas Observer readers might cherish Calvin and Hobbes — so we’re holding a day of nerdery. We’ll crash Sunday’s 5 p.m. screening with our Street Team, do little giveaways and celebrate child/tiger friendship with you. If you miss out on our nerd party, Dear Mr. Watterson runs Thursday through Sunday. Visit thetexastheatre.com. Tickets cost $10.
Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 2013
