"They call me the king of indie animation," said the Oscar-nominated animator, Bill Plympton. His shows are highly acclaimed nationally and internationally. They usually sell out, from Salem to Korea and France.

"I'm the only person in the world who makes a good living making animated short films," he said. "I'm one of the few guys still making films by hand. I don't use computer art for my films; they're all hand-drawn."

"We're extremely excited to welcome him back to Salem after five years," said Loretta Miles, owner of Salem Cinema. "He's a very unique artist."

Plympton grew up in Oregon City and spent summers in Salem visiting his grandparents. He wanted to be an animator from a very young age, offering his services to Disney at fourteen. Although he received positive feedback, he was told he was too young to join the company. After graduating from college in Portland, Plympton moved to New York searching for a career in the arts.

"I was hoping to be an animator, but when I moved there animation was dead, so I had to become an illustrator."

His work appeared in reputable publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and the New York Times.

He also made cartoons, which appeared in Penthouse, Rolling Stone and Glamour, and his political cartoons were syndicated in over twenty papers.

He was also involved in advertising for companies such as Taco Bell, Nike, AT&T and Mercedes-Benz.

At 35, he was able to start working toward his lifetime dream and began producing animated films, features and shorts, with great success.

Two of his films, "Your Face" and "Guard Dog" were nominated for Academy Awards in 1988 and 2005, respectively.

His film "Hair High," a gothic high school comedy set in the 1950s, was voiced by celebrities Sarah Silverman, David and Keith Carradine and Dermot Mulroney, and his 2008 feature "Idiots and Angels" featured the music of Moby and Pink Martini.

"I make films that are funny. That's what I love to do," said Plympton, whose works range from G to R ratings.

Salem Cinema will have two shows featuring Plympton's work. One is all-ages and the other one is for adults only.

The kids' show will feature eight films, plus drawings and stories.

Included are "Guard Dog," which answers the eternal question of why dogs bark at innocent squirrels and pigeons, and the sequel adventures, "Guide Dog," "Hot Dog" and "Horn Dog."

"The kids love the dog," said Plympton.

The presentation will also feature the West Coast premier of "The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger," "Don't Download This Song," a music video by 'Weird Al' Yankovic, and "The Fan and the Flower," with Paul Giamatti.

Plympton will be offering free, personalized and autographed drawings to audiences in both shows.

The adult presentation includes the animated shorts "Shuteye Hotel," a film noir murder mystery, "Santa: The Fascist Years," which uncovers Santa's un-jolly past (featuring Mathew Modine), "Eat," a comedy set in a French restaurant and "Sex and Violence," which was, according to Plympton's website, "too extreme for the men's magazine market." The collection of short films "How to Make Love to a Woman" will also be showing, as well as clips from his feature film "Idiots and Angels" and from his new animated feature, "Cheatin'". Finally, the show will include pieces of a biographical documentary in the making, and a music video by Kanye West.

"The adult films have a lot of erotic material," said Plympton. "It's not like pornography, but you may see some topless women."

Plympton is currently working on a coffee table book which will come out next spring.

"I'm very excited about coming to Salem," said Plympton.

For more information about Bill Plympton or to purchase his animation DVDs, visit plymptoons.com. For show times, visit salemcinema.com.