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Dear Mr. Watterson

Play trailer Poster for Dear Mr. Watterson 2013 1h 29m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A look at "Calvin & Hobbes" comic strip creator Bill Watterson, the origins of the work, its meaning and the influence it has had on his colleagues.
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Dear Mr. Watterson

Critics Reviews

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Peter Debruge Variety 12/05/2013
Everything you'd expect from a crowd-sourced documentary, designed to celebrate its subject, while mostly just validating the aesthetic taste of its backers. Go to Full Review Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic 11/21/2013
3/5
An hour and a half of hero worship, basically. Fine by me. Go to Full Review Sara Stewart New York Post 11/15/2013
2/4
It was one of the greats of the now-nearly-defunct Sunday funnies, no doubt. Unfortunately, there's not much cinematic magic in watching the director reading the strip, or hearing various other enthusiasts talk about how much they loved it. Go to Full Review Pat Padua Spectrum Culture 08/31/2018
2.5/5
Made by fans and about fans ... it still suffers from a doe-eyed bias. Go to Full Review Sonny Bunch Washington Free Beacon 07/14/2016
3/4
This is an appreciation steeped in nostalgia, something for fans of the strip to sit back and simply enjoy. Go to Full Review Christopher Campbell Nonfics (Substack) 05/30/2014
3/5
A very worthwhile address of the art and industry of comic strips as a whole. Schroeder has a great appreciation for what his expert interviewees have to say. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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03/05/2020 For a film that documented probably the greatest comic strip ever constructed, Dear Mr. Watterson is a true disappointment. It is pure, stylish, and completely unrelenting hero worship, which will certainly be able to induce nostalgia in many Calvin and Hobbes fans (perhaps the film's only appeal) but fails to do anything for those who are not previously acquainted with the series. Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes' creator, actually discussed his struggles with publishers wanting to merchandise his work despite conflicting with his artistic vision, but of course this is far too interesting for the film to include. It's ending is also undoubtedly forced, and tries to be feel-good but forgets to contain anything of substance, much like the rest of the film. What a sub-par documentary. See more 01/05/2019 Where to start. The film definitely shows what the strip means and represents to millions of people while still making it clear that there is no confirmed meaning that Bill Watterson has told us. Even with all of those good qualities the film does get kind of boring after a while and eventually just turns into people talking about random things about the strip See more 11/07/2018 This film was almost good. See more 07/28/2018 A nice, decent little documentary that I highly recommend if you love the classic Calvin And Hobbes comic strip like I do. See more 06/02/2017 I love, love, love the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes! This movie, I just liked. It's much too long for the little "new" material/information it provides. However, I really liked the computer graphics that are in it, and it revived the love of C&H in my cellular structure! So much so, that after this, I'm gathering up all of my book collections, and reading them with my 9 year old girl! :-) Then, I'm off to go play an inning? round? quarter?, of Calvin Ball!! "... let's go exploring!" See more 05/22/2016 Will have to dig out the books and escape again See more Read all reviews
Dear Mr. Watterson

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Cast & Crew

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Joel Allen Schroeder

Director

Seth Green

Actor

Stephan Pastis

Actor

Jennipher Foster

Actor

Tommy Avallone

Actor

Berkeley Breathed

Actor

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Dear Mr. Watterson

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Movie Info

Synopsis A look at "Calvin & Hobbes" comic strip creator Bill Watterson, the origins of the work, its meaning and the influence it has had on his colleagues.
Director
Joel Allen Schroeder
Producer
Chris Browne, Jennifer Clymer, Joel Allen Schroeder, Matt McUsic
Distributor
Gravitas Ventures
Production Co
Gravitas Ventures
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 15, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 5, 2017
Runtime
1h 29m
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