Heather Leah Kennedy at https://www.flickr.com/photos/hlk/ · CC BY-SA 3.0

Ralph Bakshi pioneered adult, independent animation as an alternative to the Disney mainstream, directing nine theatrical features between 1972 and 1994 after rising from cel polisher to director at Terrytoons. His debut, Fritz the Cat (1972), based on Robert Crumb's comic strip, became the first animated film rated X by the MPAA and remains the most successful independent animated feature ever made; he followed it with Wizards, an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, and American Pop.