Coonskin is a 1975 American
live action/
animated crime film written and directed by
Ralph Bakshi, about an
African American rabbit,
fox, and
bear who rise to the top of the
organized crime racket in
Harlem, encountering
corrupt law enforcement,
con artists, and the
Mafia. The film, which
combines live-action with animation, stars
Philip Thomas,
Charles Gordone,
Barry White, and
Scatman Crothers, all of whom appear in both live-action and animated sequences.
Coonskin makes reference to various elements from
African-American culture, ranging from African folk tales to the work of cartoonist
George Herriman, and
satirizes racist and other
stereotypes, as well as the
blaxploitation genre,
Song of the South, and
The Godfather (which was another film produced by
Albert S. Ruddy).