  heavy traffic is a 1973 american animated drama film written and directed by ralph bakshi. the film, which begins, ends, and occasionally combines with live-action, explores the often surreal fantasies of a young new york cartoonist named michael corleone, using pinball imagery as a metaphor for inner-city life. heavy traffic was bakshi and producer steve krantz's follow-up to the successful and coolly controversial film fritz the cat, the first animated feature to receive an x rating. though producer krantz made varied attempts to produce an r-rated film, heavy traffic was given an x rating by the mpaa. the film received positive reviews and is widely considered to be bakshi's biggest critical success. ==plot== the film starts out in live action, introducing the protagonist michael corleone, a 24-year-old virgin playing pinball in new york city. the scene then transitions into animation. new york has a diseased, rotten, tough, and violent atmosphere. michael's italian father, angelo "angie" corleone, is a struggling mafioso who frequently cheats on michael's jewish mother, ida. the couple constantly bicker and try to kill each other. michael ambles through a catalog of freaks, greasers, and dopers. unemployed, he dabbles with cartoons, artistically feeding off the grubbiness of his environment. he 
1970s_American_animated_films 1973_films American_International_Pictures_films American_animated_films American_independent_films English-language_films Films_about_interracial_romance Films_about_organized_crime_in_the_United_States Films_directed_by_Ralph_Bakshi Films_set_in_New_York_City Films_with_live_action_and_animation Mafia_films Rotoscoped_films