Plot

When Jack Deebs was behind bars he found escape by creating Cool World, a cartoon series featuring a vixen named Holli Would. However, the flesh proves weaker than ink as Holli takes human form in Las Vegas.

When cartoonist Jack Deebs was behind bars for murder, he found escape by creating Cool World, a cartoon series featuring a voluptuous femme fatale named Holli Would. But the cartoonist becomes a prisoner of his own fantasies when Holli transports Jack into Cool World with a scheme to seduce him and bring herself to life. Hard-boiled detective Frank Harris--the only other human in Cool World--cautions Jack with the law: Noids (humans) don't have sex with doodles (cartoons). However, the flesh proves weaker than ink as Holli takes human form in Las Vegas, staring in a trans-universal chase that threatens the destruction of both worlds. With a splashy combination of animation and live-action sequences, Cool World delivers the hottest action around.—Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

When ex-con cartoonist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) was behind bars, he found escape by creating Cool World, a cartoon series featuring a voluptuous vixen named Holli Would. But the cartoonist becomes a prisoner of his own fantasies when Holli pulls Jack into Cool World with a scheme to seduce him and bring herself to life. A hard-boiled detective (Brad Pitt) - the only other human in Cool World - cautions Jack with the law: Noids (humans) don't have sex with doodles (cartoons). However, the flesh proves weaker than ink as Holli takes human form (Kim Basinger) in Las Vegas, starting a trans-universal chase that threatens the destruction of both worlds. With a splashy mix of animation and live-action sequences, Cool World delivers the hottest action around.

The film's plotline transposes two alternate dimensions: the real world, and the Cool World, a world of animated characters called "doodles". In 1945 Las Vegas, World War II veteran Frank Harris (Brad Pitt) returns from service and is reunited with his mother. Soon he takes her for a ride on his motorcycle and they are involved in a traffic accident resulting in her death. Grieving and having visions, he is transported into another dimension, the animated universe called "Cool World". He begins his social life once again there as a detective for Cool World's local police department.

In 1992, cartoonist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) has been imprisoned for gunning down a man he found with his wife in their bed. During his prison sentence, he created a series of comics called Cool World, based on his recurring visions, prominently featuring the sexy blond vixen Holli Would (Kim Basinger). Holli wants to have sex with Jack so she can become real and enter the real world, but sexual relationships between noids (humans) and doodles (cartoons) are illegal in Cool World. However, Frank and his spider-like doodle partner Nails keep a sharp eye on Holli to ensure that the two universes do not intertwine.

Shortly after his release from prison, Jack is transported into Cool World and smuggled into a local nightclub by Holli and her henchmen. Frank aggressively confronts Jack, explaining that Cool World has existed long before he created his series. He also warns him that writing implements, such as his fountain pen, are lethal to the doodles; and to abstain him from having sex with Holli, as her turning into a noid can be dangerous for both dimensions. Despite these warnings, Harris has fallen in love with Lonette, a sexy animated waitress, but restricts himself to platonic advances. Jack succumbs to Holli's advances and she proceeds to seduce him and have sex with him, turning into a noid. Holli steals Jack's fountain pen to trap Nails, and leaves with Jack for the real world.

In the real world, Holli is enthusiastic and overwhelmed experiencing real sensations. On account of her presence there, Holli and Jack spontaneously flicker between noid and doodle forms. While considering their situation, Holli informs Jack about the Golden Spike of Power, an artifact which was the cause of Frank being transported into Cool World and placed atop of the Union Plaza Hotel by a doodle who crossed into the real world, and admits she wants to use this to remain in her noid form permanently. When Jack displays skepticism about the idea, Holli abandons him to search for the spike on her own.

Frank learns what has happened and returns to the real world, where he teams up with Jack to stop Holli, not wanting to take some action. They arrive at the hotel as Holli begins to climb to the top of the tower; in his pursuit, Frank is pushed from the building to his death by Holli. As she grabs the Spike, she releases a multitude of monstrous doodles into the real world, changing her surroundings. The Spike also turns Jack into a super-powered humanoid doodle, and, in the ensuing chaos, frees Nails from the fountain pen.

Although enticed to begin a new life in the real world with Holli, Jack places the Spike back into its place, sending him, Holli and the invading doodles back where the creatures came from and restoring the balance between the dimensions. Nails bring Frank's body back to Cool World, where both he and Lonette mourn their loss. However, as she learns from Nails that Holli was a doodle, she explains that a noid killed by a doodle in the real world can become a doodle in Cool World. Frank is reborn into a doodle, allowing him to pursue his relationship with Lonette. Meanwhile, Jack begins planning his new social life together with Holli, much to her dismay.