<PAGE>   1

     As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 29, 2001

                                                Registration No. 333-___________
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                             -----------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                              ---------------------

                          AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                DELAWARE                                         95-2588080
     (State or other jurisdiction of                          (I.R.S. Employer
     incorporation or organization)                          Identification No.)

    4695 MACARTHUR COURT, SUITE 1250
       NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA                                   92660
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                        (Zip Code)

                          AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

          ERIC G. WINTEMUTE                                   (949) 260-1200
 PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER                      (Telephone number,
         4695 MACARTHUR COURT                              including area code,
              SUITE 1250                                   of agent for service)
   NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA 92660
(Name and address of agent for service)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
========================================================================================================================
                                                        PROPOSED MAXIMUM         PROPOSED MAXIMUM
 TITLE OF SECURITIES TO BE        AMOUNT TO BE         OFFERING PRICE PER       AGGREGATE OFFERING          AMOUNT OF
         REGISTERED                REGISTERED               SHARE(1)                 PRICE(1)           REGISTRATION FEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                             <C>                    <C>                      <C>                     <C>
Common Stock (par value
  $.10 per share)               200,000 shares(2)            $13.93                 $2,786,000                $697
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

(1)  Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the registration
     fee pursuant to Rule 457 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based
     on the average of the high and low sales prices of a share of Common Stock
     of the Registrant on the American Stock Exchange on June 25, 2001.

(2)  Includes an indeterminate number of shares that may be issuable by reason
     of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

================================================================================

<PAGE>   2

                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

        Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a)
prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule
428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and the Note
to Part I of Form S-8.

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

        The following documents filed by American Vanguard Corporation (the
"Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission")
pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"),
are incorporated herein by reference:

        (1) The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
    31, 2000.

        (2) The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
    March 31, 2001.

        (3) The Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 6, 2001.

        (4) The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in the
    Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission
    pursuant to Section 12 of the 1934 Act.

        All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the 1934 Act, prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been
sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed
to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a
part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

        Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for
purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained
herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be
incorporated by reference modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such
statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified
or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.


                                       2

<PAGE>   3

ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

        The Common Stock to be offered is registered under Section 12 of the
1934 Act.

ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

        Not applicable.

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

        Article Seven of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
and Article Six of the Company's Bylaws, as amended, provide that the Company
shall indemnify its directors and officers to the full extent permitted by the
Delaware General Corporation Law.

        Reference is made to Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware which provides for indemnification of directors and officers
in certain circumstances. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
authorizes a court to award, or a corporation's Board of Directors to grant,
indemnification to directors and officers in terms sufficiently broad to permit
such indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities arising under
the 1933 Act.

        The Company has obtained an insurance policy which will entitle the
Company to be reimbursed for certain indemnity payments it is required or
permitted to make to its directors and officers.

ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

        Not Applicable.

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS.

        Reference is made to the Index to Exhibits.

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.

        (1) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

            (a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
        made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to
        include any material information with respect to the plan of
        distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or
        any material change to such information in the Registration Statement.

            (b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
        1933 Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
        registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and
        the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
        initial bona fide offering thereof.

            (c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
        amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at
        the termination of the offering.


                                       3

<PAGE>   4

            (d) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the 1933
        Act, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to section
        13(a) or 15(d) of the 1933 Act (and each filing of the employee benefit
        plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the 1934 Act) that is
        incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed
        to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
        therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
        deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (2) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the 1933
     Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
     registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions described in Item 6 or
     otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the
     Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in
     the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim
     for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
     registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or
     controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any
     action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or
     controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the
     registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
     settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
     jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against
     public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the
     final adjudication of such issue.


                                       4

<PAGE>   5

                                   SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the undersigned registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Newport Beach, State of California, on
the 28th day of June, 2001.


                                            AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION

                                            By:
                                                James A. Barry,
                                                Senior Vice President,
                                                Chief Financial Officer,
                                                Secretary/Treasurer and Director

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

        Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and
appoints Eric G. Wintemute and James A. Barry and each of them, his true and
lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution, to sign on
his behalf, individually and in each capacity stated below, all amendments and
post-effective amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 and to file
the same, with all exhibits thereto and any other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and
necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully and to all intents and
purposes as each might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming
each act that said attorneys-in-fact and agents may lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue thereof.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in
the capacities indicated on June 28, 2001.


              SIGNATURE                                 TITLE
              ---------                                 -----


        /s/ ERIC G. WINTEMUTE             President, Chief Executive Officer and
-------------------------------------     Director (Principal Executive Officer)
            Eric G. Wintemute


        /s/ JAMES A. BARRY                Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
-------------------------------------     Officer, Secretary/Treasurer and
            James A. Barry                Director (Principal Financial and
                                          Accounting Officer)


        /s/ HERBERT A. KRAFT              Co-Chairman
-------------------------------------
            Herbert A. Kraft


        /s/ GLENN A. WINTEMUTE            Co-Chairman
-------------------------------------
            Glenn A. Wintemute


        /s/ JOHN B. MILES                 Director
-------------------------------------
            John B. Miles


        /s/ CARL R. SODERLIND             Director
-------------------------------------
            Carl R. Soderlind


        /s/ JAY R. HARRIS                 Director
-------------------------------------
            Jay R. Harris


                                       5


<PAGE>   6

                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS


EXHIBIT
NUMBER                       DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT



   4.1      Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended,
            incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Registration
            Statement on Form 10 (No. 2-85599) filed June 13, 1972.

   4.2      Bylaws of the Company, as amended, incorporated herein by reference
            to the Company's Form 10-K filed June 13, 1972.

   5.1      Opinion of McDermott, Will & Emery as to validity of the securities
            being registered.

  23.1      Consent of BDO Seidman, LLP, independent certified public
            accountants.

  23.3      Consent of McDermott, Will & Emery (included in Exhibit 5.1).

  24.1      Power of attorney (included on signature page).
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "filename": "a73775ors-8.txt", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 14261}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "AMERICAN VANGUARD CORP", "cik": "0000005981", "assigned-sic": "2870", "irs-number": "952588080", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-64220", "film-number": "1672487"}, "business-address": {"street1": "4695 MACARTHUR COURT", "city": "NEWPORT BEACH", "state": "CA", "zip": "92660", "phone": "9492601200"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "4695 MACARTHUR COURT", "city": "NEWPORT BEACH", "state": "CA", "zip": "92660"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "AEROCON INC", "date-changed": "19720620"}}
1

     As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 29, 2001

                                                Registration No. 333-___________
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                             -----------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                              ---------------------

                          AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                DELAWARE                                         95-2588080
     (State or other jurisdiction of                          (I.R.S. Employer
     incorporation or organization)                          Identification No.)

    4695 MACARTHUR COURT, SUITE 1250
       NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA                                   92660
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                        (Zip Code)

                          AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

          ERIC G. WINTEMUTE                                   (949) 260-1200
 PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER                      (Telephone number,
         4695 MACARTHUR COURT                              including area code,
              SUITE 1250                                   of agent for service)
   NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA 92660
(Name and address of agent for service)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
========================================================================================================================
                                                        PROPOSED MAXIMUM         PROPOSED MAXIMUM
 TITLE OF SECURITIES TO BE        AMOUNT TO BE         OFFERING PRICE PER       AGGREGATE OFFERING          AMOUNT OF
         REGISTERED                REGISTERED               SHARE(1)                 PRICE(1)           REGISTRATION FEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock (par value
  $.10 per share)               200,000 shares(2)            $13.93                 $2,786,000                $697
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)  Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the registration
     fee pursuant to Rule 457 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based
     on the average of the high and low sales prices of a share of Common Stock
     of the Registrant on the American Stock Exchange on June 25, 2001.

(2)  Includes an indeterminate number of shares that may be issuable by reason
     of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

================================================================================
2

                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

        Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a)
prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule
428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and the Note
to Part I of Form S-8.

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

        The following documents filed by American Vanguard Corporation (the
"Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission")
pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"),
are incorporated herein by reference:

        (1) The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
    31, 2000.

        (2) The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
    March 31, 2001.

        (3) The Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 6, 2001.

        (4) The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in the
    Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission
    pursuant to Section 12 of the 1934 Act.

        All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the 1934 Act, prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been
sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed
to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a
part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

        Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for
purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained
herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be
incorporated by reference modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such
statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified
or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

                                       2
3

ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

        The Common Stock to be offered is registered under Section 12 of the
1934 Act.

ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

        Not applicable.

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

        Article Seven of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
and Article Six of the Company's Bylaws, as amended, provide that the Company
shall indemnify its directors and officers to the full extent permitted by the
Delaware General Corporation Law.

        Reference is made to Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware which provides for indemnification of directors and officers
in certain circumstances. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
authorizes a court to award, or a corporation's Board of Directors to grant,
indemnification to directors and officers in terms sufficiently broad to permit
such indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities arising under
the 1933 Act.

        The Company has obtained an insurance policy which will entitle the
Company to be reimbursed for certain indemnity payments it is required or
permitted to make to its directors and officers.

ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

        Not Applicable.

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS.

        Reference is made to the Index to Exhibits.

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.

        (1) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

            (a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
        made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to
        include any material information with respect to the plan of
        distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or
        any material change to such information in the Registration Statement.

            (b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
        1933 Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
        registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and
        the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
        initial bona fide offering thereof.

            (c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
        amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at
        the termination of the offering.

                                       3
4

            (d) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the 1933
        Act, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to section
        13(a) or 15(d) of the 1933 Act (and each filing of the employee benefit
        plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the 1934 Act) that is
        incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed
        to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
        therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
        deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (2) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the 1933
     Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
     registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions described in Item 6 or
     otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the
     Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in
     the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim
     for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
     registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or
     controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any
     action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or
     controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the
     registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
     settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
     jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against
     public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the
     final adjudication of such issue.

                                       4
5

                                   SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the undersigned registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Newport Beach, State of California, on
the 28th day of June, 2001.

                                            AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION

                                            By:
                                                James A. Barry,
                                                Senior Vice President,
                                                Chief Financial Officer,
                                                Secretary/Treasurer and Director

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

        Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and
appoints Eric G. Wintemute and James A. Barry and each of them, his true and
lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution, to sign on
his behalf, individually and in each capacity stated below, all amendments and
post-effective amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 and to file
the same, with all exhibits thereto and any other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and
necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully and to all intents and
purposes as each might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming
each act that said attorneys-in-fact and agents may lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue thereof.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in
the capacities indicated on June 28, 2001.

              SIGNATURE                                 TITLE
              ---------                                 -----

        /s/ ERIC G. WINTEMUTE             President, Chief Executive Officer and
-------------------------------------     Director (Principal Executive Officer)
            Eric G. Wintemute

        /s/ JAMES A. BARRY                Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
-------------------------------------     Officer, Secretary/Treasurer and
            James A. Barry                Director (Principal Financial and
                                          Accounting Officer)

        /s/ HERBERT A. KRAFT              Co-Chairman
-------------------------------------
            Herbert A. Kraft

        /s/ GLENN A. WINTEMUTE            Co-Chairman
-------------------------------------
            Glenn A. Wintemute

        /s/ JOHN B. MILES                 Director
-------------------------------------
            John B. Miles

        /s/ CARL R. SODERLIND             Director
-------------------------------------
            Carl R. Soderlind

        /s/ JAY R. HARRIS                 Director
-------------------------------------
            Jay R. Harris

                                       5
6

                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT
NUMBER                       DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT

   4.1      Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended,
            incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Registration
            Statement on Form 10 (No. 2-85599) filed June 13, 1972.

   4.2      Bylaws of the Company, as amended, incorporated herein by reference
            to the Company's Form 10-K filed June 13, 1972.

   5.1      Opinion of McDermott, Will & Emery as to validity of the securities
            being registered.

  23.1      Consent of BDO Seidman, LLP, independent certified public
            accountants.

  23.3      Consent of McDermott, Will & Emery (included in Exhibit 5.1).

  24.1      Power of attorney (included on signature page).