In the mid 2000s, indie artist Tracy J. Butler created her own webcomic series known as Lackadaisy, a prohibition themed action comedy centered on anthropomorphic felines. Following solid success in the comic scene, Iron Circus Animation launched a glowing Kickstarter campaign to produce a cartoon pilot for a potential animated series adaptation. Co-written by Butler herself and released last month, the short film was released to huge responses from the public and it's safe to assume that as long as the love keeps growing, there will be a strong possibility for more adventures to come.
Set in St. Louis, Missouri in 1927, the film focuses on the rivalry between two bootlegging groups of cats who are trying to smuggle alcohol during Prohibition: the Lackadaisy speakeasy and Marigold gang. With the premise of a bitter feud occurring between two separate parties, Lackadaisy seamlessly establishes the stakes thanks to its simple yet charming set of characters. With the overly confident leader Rocky standing beside the timid albeit well intentioned sibling duo of Calvin and Ivy Pepper, one can feel the chemistry practically writing itself, partially thanks to the talents of voice actors Michael Kovach, Belsheber Rusape and Lisa Reimold. In contrast to the gang's hysterical banter, the serious threats from the Marigold Gang member Mordecai Heller and his bumbling sidekicks make for a lot of genuine intensity needed for the impoverished landscape set in stone. One can tell how bad things are going in St. Louis from how poorly run down the Lackadaisy speakeasy appears to be, and it looks as if the world could be further expanded if the filmmakers get the chance to do so.
Speaking of the world, if anyone deserves the most credit for bringing Butler's comic into the world of animation, it's hands down the team of over 160 artists. Considering the crew behind this worked on the feature across the world, the entire film miraculously looks as if it was all done in one house studio. On top of the character designs resembling the exaggerated qualities of a hand-drawn Disney film and the works of Don Bluth, the character animation appears to be a smooth blend of motion tweening and frame by frame work that suits the gritty art direction. In addition to the strong vocal cast and breathtaking action sequences, the animators were able to create some highly expressive acting in each given scene, further highlighted by a lot of impressive special effects compositing. No matter how sporadic certain moments in the film become, director and primary editor Fable Siegel makes sure to respect the viewer's lenses through clarity and precise focal points. It helps to allow the more slow paced dramatic scenes time to breathe in this near half hour effort.
So regardless of what happens to Iron Circus Animation's attempt at a Lackadaisy cartoon, there is no denying how much love and passion was put into it. While it is a little early to judge the work on its full merits beyond what we have gotten so far, anyone wishing to see fresh new material in the indie animation market should absolutely give this short film at least one watch to show any kind of support. Only time will tell if Tracy J. Butler's work will inspire both a potential series and more creatively driven content yet to come, but what we got for now is a nice appetizer in itself.
