Lackadaisy

After years of suffering through the curse of Calarts animation and reboot after reboot, this was a breath of fresh air. The animation was like we use to expect from the big studios. I loved the small details that gave the world a sense of weight and presence. It is even more amazing when you consider the fact that this extraordinary pilot was made remotely and using non studio super computers. The computer truly is the great equalizer. We could be seeing a new age of small studio production!

I will not spoil the experience, but I will say that as a historic period piece buff I really enjoyed Lackadaisy. This story deserves to be green lit for a whole series and it should be given an award. If you like animation, cats, and the roaring 20's, it is a must watch.

Based on the Tracey J. Butler 2006 web comic of the same name, Lackadaisy follows a group of bootlegger cats. Rocky, Ivy, and Freckle, (as to why they are cats I don't know, does it matter, no, are they adorable, yes, okay let's resume) in St. Louis, Missouri during the prohibition era working for a speakeasy, Lackadaisy, doing crimes for its owner Mitzi May. One night the cats are digging up a coffin full of whiskey located by the Mississippi River when they are chased by the rival Marigold Gang consisting of Mordecai Heller, Serafine, and Nicodeme. This synopsis doesn't fully encapsulate what there is to be wowed by with this short so let me give you the scoop.

The dynamics between all of the characters, mainly the trio, is beautifully and humorously written. Rocky Rickaby (voiced by Michael Kovach) is dramatic and manically insane with an affinity for theater and is the older cousin of Calvin "Freckle" McMurray (voiced by Belsheber Rusape), a seemingly shy and superstitious ginger who is revealed to have a more unhinged side when caught up in shootout with the rivals, and Ivy Pepper (voiced by Lisa Reimold) who is confident and tempermental, and is the love interest of Freckle. Mordecai Heller (voiced by SungWon Cho) is a cold calculated and sophisticated marksman who's kind of fed up with the more reckless style of the gangsters, Serafine and Nicodeme, he's been assigned with.

This short follows the same old cartoonish visual style of the webcomic, (think Animanics or Pinky and The Brain), but with the theatrics of an anime. The amount of work that has clearly gone into the animation is incredible and incredibly vibrant. I was quite refreshed to see something animated that understands it doesn't have to just appeal to children, but an older audience as well, plus shows clear and persistent stylization that felt on the same level of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

I was genuinely impressed by this short and hope for nothing, but the best for its creators and actors. This is a moving moment for animation and independent media, proving quality will always reign supreme over quantity and corporate slop. Overall I highly recommend this feature if you love animation and have a half hour to spare. I'm giving this 9/10, very well animated, shows an incredible amount of dedication within each frame. More animated films and TV shows need to take notes of every element that makes this short a masterpiece.

This is...entirely beautiful The animation style is intriguing from beginning to end. The characters are easy to get invested in, and you'll root for them all till the end. The plot is simple, but every cat has their own motivation, and I don't feel that I have the words to describe how wonderful this is.

The music is top notch. I can't emphasize this enough. "Sunset Rose Cocktail?" The atmosphere is perfect. Every second of this is magical. The hand-made feeling of the animation makes the show come to life.

In the recent wave of animation being cancelled, one can only hope that if a masterpiece such as this continues, it'll inspire people. You should watch this immediately.

In conclusion? Incrediblie.

The animation, the visual arts, the characters, voice acting, and sound design were absolutely outstanding. Rocky's mentality, sense of humour, and charisma throughout the show was the best character build I've seen. Modercai was the second best character in the screen. Probably the best antagonist I've seen in the show. The way he speaks and how he handles the situation and the way he talks was absolutely incredible. However, there are minor issues on their facial drawing in some frames, but in spite of that, it is better than any 2D animation I've seen in any cartoon movies or show. I'm looking forward to see more of this beautiful art and it even encouraged me to read its comic!

This short film, has everything a good and well written story may require: action scenes, interesting story that makes dive right in, characters who are ones with depth, dialogue that one could only wish was possible within reality etc...

But the comes the cherry to the cake. That is the music, and the music makes it even more perfect. I don't wanna spoil too much but the way the music comes is what sets the mood and the atmosphere of this short film, and what makes the audience to be excited in regards on what happens on screen, especially in action filled scenes.

In conclusion, I highly recommend it to everyone who reads this review, I spoiled as least as I could, so you would have the opportunity to experience this recently released animated masterpiece.