Lackadaisy (film)

Lackadaisy is an American independent animated period crime-heist short film based on the webcomic Lackadaisy by Tracy Butler. It is directed by Fable Siegel, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Butler, and follows the rivalry between the titular speakeasy and Marigold gang, two bootlegging groups who are smuggling alcohol during Prohibition. The short film was released to YouTube on March 29, 2023, and was crowdfunded through a Kickstarter campaign. It was met with widespread acclaim for its animation, voice acting, music, characters and historical accuracy.

Plot
In a feline-populated St. Louis, during the Prohibition of 1927, bootlegger Roark "Rocky" Rickaby performs his violin while reciting his poetic memoir to the Mississippi River. After finishing his recital, Rocky joins up with his cousin Calvin "Freckle" McMurray and their close friend Ivy Pepper to dig up a coffin loaded with whisky from one of their suppliers. By the time they load the bottles into their car, they are ambushed by the rival Marigold gang, consisting of former Lackadaisy member Mordecai Heller and the Cajun Savoy siblings: Nicodeme and Serafine. In the ensuing chase, Freckle disables Marigold's car with his Tommy gun, but Mordecai forces them off the road and into the Sable mining quarry.

The trio takes shelter and Ivy repairs the car while Freckle holds off Mordecai. Rocky wanders the quarry and manages to rig a steam shovel into driving itself while maniacally hurling dynamite to drive the Marigold gang away, accidentally causing a flood by destroying a water tower. However, everyone manages to escape. Mordecai aims at the group as they drive away, but decides not to fire after noticing Ivy at the wheel.

At the Lackadaisy speakeasy, the owner Mitzi May expresses her laments to the portrait of her deceased husband Atlas as she recalls how big their business used to be. She meets with her employees and her guest, Sedgewick "Wick" Sable, the owner of the quarry. She asks him for financial help, though he politely refuses to maintain his public image to the community. Rocky, Freckle, and Ivy return with only three bottles intact from the fight. Opposed to Rocky's efforts for approval, Mitzi reluctantly expresses displeasure with the short amount recovered, but states she is happy they came back safely. Rocky and fellow musician Zib play music while Ivy performs a dance with Freckle, during which Mitzi reminisces about how thriving the club was in Atlas' time.

In a post-credits scene, Mordecai calls his superior Asa Sweet, and reports his and the Savoys' failure to recover the supply, and that one of their suppliers has crossed them to sell to Lackadaisy. Sweet suggests that they may need to tie up this loose end before the government catches wind of their operation.

Voice cast

 * Michael Kovach as Roark "Rocky" Rickaby, a compassionate yet somewhat unhinged bard-like violin player and rum-runner eager to prove himself.
 * Belsheber Rusape as Calvin "Freckle" McMurray, Rocky's timid cousin who is prone to sudden outbursts of madness, especially when a gun is in his hands.
 * Lisa Reimold as Ivy Pepper, an educated and confident female cat, and Freckle's love interest.
 * SungWon Cho as Mordecai Heller, a stoic, cold and calculating gunman who used to work for Lackadaisy before joining the Marigold gang.
 * Ashe Wagner as Mitzi May, widow of Atlas May and the new owner of the Lackadaisy speakeasy.
 * Bradley Gareth as Sedgewick "Wick" Sable, a noble business tycoon and the owner of the Sable Quarry.
 * Valentine Stokes as Dorian "Zib" Zibowski, the laid-back but disheveled lead saxophonist in the Lackadaisy band.
 * Jason Marnocha as Viktor Vasko, a short-tempered Slovak with an eye patch who currently tends the Lackadaisy bar and Mordecai's former partner.
 * Marnocha also voices Asa Sweet, the head of the Marigold gang and business rival of Lackadaisy.
 * Walter Tomas Vitola as Horatio Bruno, the doorman of the Lackadaisy entrance.
 * Benni Latham as Serafine Savoy, Nicodeme's trigger-happy sister.
 * Malcolm Ray as Nicodeme Savoy, Serafine's musclebound brother.
 * Ray also voices the trombonist J.J., and the carnival barker in Rocky's imagination.

Production and release
In 2020, the short film was crowdfunded through a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign was originally intended to raise $85,000 for the creation of a ten-minute short, but scored four times its intended budget. According to the creators, more than 160 "skilled artists across the world" became part of the short film's production.

The trailer was released to YouTube on January 16, 2023, followed by the short film proper on March 29. On July 11, it was announced that the film would receive its first theatrical screening followed by a live Q&A with the creators at the Secret Movie Club theater in Los Angeles on August 2.

Reception
The short film has received widespread critical acclaim. Before its premiere, Samantha King of Screen Rant said it would "capture the hearts of...comic...[and] animation fans" and capture the charm and style of the original webcomic. Mercedes Milligan of Animation Magazine described it as "highly anticipated", Rob Bricken of Gizmodo as looking "incredible" and Madeline Carpou of The Mary Sue describing it as "adorable and fun". After the premiere of the film, Jamie Lang of Cartoon Brew described the "very charming" effects left from the animation process, and the "significant aesthetic differences" between the webcomic and film. BJ Colangelo described it as "ridiculously impressive", praising the character designs and animation, calling it "the next big thing in adult animation", and arguing that studios would be "foolish" to pass up the film becoming a series.

Music video
On August 5, 2023, a lyric/music video based on the short film, titled "Liquid Gold" by England-based artist PARANOiD DJ featuring Michael Kovach, Belsheber Rusape and Lisa Reimold, was released.

Web series
Following the short's success, a crowdfunding campaign for an animated web series began on the BackerKit platform in late July 2023, and a teaser for the show's first season was released to YouTube. The series reached its $1,000,000 goal a week into the campaign, with enough money to fund a full 5-episode first season. By the end of the campaign in late August 2023, Iron Circus had received $2,008,728 from over 16,000 backers, resulting in the addition of 3 mini-episodes, as well as Blu-ray sets containing the first season, as well as the pilot/short film. The series is currently in production, set to debut in 2024.