This Movie Had Me at “Prohibition-Era Gangsters, but Cats!”
If there’s one thing I love, it’s getting to see some crusty little beasts get their freak on. And when I heard talk about a movie starring “gangster cats,” a.k.a. Lackadaisy, I went into full crusty little beast mode.
The film (or, rather, short film) is Lackadaisy, based on the popular long-running webcomic of the same name, distributed by Iron Circus Comics. I knew nothing about any of this prior to today, but if the premise was enough to hook me, this trailer was the ultimate catch:
As someone who grew up reading webcomics, many of which often went nowhere (for various reasons), it’s really astoundingly cool to see a webcomic get a full animated feature. The style is so adorable and fun, and while I happen to think electro-swing on its own is so-so, it fits perfectly within the world presented to us here.
The premise of Lackadaisy is grounded in mystery and shenanigans, a combination as tried and true as canned wet food and chin scritches. Set in a 1927 St. Louis filled with anthropomorphic cats, the movie sees Prohibition in full-swing, and things come to a head when the owner of the Lackadaisy speakeasy is seemingly murdered. What follows? Hijinks, of course!
The original art is absolutely gorgeous and definitely worth a read. I certainly plan on getting all caught up before the movie releases. In particular, I need to figure out who the trigger-happy orange tabby is, because if any kind of cat would be a trigger happy one, it’d be an orange tabby. The release date for Lackadaisy isn’t set in stone yet, but they’re angling for an early 2023 release. The film will be directed by the webcomic creator, Tracy Butler, and will star the likes of Michael Kovach (Hazbin Hotel), Jason Marnocha (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), and the illustrious SungWon Cho (a.k.a. King Dragon).
Now I just want to see my other favorite webcomics get the animation treatment. Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet, Fritz Fargo … ah, the possibilities!
(featured image: Iron Circus Comics)
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