Plympton’s ‘Cheatin’ to Premiere at Slamdance

Bill Plympton’s much-anticipated new feature Cheatin’ will premiere as part of The Special Screenings program at the Slamdance Film Festival in January (17-23). The indie animator’s pic is a highlight of the Park City, Utah festival’s 20th anniversary year programming next month.

“We’re excited to present these innovative feature and short films as part of the 20th Festival. They involve many of our alumni who’ve given Slamdance its identity,” said Peter Baxter, Slamdance president.

Bill Plympton funded the movie using a very successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $100,000 thanks to the 1000-plus backers that pledged between $1 and $5,000 to the project.

“Our goal was to raise $75,000, and we raised an extra 33 percent. Our staff worked overtime, so that money was gone very quickly,” he told Animag. “The film eventually cost a half-million dollars, which is pocket change in Hollywood.”

Cheatin’ is Bill Plympton’s seventh animated feature film and the first being done in a hand-painted style with over 40,000 drawings to be scanned, cleaned, and colored by a small studio team of just ten people. The film is an adult tale of love, jealousy, revenge, and murder – full of nudity and violence, but also with Plympton’s surreal sense of humor. The noir story is inspired by the works of James M. Cain (Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice). The pic is’ is written and directed by Plympton, produced by Desiree Stavracos, and exec produced by James Hancock and Adam Rackoff.

“I’ve always enjoyed using watercolors in my illustrations, and now, for the first time, I can employ my painterly sensibilities to the treatment of my animation. This loose, almost impressionistic style has never been seen before in my films. Thanks to this new aesthetic and a beautiful, full-length musical score, I believe Cheatin’ will be a breakthrough for my career,” says Plympton.

Considered the “King of Indie Animation,” Plympton is reportedly the only living animator to hand draw every frame for an animated feature film by himself. His animated features include The Tune, Mondo Plympton, I Married A Strange Person!, Mutant Aliens, Hair High, and Idiots & Angels. He has also directed over 40 animated shorts, five music videos, and three live-action films. His animated shorts, Your Face (1987) and Guard Dog (2005) were Oscar-nominated.

Cheatin’