Academy Award-Nominated Animator Bill Plympton Reaches Kickstarter Funding Goal With 16 Days to Go

Bill Plympton's Kickstarter campaign blew past its $75,000 goal yesterday thanks to the 1000+ backers that pledged between $1 and $5,000 to the project. With 16 days left to go, The Campaign announced a new "stretch goal" of $90,000 to help with P&A (prints and advertising). Backers of CHEATIN' can receive a variety of rewards including signed DVDs, limited edition lithographs, original animation drawings from the film, and personalized caricatures by Plympton himself.

"The response from the Kickstarter and independent animation communities has been truly overwhelming," says Bill Plympton. "CHEATIN' is a very important film for my career. I'm really excited to share it with the world."

CHEATIN' is Bill Plympton's 7th 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").

"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.

Bill Plympton is widely considered to be the "King of Indie Animation" and is still 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 forty animated shorts, five music videos, and three live-action films. His animated shorts, YOUR FACE (1987) and GUARD DOG (2005) were Oscar-nominated.

Bill and his team have been busy keeping up with the hundreds of questions and requests that continue to come through the Kickstarter message boards. To visit the Kickstarter page and pledge your support, please visit: http://kck.st/UbO1bW. The Campaign ends on February 1st.

CHEATIN' is written and directed by Bill Plympton, produced by Desiree Stavracos, and Executive Produced by James Hancock and Adam Rackoff.

Follow Bill Plympton on Twitter @plymptoons