About
Slapper the Cat: A Musical Cartoon
Synopsis
Slapper the Cat: A Musical Cartoon is a musical comedy about a zany cartoon cat who unleashes a wave of hilarious chaos when he auditions for an orchestra led by a no-fun-allowed conductor. Audiences both young and old are sure to forget their cares as they laugh with Slapper on this fantastic visual music fantasy!
Director Statement
The goal of this film is to act as a satire on elitism. In all of my artistic pursuits, I have seen ‘snobbery’ in all forms towards different styles of art. From ‘cartoons aren’t as important as fine art drawing’ to ‘pop music is garbage compared to bebop and jazz’, it seems like many people validate their preferred form of expression by reducing the validity of others. At a time I myself was even guilty of such statements as ‘today’s music is garbage’, but as time passed and I gave different art forms a chance, I realized Ray Charles was right when he said "...if you find an abundance of people that like that kind of music, you can be sure it has some meaning for them. It may not be your type of music, but if you really stop and analyze it, really listen to it, you can understand." And I have tried to apply that same open-mindedness to art forms and life in general.
The visual purveyance of my film rests heavily on the anachronistic juxtaposition of syntagmatic elements to create an intentionally disarming paradigmatic scene. Combining different mediums such as frame by frame, 3D, stop motion, and live action allows my film to visually expand on its theme of creating a satire on elitism. As different visuals that relate to different eras of time are combined, my goal is to show the commonality of all people and break down the walls that can be put between us. The use of archival footage assists greatly in this endeavor.
I believe this theme can universally apply to people and issues such as classism as well. This is obvious from the large influence that the Marx Brothers have on this film as well as my film-making in general. Comedy can be used to laugh at problems we face and bring positivity to our lives. Music also has the power to bring people of all different backgrounds together to enjoy something that touches on the experiences of life. Combining these two elements has tremendous positive potential and my goal with this film is to tap into that.
Credits
Concept - Danny McCabe
Animation - Danny McCabe
Music- Danny and Mikey McCabe
Scene 1 Animation Assistance Team
Dancing Buildings- Ron Hargrove
Painted Backgrounds: Kirstin Hardin
Orchestra Auditions Sign and Door- Marcos Carrasco
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my parents and family for their never-ending love and support not only in making this film but through all life's endeavors.
I would also like to give a special thanks to the University of Central Florida and its faculty, as well as to my Cohort and classmates for guiding me and pushing me to always do better through this incredible creative journey.
And as always, I would like to thank God for all His blessings.