Quasi at the Quackadero

Quasi at the Quackadero is an awesomely zany, underground animation film by Sally Cruikshank that was released in 1976. This 10-minute short film is a wild trip into a psychedelic dreamscape that's brimming with vibrant colors, ridiculous characters, and loony animations on par with the fantastical surrealism of Monty Python's Flying Circus or Lewis Carrol's Wonderland series.

The movie stars an anthropomorphic duck named Quasi, voiced by none other than Kim Deitch. Quasi is characterized as a fairly carefree, frolicsome, and a bit on the dim side character. Along with him, there is a perpetually peeved and disapproving Anita, a preposterous character with strange round glasses, who is also a duck. The voice of Anita was contributed by Cruikshank herself, lending her an appropriately cantankerous and peevish tone.

The story is as quirky as the title suggests, with both Quasi and Anita finding themselves at a whimsical amusement park known as 'The Quackadero.' This singular place of wonder asserts itself as a time-travelling amusement park, filled with an array of absurd contraptions, rides, and attractions that offer a window into the past and future. It's an outlandish mise en scène that defies any conventional sense of time and space, painting a picture of a universe disregarding any form of physics or consistency.

Instead of linear storytelling, Cruikshank's movie embarks on a kaleidoscopic journey around the park, guided by the two characters' escapades. Quasi and Anita navigate a hall of mirrors that distorts not just their reflections, but their past and future selves, a garden of baby trees that grow into adult trees when watered, a dream-in-a-bottle machine, and archaic and futuristic arcade games.

Cruikshank's talent for creating a fantastical world shines through every bit of the narrative, creating a plot that is unconventional and beautifully disorientating. Her creation of the Quackadero is filled with sight gags and clever visual jokes, all crafted to hit with comic timing while running parallel to the progression of the story.

The visual language of Quasi at the Quackadero is a delightful mélange of bright, dynamic colors, and agile, kinetic line drawings. Cruikshank's style is distinctive, reminiscent of the zaniness golden age cartoons, yet, not quite. Her work has an infusion of psychedelia and pop art, marking a clear departure from the familiar animation norms of the time. The surreal environment, populated with quirky, yet oddly relatable characters, combine into a mesmerizing aesthetic experience that is surreal, wild, and entirely captivating.

Moreover, the voice work in the movie is distinctly endearing. It perfectly embodies the colorful and crazy world of the Quackadero. Deitch’s voice-over for Quasi is perfect for the carefree, blundering character, while Cruikshank’s voicing of Anita offers a great balance making it a true shout-out to classic cartoon duos and their bickering relationships.

Another vital element of Cruikshank's film is its sound design. The layered soundtrack significantly contributes to the overall atmosphere of the short film. The sounds follow the visuals like shadows, and the music, a splendid concoction of jazz, pop, and orchestral scores, bolsters the busy, perpetually moving nature of the film.

In essence, Quasi at the Quackadero is an exuberant explosion of creativity and imagination, full of color, movement, and sheer fun. Sally Cruikshank's ambitious storytelling and unique artistic vision take the viewers on a rollercoaster ride that, while confined to a brief 10 minutes, leaves a lasting impression. The movie is an unregimented flight into a playground of fevered imagination and is thoroughly entertaining as it is fascinating. For fans of old-school animation, lovers of eccentric storytelling, or someone looking for a trip into an extraordinary time-travelling amusement park, Quasi at the Quackadero is an unforgettable experience.