Animation is a personal favorite medium of filmmaking for many reasons. The way it is able to capture the magic and imagination of filmmaking without any practical limitations has been the basis of many of my all-time favorite films. It pushes the limits of filmmaking as an art form. While it may not be a new favorite of mine, Slide reminds me of why I love animation so much.

Slide is a western comedy that follows a cowboy, voiced by Daniel Kaufman, who appears in a small, but corrupt town of loggers. With the help of his guitar and a Hellbug, a human-sized bug creature, he attempts to save the town from their villainous mayor and twin brother. This plot may sound familiar to many films of the same genre, such as Road House, but Slide has much more to offer.

The animation is easily the biggest standout of the film. Director Bill Plympton is also the lead animator of the project, and it shows. His style is all over the film, with his messy graphics and frenetic pacing making for a wholly unique experience. The dark and muddy colors help emphasize the corruption of the town, expressing the need for a cowboy to come to their rescue.

The 2-D, hand-drawn look adds so much flavor to Slide. The characters have an exaggerated “caricature” look to them, expressing the comedic aspects of the film that truly make them stand out. The film is extremely expressionistic, going into entirely different sequences based on how a character is feeling at the time. The way the film dips in and out of realism makes for an entertaining and unpredictable experience through and through.

Although the main concept is familiar, there are a lot of aspects of the script that can be tied into real world issues. The film delves into ideas of greed and what happens when humanity interacts with the unknown, which gives Slide more to think about outside of its dazzling animation set-pieces. 

The animation style is meant to target the artistic crowd, but the tone and dialogue of the film attempts to attract fans of older cinema. The crass humor and snappy dialogue harkens back to an older style of moviemaking. It was initially shocking to see the type of crude language and visuals on display, but as the film goes on, it is easier to understand what the filmmakers are going for. 

Although I love the energy that Plympton brings to the film, I feel it is a bit abrasive at times. The pace is incredibly quick, and because of that, it is sometimes hard to take away each scene and individual frames. Films like this shouldn’t take their time, but I wish there were a few more moments to breathe.

The female characters in the film are incredibly underwhelming. Every woman is portrayed as an outdated female caricature, with nothing to offer intellectually. There were moments where they added good bits of humor, but overall, I wish they were more three-dimensional.

There are certain themes of the film that worked for me, but it doesn’t delve into anything new. Historically speaking, many western films discuss ideas of greed and heroism, and Slide does it the exact same way. The film follows a lead protagonist who attempts to save a money-hungry town from government corruption. Films like Rebel Ridge and Training Day argue the exact same points as Slide; how profits and classism can lead society away from purity. For a film striving for so much more with its animation, it was disappointing to see Plympton and Jim Lujan’s screenplay stick to the surface of its ideas. 

I have a couple issues, but I enjoyed Slide overall due to its ambitious filmmaking and signature style from Bill Plympton. Even though it won’t blow anyone away with its screenplay, the animation will keep this movie in my memory for a long time. It’s good to see that 2-D animation is still going strong. 

Slide was screened as part of the 2025 Indy Film Fest. Buy virtual and in-person tickets here.