Cheatin’, the new movie from independent animation master Bill Plympton, opens on April 3 in New York, followed by a month-long rollout across the country and on Vimeo. Here’s our review of Cheatin’, which is about a gal who falls in love with a guy (not to mention his countless abdominal muscles) after a harrowing incident involving a gravity-defying bumper car and an electrified puddle of spilled soda. It’s great.

iDigitalTimes spoke with Plympton on what it’s like going up against animation titans with an independent movie designed to overturn our whole way of looking at cartoons.

Cheatin' Director Bill Plympton Speaks Out on Pixar

“I think America would like to see a wider spectrum of entertainment in animation,” Plympton told iDigitalTimes. “And so it is, in a sense, a rebuttal. We can tell other stories. We don't have to tell kiddie stories and we don't have to tell stories in computer animation. I wanted to show the alternative.”

Cheatin’ offers a radical alternative with a mutating, ever-shifting surreality that the rigging of models in CGI cartoons have a hard time achieving. Just take a look at this clip from Cheatin’, featuring a hitman unlike any you’ve ever seen.

Cheatin’ Movie Clip - Bill Plympton Arms for War

Your eyes did not deceive you, Cheatin’ does indeed feature a giant goon stapling his own nipples as part of a psych-up routine.

Plympton sees Cheatin’ as his argument for the viability of adult cartoon movies, a field that has been moribund in the United States since the days of Fritz the Cat.

“I'm trying to be the new Ralph Bakshi and bring back adult animation,” Plympton said.

Cheatin’ makes a strong case for a more visual humor and storytelling — something like Spongebob Squarepants — than the one remaining bastion of adult animation: dialogue driven cartoons like Archer and Family Guy.

But Plympton is not a snob, instead seeing Cheatin’ and his other work as a much-needed alternative to the current animation landscape.

“I love Pixar films. I love Dreamwork films and Disney films. I'm always the first in line to go see those,” Plympton said, then offered up a startling complement for How to Train Your Dragon, describing it as “one of my favorite films of all time.”

So while Plympton knows Cheatin’ and his eccentric, exhilarating approach to animation won’t destroy CGI.

“... at least there's someone out there trying to show a different kind of storytelling, using different techniques and different kinds of characters,” he said.

Cheatin’ plays like his triumphant declaration to that effect.

“I think that's what's important about Cheatin'. It's a very particular and special film," Plympton said. "And I think people want to see a variety. They want to see something different. They want to see something fresh. And that's what I'm hoping Cheatin’ delivers.”

Cheatin’ premieres April 3 at the New York Village East cinemas. The best part? “I’ll be there every night to give everybody a drawing.”

Plympton will be there in person for the following screenings:

Friday 4/3 following the 7:20 & 9:45 p.m. shows

Saturday 4/4 following the 4:50, 7:20 & 9:45 p.m. shows

Sunday 4/5 following the 4:50 & 7:20 p.m. shows

After the April 3 Cheatin’ premiere Cheatin’ will open across the country on April 12. If you miss Cheatin’ in theaters it will be available via Vimeo On Demand beginning April 21.