Down and Dirty Duck - Production

Production

After the release and success of Fritz the Cat, several animated films meant for adults rather than children enjoyed success. Fritz, a film based on a character created by artist and illustrator Robert Crumb, was the first animated movie to receive an X rating in the United States. Swenson developed Down and Dirty Duck as a project for former Mothers of Invention band members Kaylan and Volman under the title Cheap! Had the film been released under this title, as director Mick Garris notes, the title would have been Roger Corman's Cheap! However, Corman observed the title as a shot at his production techniques, and asked that the title be changed. The film's production budget was $110,000. According to Swenson, he created almost all of the animation himself, although publicity attributed the animation work to the Murakami-Wolf Production Company. Although the film was promoted as an X-rated animated film, New World Pictures had not actually submitted it to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The film was also promoted as Dirty Duck, although the title on the film itself reads Down and Dirty Duck.