A group of animation veterans are crowdfunding a hand-drawn original animated short film. That film is Hullabaloo, a full-Victorian steampunk story with female protagonists. The goal would be to expand the short into a web series or feature film in the future. If that's not enough to convince you to contribute like I did, maybe their video will.

Hullabaloo has almost doubled its fundraising goal in three days, but that doesn't mean they don't need more help. They smashed through their second goal, creating a second short in the series. The third goal allows for a full orchestra to record the soundtrack for both shorts. The fourth goal, $225000, adds a third short to the series. They're already up to $146143 as of this writing. $225000 is not that far off.

Here's the summary of the first short from the campaign page:

Hullabaloo is the story of Veronica Daring, a brilliant young scientist who returns home from an elite finishing school to find her father--the eccentric inventor Jonathan Daring--missing without a trace! The only clue left behind points Veronica toward Daring Adventures, an abandoned amusement park used by her father to test his fantastical steam-powered inventions. There she discovers a strange girl named Jules, a fellow inventor who agrees to help Veronica in locating her missing father and discovering the secrets of his work.

Together, Veronica and Jules learn that Jonathan Daring has been kidnapped by a mysterious group of influential persons, who seek to use his latest invention for nefarious purposes. These villains are wealthy and influential and neither Veronica nor Jules can stop them openly. But determined to save her father and holding true to the family creed that technology should be used for the good of all, not the greed of some, Veronica assumes the secret identity of “Hullabaloo”, a goggled crusader who uses wits and science to combat evil and oppose the nefarious conspiracy that has taken her father.

But the question remains: what are the villains up to? What do they plan to do with Jonathan Daring’s mysterious new technology? And will Veronica and Jules be able to stop them in time?

You can contribute to the production of Hullabaloo on their IndieGoGo campaign page. The $5 tier gives you early access to the short when it's completed. The higher tiers give you art prints, digital icons, jewelry, and more.