MGM/Nelvana, 1983
Voices of Don Francks, Paul Le Mat, Susan Roman, and Greg Duffel
Directed by Clive A. Smith
Music and Lyrics by various
This week, we dive into the weirder side of the 80's with two cult flops from the decade of decadence that deserve to be better-known. Although most people still saw animation as merely children's fodder, there were attempts in the 70's and early 80's to move it beyond princesses and talking mice. We saw one such example with Ralph Bakshi's historical epic American Pop back in 2022. This one didn't start as an adult action fantasy. Canadian animation studio Nelvana originally intended their first animated film, about a post-apocalyptic world evolved from street animals like dogs, cats, and rats. Somewhere along the line, it turned into a hard-rock fantasy for grown-ups that filmed without a script. How does this singularly peculiar animated rock-and-roll epic look nowadays? Let's begin with a narrator (Chris Wiggins) explaining our story and find out...
The Story: Mok Swagger (Francks) is a legendary rock musician who is seeking "one special voice" that will unlock a powerful demon from another dimension. He and his goons return to the village of Ohmtown to see one last band. Turns out the female member, Angel (Roman), has just the voice he needs for his machine. Mok and his henchmen Sleazy (Brent Titcomb), Toad (Wiggins), and Zip (Duffel) lure Angel and the male band members Omar (Le Mat), Stretch (Duffell), and Dizzy (Dan Hennessey) to his mansion. He kidnaps Angel and traps the other three in an energy ball to force her to sing.
After Omar and the other two are thrown out of Mok's mansion, they steal a police car and follow Mok to Nuke York. The cops catch up with them, and they end up in jail. Dizzy's Aunt Edith (Catherine O'Hara) bails them out. Angel escapes with Cinderella (Catherine Gallant), the eager sister of Mok's goons, but Mok gets his claws on her again. He also makes Omar think she doesn't want to be with him anymore and brainwashes him, Dizzy, and Stretch. They finally come out of when Mok moves his concert to Ohmtown due to the huge need for power. Now, it's a race against time as Omar and his friends try to save Angel from the hideous demon, and discover that it takes more than once voice to take down real evil.
The Animation: While still not at Disney's absolute best, this is light-years beyond anything Nelvana was doing on TV at this point. The designs are appropriately hideous and wildly unique at turns, like an urban 80's fever dream crossed with a faded Art Deco print. The special effects, with all its glitter, light beams, and very early CGI, screams "early 80's." The characters move well enough, but even the "good guys" like Omar can sometimes be a little too grotesque - and there's Mok Swagger and his collection of hairpieces and wildly dramatic expressions, too.
The Song and Dance: Well, you can't say this one isn't original. Canada's first dive into English-language feature-length animation is a really weird blend of the unique butting up against the mythic. Mok Swagger alone is something else, with his bony body and ever-changing headgear. Francks gives him just the right tone of oozing menace. Duffel does especially well with Zip, the sweetest of Mok's goons who questions what they're doing, and Gallant is hilarious as party-hearty Angel.
The Numbers: We open with Omar and his band's noisy hard rock number "Born to Raise Hell." After they're cut off, Angel manages to sneak in her "Send Love Through" which is enough to impress Mok. Toad catches Angel and Omar making love in their car to "Angel's Song." "Hot Dogs & Sushi" introduces us to Mok's enormous and rather ugly mansion. The flickering beams in Lou Reed's "Triumph" is what hypnotizes Omar and the guys. "I'm the Man" takes Omar and the guys to Nuke York in their stolen cop car.
Cindy and Angel get into the nightclub and on the dance floor with "Dance, Dance, Dance." Mok gives us his big scheme at the first concert, complete with female dancers echoing his name, in "My Name Is Mok." "Ohm Sweet Ohm" is Omar's too-sugary song under hypnosis. Angel is forced to perform the "Invocation Song" while drugged at the second concert. "Pain and Suffering" gets scary - and kind of of gross - with freaky imagery and nasty lyrics. It takes Omar and Angel together to reprise her "Send Love Through" and send that freaky demon back where he came from.
Trivia: MGM had little faith in the film, giving it almost no promotion in the US, recutting it, and replacing Omar's original voice Greg Salata with the better-known Paul Le Mat. Needless to say, it was a monumental failure that remained hard to find for years.
What I Don't Like: Hooo boy, calling this one "weird" doesn't begin to do it justice. Some of the creepy, unsettling, or flat-out gross imagery, especially during the demon's arrival, almost pushes this into horror turf. This is most definitely not kiddie animation. There's sex, exposed rears, fairly strong violence, some suggestive humor. Frankly, neither Angel nor especially Omar are all that interesting. Omar in particular is such a jerk, you don't mind seeing him hypnotized all that much. He certainly can't match Mok's theatrical flair. The story is all over the place and occasionally dips into end-of-the-world cliches. No wonder audiences (and MGM) in 1983 had a hard time figuring out what was going on.
The Big Finale: This dark dive into a wildly strange future isn't for everyone, but fans of Deborah Harry (who is Angel's singing voice) or those wanting to see some really unique adult animation might be willing to give this early 80's fever dream a shot.
Home Media: The US DVD is wildly out of print (though the Canadian copy is available). The best way to see this one in the US is on YouTube.
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