sillylittlemonkey-206-792158
Why is this getting so many good reviews? I'm going to start out blunt. It's not a good short film. The characters are boring and they have no personality or dept at all. Seriously. What can I say about Jan's character other than "she sells her soul to the devil"? The answer is nothing. She's dull. They are all dull.The animation is just awful. It moves too fast and soppy, the way the characters are designed is ugly. The Devil looks like a fat alligator. In fact worst devil I've ever seen.The songs are just bad seventies music. Though, it's not as horrible as everything else.The movie's plot is interesting. An unfortunate person sells their soul to the devil for a better life, eventually they realize "I'm going to hell", and they stand trial against Satan. This was a bad adaptation of that story. I'm giving this movie 1 out 10
TelevisionJunkie
In exchange for fame as a rock star, Jan Mouse unknowingly signs a contract for her soul with Bealzabub.Yes, the story's been done to death (another commenter mentioned the very similar "Phantom of the Paradise"), but this has to be one of the most charming versions. Rooted in the '70s, the animation is truly dazzling at times, the music (by The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian) is diverse and infectious and the film itself is entertaining enough for both children and adults. Not too many '70s made-for-TV specials can boast all of that.While Mrs. Daniel Mouse is the star, it's the Devil who steals the show, constantly morphing and contorting with ease as he subtly growls his dialog. One of the greatest villains to grace any screen, it's almost a shame that Beal didn't appear in a theatrical film where he had exposure to a wider audience.It seems that "Daniel Mouse" is under-appreciated by fans of the much darker "Rock & Rule," the film that it inspired, but it appears on the 2-disc DVD set of "R&R" (where I first discovered it). Just a warning: the DVD version has been slightly trimmed, but it can be found in it's entirety for viewing online. While this is certainly more sugary and family-oriented than the later film, it's WAY above average fare for TV from that era... I'd certainly liken it to a good Disney production.
Julie Hoverson
The devil in this is really sleazy. He makes the movie.The plot is a fairly common one from the 70s (which also brought us The Phantom of the Paradise - with another good devil) - would you sell your soul for rock 'n' roll? A folk duo, Jan and Dan, break up when the devil offers Jan a chance to sign on and she jumps at it, leaving sweet, dopey Dan behind. Jan goes on to fame, fortune, and some really flashy outfits. Then, when her contract comes up, the devil decides to collect her soul and ever-faithful Dan shows up to defend her in a kangaroo-court (or rather, ghost, snake and shark court, if I remember correctly), judged by the big bad horned one himself.Very sweet. The music is fun (in the same way Xanadu is - VERY 70s), and some of the moments still give me goosebumps.Also this is VERY CLEARLY a precursor to Nelvana's much more ambitious work Rock and Rule, where a similar boy-girl team (plus two more band members) are broken up when the girl is given a shot at fame (by a representative of the devil), etc., etc.,....
vanoldee
Cute songs, and an interesting story line. I remember this one from when I was little, and I loved watching the wolf, who is the Devil's helper but not heartless himself. Just be sure if you ever make a bargain with the Devil you read the fine print, because he certainly will!
AD
