Plot in a nutshell: in a post-Apocalyptic future, a race of rat/mice like mutants are now in charge following a big war. Mok is an aging rock star who is now obsessed with raising a demon out of Hell, and he can only do it musically, and with the help of a very special (singing) voice. That very special voice belongs to the movie's heroine, Angel, so he abducts her with the intention of using her in his evil scheme to destroy the world, with her band mates, Dizzy, Stretch and her boyfriend Omar following in hot pursuit.

Scattershot but amusing. Worth a look for the music, most notably Debbie Harry's "Send Love Through", off-kilter humor and atmospheric animation. Cheap Trick, Lou Reed, Earth/Wind/Fire and Iggy Pop also make musical contributions.

In a post-apocalyptic future, (or if you watch the Candian version, "Another time...Another place) Mok, a legendary megolaniacal rock superstar who appears to have fallen somewhat, but not totally out of flavor, kidnaps Angel, a new female rocker, to sing for him to open a portal into a darker dimension. It's up to Angel's band mates to save her from Mok's evil clutches in this Canadian produced animated sci-fi musical. The story and plotting seem a bit on the archaic side, but the music is superb (escpecially from Lou Reed and Debbie Harry) and the animation is pretty good. That's enough to make me recommend this film, but I still believe that the earlier "Heavy Metal" is a better overall experience.

My Grade: B-

DVD Extras: Disc 1) 77 minute version; Commentary with Directory Clive Smith; 24 and a half minute Making of; Character sketch Gallery; Restoration Comparisons Disk 2) 81 minute CBC version; "The Devil and Daniel Mouse" short; a Making of said short; "Drats" work print; Rock and Rule Title Workprint; more sketch galleries; Theatrical Trailer; and Trailer for "Electric Dragon 80000V"

DVD-Rom content: the original screenplay in .PDF format

After 25 years of reading about this Canadian animated movie from Nelvana in the now-defunct magazine ComicScene, I finally checked out Rock & Rule from the library a few weeks ago. It was the single disc version so there was no longer alternate CBC version nor the previous Nelvana TV short "The Devil and Daniel Mouse" (which I remember enjoying one late Saturday morning in the late '70s) that I read was on a second disc. The animation was certainly awesome enough for the period with the futuristic sets and character designs. The songs by Blondie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Cheap Trick, and Earth, Wind, & Fire were enjoyable if not completely memorable (though if I could listen to these tunes more than once, they'd probably get stuck in my head). I was intrigued by some of the dialogue in some scenes like the "Evil spelled backwards is Live" line. The plot seemed entertaining enough as it was but for some reason I wasn't as overly impressed with it as I thought I was. Maybe it was because it had some material I was overly familiar with like the girl being some power force that I recognized from The Fifth Element which I remember not being too impressed with (though I realize that that movie came out about 13 years after Rock & Rule). Still, for animation fans and those of the artists I just mentioned, Rock & Rule is certainly worth checking out.