The Devil and Daniel Mouse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Devil and Daniel Mouse
The Daniel Mouse LP A Nelvana Story Album.jpg
Album cover
GenreAnimation
Family
Fantasy
Music
Screenplay byKen Sobol
Story byStephen Vincent Benet
Patrick Loubert
Directed byClive A. Smith
StarringJim Henshaw
Annabel Kershaw
Chris Wiggins
John Sebastian
Music byJohn Sebastian
Patricia Cullen
Valerie Carter
Reggie Knighton
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerJeffrey Kirsch
ProducersMichael Hirsh
Patrick Loubert
J. Gordon Arnold
Ron Hastings
Running time25 min
Production companyNelvana
DistributorCBC
Release
Original networkCBC
Original release
  • 5 October 1978 (1978-10-05)

The Devil and Daniel Mouse is a 1978 Canadian animated Halloween television special, based on the 1936 short tale The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet. The Devil and Daniel Mouse is the second television special the 1977 to 1980 series of specials, produced by the Canadian animation firm Nelvana Ltd.[1] [2]

Plot[]

The story is about two struggling mouse musicians, Daniel and Jan. When they are fired from their latest gig (their music is deemed too old-fashioned and not with the times), Daniel goes to pawn his guitar in order to buy groceries. Jan wanders off on her own and encounters a shifty reptilian character in a white suit who introduces himself as "B.L. Zebub", a record producer.

He and his weasel assistant, Weez Weezel, offer her fame and fortune in exchange for signing a contract in her own blood. Jan does not read the fine print and trusts B.L., signing herself over to his record production company. Little does she suspect that B.L. is none other than the devil himself, and at midnight at the height of her fame, he will return to collect her soul. To assist her, Weez conjures three band members from thin air, a rabbit (Rabbit Delight), a beaver (Boom Boom Beaver), and a praying mantis (Pray Mantis).

As the lead singer of "Funky Jan and the Animal Kingdom", Jan is soon the most popular rock star on the planet, while the oblivious Daniel is left out in the cold. But when B.L. comes for her soul and she realizes what she has done, a distraught Jan goes to Daniel for help. A trial is held in the woods that night over Jan's soul, with Weez as the judge and Daniel acting as Jan's attorney. As an additional stipend, the Devil states that should Daniel lose the trial, his soul, as well as Jan's, will be taken as payment. At first, the trial seems hopeless, considering Daniel has no education as a lawyer and cannot present even the beginnings of a reasonable argument to release Jan.

Having nothing else to offer, Daniel begins to sing a heartfelt song. Jan joins in, as do her three heretofore unhelpful band members. The other animals watching the trial begin to sing and clap along to the tune and so do the jury of three lost souls (whom were Mmltiplied into 12 by B.L. himself). An enraged devil attempts to summon forth demons to stop the heroes, but the spirits he conjures also fall prey to the sway of Daniel's music.

A frustrated devil finally leaves, returning to Hell and taking Weez and all of his other minions with him. The two mice embrace one another as the film ends.

Notes[]

Nelvana's polar bear logo made its first appearance at the end of the film. The polar bear would eventually be used as a in-credit logo later in their specials from 1979 to 1980 and from after 1980 to 1988. [3]

Cast[]

Actor Role
Jim Henshaw Daniel Mouse/beaver drummer
Annabel Kershaw Jan Mouse
John Sebastian Daniel Mouse (singing voice)/rock show emcee
Valerie Carter
credited as
Laurel Runn		 Jan Mouse (singing voice)
Chris Wiggins B. L. Zebub/Satan/the devil
Martin Lavut Weez Weezel/pawnbroker/radio DJ
Dianne Lawrence journalist/Vicky Viper

Songs[]

Merchandising[]

Nelvana story album[]

A tie-in story LP record was released by Nelvana Records in 1978.'[4] Narrated by John Sebastian, the album features dialog lifted straight from the film's soundtrack as well as songs performed by Sebastian, Valerie Carter (credited as Laurel Runn) [5][6] and the Reggie Knighton Band. As in the film, the dialogue is interspersed with several of the songs.

Full-colour storybook[]

First published by Avon/Camelot in 1979, the storybook was written by screenwriter Ken Sobol and features music and lyrics for three John Sebastian penned songs (I've Got a Song, Can You Help Me Find My Song? and Look Where the Music Can Take You). Simplified for younger readers, many of the visual gags and a few scenes were omitted from the book.

Home video[]

The Devil and Daniel Mouse was simultaneously issued as a stand-alone title on Betamax and VHS as well as featured on several compilations of Nelvana's TV specials.[7]

Nelvanamation (Volume 1)[]

The first and more widely available compilation to feature the film was Nelvanamation (Volume 1). Also featured on this video are Romie-0 and Julie-8, Intergalactic Thanksgiving and A Cosmic Christmas.[8]

The Devil and Daniel Mouse and Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction[]

Headlining a collection similar to Nelvanamation, this CED Videodisc also includes Romie-0 and Julie-8, Easter Fever, Intergalactic Thanksgiving and A Cosmic Christmas.[9]

Rock & Rule[]

The Devil and Daniel Mouse became the inspiration for Nelvana's first feature film, Rock & Rule. The film and How We Made the Devil and Daniel Mouse, a vintage "making of" documentary, were both included on the two-DVD[10] and Blu-ray[11] versions of that film in a slightly edited form of 22 minutes from its original 25-minute running time.[12]

In popular culture[]

Dialogue from this film was used by the rock band Bauhaus in the song "Party of the First Part", found on some versions of The Sky's Gone Out and 1989's Swing the Heartache: The BBC Sessions.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 580–582. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. ^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 110–111. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. ^ Internet Archive
  4. ^ "Devil And Daniel Mouse, The - Soundtrack Details - SoundtrackCollector.com". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  5. ^ says, Kier-La Janisse (10 March 2017). ""Look Where the Music Can Take You"". Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Valerie Carter". IMDb. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Customer Image Gallery for The Devil and Daniel Mouse - amazon.com". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  8. ^ "Amazon.com: Nelvanamation Four Cosmic Fantasies in One the Devil Mouse Romie-o Julio-o Please Don't Eat the Planet a Cosmic Christmas". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  9. ^ "Devil and Daniel Mouse, The (76476015176) R - Side 2 - CED Title - Blu-ray DVD Movie Precursor". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  10. ^ "Amazon.com: Rock & Rule (2-Disc Collector's Edition)". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  11. ^ "Amazon.com: Rock & Rule (25th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] (1983))". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  12. ^ "The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978) (TV) - Alternate Versions)". Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  13. ^ Bauhaus - Party Of The First Part-YouTube

See also[]

External links[]

Retrieved from ""