The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978)

Simply Perfect

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

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.

This 22 minute short, short of a precursor to the later much better "Rock and Rule", features two folk singer mice who are going nowhere. The female mouse, Jan, signs a deal with the devil to become a hit rock star. So it's up to Daniel Mouse to save her soul. Made in the late '70's this has all the trappings of said decade (crap music, crap clothing and hair style, awful folk tunes) This cartoon is featured on the Second disc of the 2-Disk Collector's Edition of "Rock and Rule", it also comes with a Making of that runs almost as long as the show itself.My Grade: D+

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.,....

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!