JsARCLIGHT Posted April 17, 2004 Posted April 17, 2004 Hey gang, this may be old news to some but I just found out about it a little while ago. Apparently a little known DVD house called Unearthed is slated to release this very very cool and very very rare '80s animated rockarama sometime in 2004... possibly as early as summer or as late as christmas. They have plans to release TWO versions of the DVD, one for the common schnook and a special limited collector's edition complete with large book and both versions of the movie! (True Rock and Rulers know that the movie was released in two different versions, one for america and the world and another exclusively for canada which had a different voice actor for Omar and several different/edited scenes). I myself am stoked to hell and back about this as this movie was never widely released in the early '80s when it first came out on video and has never been seen since. Outside of the uber rare LD I have sitting in my closet and the VHS rip I made of it back when I had access to a LD player I really am looking forward to seeing this movie fully restored (which Unearthed is doing) to letterbox format and they are also hunting down the director for a commentary track, they have found and are including the making of doccumentaries and TV/theater promo spots as well as rumors are flying about them licensing all the kickass '80s music on a CD! When I was growing up you had Heavy Metal and Rock & Rule... and that was about it for kickass "adult" animated movies. R&R is not the sexfest that Heavy Metal is but the movie is just one badass throwback to the days when you could make a movie about a superrocker conjuring the devil in the distopian mutant future and people would not look at you weird. Quote
gaogaigar Posted April 17, 2004 Posted April 17, 2004 Wow, that's great news! I remember watching this on cable tv a LONG time ago again thinking that it was such a great movie. "there is no ONE??..My name is Mok thanks a Lot" haha Quote
bsu legato Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 Doesn't this herald the End Times, as foretold in the book of revelations? I'll have to look into this. and JsARC, if you need help with a copy of the "Canuck" edition, you know I'm your hookup. Quote
MSW Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 Very cool! Now if we could get some other old lost animated films and shows on DVD too... Anyone remember Starchaser: the legend of Orion (at least I think that's what the title was)...released back in the early 1980's...it was silly fluff...but cool in it's own way...kinda wish it came out complete with the 3D glasses as I had seen it in theaters back in the day (it is a 3D cell animated movie) Also waiting for Galvion to get the DVD treatment...maybe one day Quote
Blaine23 Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 Lol... this movie is so Tenacious D before there was a Tenacious D. Awesome... I haven't seen this since custom vans were cool. Quote
Barpharanges Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 About bloody time. That movie almost killed Nelvana (my former employer). One of the rare examples of an animated movie that was edited after being fully animated (a huge waste of time and money. Thats what storyboards are for.) I think I'll seek out this DVD... By the way, the original name for this move was Drats, and that is also the name of the main charactor's species (its why Omar, Mok and others have that freaky leather patch at the end of their nose.) The back story is that Rats, Dogs and other animals survived humanities Wars and inherited the Earth. @MSW I remember that Movie. One of the first to let a computer do the animating for the vehicles (Remember the heroes starship with the rotating nacelles? Very much like Firefly's ship Serenity. Even pulls a "crazy Ivan" in the movie!) I'd love to know what the heck happend to that movie... Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted April 18, 2004 Author Posted April 18, 2004 Starchaser- the Legend of Orin is still out there in good numbers on VHS and much like Rock & Rule it appears every so often on eBay as a bootleg DVD. There are times I have wanted to buy both the Starchaser and R&R boots just to have them on some sort of DVD but when you find out they are just rips like my current copies your interest in them soon fades. Good backstory on R&R, Barpharanges. I've heard most of what you have said from a few sources. For anyone who is a massive R&R junkie like me the Marvel Super Special movie comic book is a goldmine. They show up on eBay every now and then for really reasonable prices (I just bought another one in better condition last week for $5). The comic is basically just still pannels from the animation with word balloons put in. The shot above that I posted is from that comic. The book also has a lot of great behind the scenes and making of info like pencil tests, color charts and such... most of which are supposed to be included on the DVD. Unearthed actually has a Rock & Rule Yahoo group going for their release of this movie and they are keeping the die hards notified of what they are doing and they are even asking for input on things like extras and liner notes. Quote
Beltane70 Posted April 19, 2004 Posted April 19, 2004 Very cool news, indeed. I know I'll be buying a copy! Quote
Viceland Posted April 17, 2005 Posted April 17, 2005 I've already pre-ordered the 2 disc Collector's Ed. Check out March 24th update "DVD Text" here... http://www.rock-n-rule.com/ And pre-order DVD + get extra's + be entered in a contest here... http://www.unearthedfilms.com/ Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted June 4, 2005 Author Posted June 4, 2005 Rise from the dead! DVDs for Rock & Rule come out on 6/7. Single disc standard release and two disc collector's set. I've had my collector's set pre-ordered for months. I'm jazzed, is anyone else? Quote
Wes Posted June 4, 2005 Posted June 4, 2005 Lol... this movie is so Tenacious D before there was a Tenacious D. I am so Netflix-ing this just for that quote, even though I've never seen this before. Quote
glane21 Posted June 4, 2005 Posted June 4, 2005 Lou Reed voiced Mok and I believe Cheap Trick sang Omar's songs. There was one called "Ohm Sweet Ohm" that I believe you just hear a snippet of the end of it in the movie. I've always wanted to hear that whole song. Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted June 4, 2005 Author Posted June 4, 2005 Cheap Trick's "Ohm Sweet Ohm" is out there and available. I last saw it on one of their compilation CD's, Sex America I think. Debbie Harry also released her "Angel's Song" on an album at some point with slightly altered lyrics. The thing that chaps me to this day is that they never released a soundtrack for Rock & Rule... Unearthed had plans to include a soundtrack CD with the collector's set DVD release or eventually release a soundtrack CD but I think their plans fell through. It's too bad really as R&R has a ton of original songs in it that are not available anywhere like EW&F's "Dance Dance Dance" and of course "Angel's Song" in it's unaltered form as well as the ending balad "Send Love Through". Classic '80s rock lost to the ages... Quote
HWR MKII Posted June 4, 2005 Posted June 4, 2005 Ihavnt seen this one but it looks to be enjoyable. I also have starchaser on VHS. I was actually suprised it was an enjoyable film. the early CG ships were different too. Quote
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