how rock & rule rocked my world

" Oh what will the signal be for your eyes to see me ? "

 
It was the summer of 1998 that I first saw the cult gem Rock & Rule. I was 8 years old and a routine summer trip to Blockbuster Video led to my uncovering the awesome animated masterpiece that  would affect my love for musical films forever . The videotape of Rock & Rule was neatly placed alongside other animated films in the children's section. It was that same summer , in that same section that I uncovered The Last Unicorn , another life changing animated musical . I wasn't familiar at the time with Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop or Loud Reed ( the rock gods who all lent their sultry voices to the film) , so the music wasn't what first lured me into the film ( although it's what has made me stay faithful to the film all these years ) . It was the beautiful animation portrayed on the videotape's cover that first drew me in. It featured a daring hero, a beautiful girl, and a diabolical villain watching over them . All in the vein of Star Wars. When I finally took the film home from the video store (along with The Last Unicorn ) I was eager to uncover a film that I knew would be captivating. The film opens like a psychedelic trip with its alternative universe setting in which humans have somehow disappeared. Music plays a massive part in the film as it's not only a commentary on a dystopian future where the world is now a waste land and humans extinct, but it's also a commentary of the evils of the music industry.  Moc , the devlish rock star whose aim is to achieve and keep his superstardom , also vows to steal the siren-like muse Angel ( singing voice Debby Harry) away from the hero Omar for the purpose of feeding his sexual appetite and using her angelic voice to awaken a demon from slumber who he will use to enslave all alive . On first viewing, the film was understandably too dark for an 8 year old to comprehend, but its music and message stayed in the recesses of my mind until I was old enough to appreciate its genius. Rock & Rule was different than any other animated film I had seen up until that point, not only because its subject material was adult and contained adult themes such as sex , drugs and Satanic rituals , but because it both disturbed and thrilled me. I became curious of other animated musical films that could be classified as adult because of the film, and through it I became aware of Heavy Metal , the other rock centered cult animated musical . It took years for me to genuinely grasp how of an underrated masterpiece and how ahead of its time Rock & Rule was.  The film opened my ears and soul to some of the most influential rock stars of all time and planted in my subconscious a seed of rock music that would transform my senses and life forever. It has taken years for Rock & Rule to gain recognition and its beloved fan base that it deserves , but it's place is earned as one of the most influential and  groundbreaking animated films of all time. The film to me was more than just cheap summer viewing , it changed my perception of  animated films  and introduced me to a brilliant world of rock music and  ingenuous way of  storytelling.