The Devil and Daniel Mouse

Infobox_Film
name = The Devil and Daniel Mouse


director = Clive A. Smith
writer =
starring = Jim Henshaw
Annabel Kershaw
Chris Wiggins
John Sebastian
producer =
distributor = Warner Home Video (1980s, VHS)
Unearthed Films (2005, as an extra on "Rock & Rule" DVD)
released = 1978
runtime = 25 min
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = "A Cosmic Christmas" (1977)
followed_by = "Intergalactic Thanksgiving" (1979)
imdb_id = 0262368

"The Devil and Daniel Mouse" is an animated Halloween television special, from Canada's Nelvana animation studio. It is based on the story of "The Devil and Daniel Webster," which, in turn, was an adaptation of "Faust."

tory

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. Zebubb," a record producer.

He and his assistant, Wheez Weasel, offer her fame and fortune in exchange for signing a contract in blood. Jan doesn't 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 the height of her fame he will return to collect her soul. To assist her, Wheez conjures three band members from thin air (presumably lost souls), a rabbit (Rabbit Delight), a beaver (Boom Boom Beaver), and a nondescript insect (Pray Mantis).

As "Funky Jan," 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 at night over Jan's soul, with Wheez as the judge and Daniel acting as Jan's attorney. 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.

Ultimately Daniel bets the Devil Jan's soul that he can perform a song and make it good without the Devil's help. The cocky and overconfident Devil agrees, certain that the mouse will fail the test. As an additional stipend the Devil states that should Daniel fail, his soul as well as Jan's will be taken as payment. However, Daniel's heartfelt song proves him dead wrong, especially when Jan joins him. It is so moving that the three lost soul band members, heretofore unhelpful, jump in to assist Jan, who they have come to regard as their friend. 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 Wheez and all his other minions with him. All, that is, except the three traitorous band members who for unknown reasons are allowed to remain behind with Daniel and Jan. The two mice embrace one another as the film ends.

This special became the inspiration for Nelvana's first feature film, "Rock & Rule". The short and a making of are included on the two-disk version of that film in a slightly edited form of 22 minutes from its VHS release of 25.

Trivia

A dialog from this cartoon 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.

Cast