The Devil and Daniel Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Devil and Daniel Mouse is a 1978 animated Halloween
television special, from Canada's Nelvana
animation studio. It is based on the story of The Devil and Daniel Webster
.
The Nelvana
logo made its first appearance at the end of the film.
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" documentary are included on the two-disk version of that film in a slightly edited form of 22 minutes from its VHS release of 25.
in the song "Party of the First Part", found on some versions of The Sky's Gone Out
.
Footage from the special can be seen during a sketch featuring SCTV
character Gerry Todd in the season 4 "Pre-Teen World Telethon" episode.
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
television special, from Canada's Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
animation studio. It is based on the story of The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Devil and Daniel Webster
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. This retelling of the classic German Faust tale is based on the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker", written by Washington Irving...
.
The Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
logo made its first appearance at the end of the film.
Story
The story is about two struggling mouseMouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
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
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
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
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
himself, and at the height of her fame he will return to collect her soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
. To assist her, Wheez conjures three band members from thin air (presumably lost souls), a rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
(Rabbit Delight), a beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
(Boom Boom Beaver), and a nondescript insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
(Pray Mantis).
As "Funky Jan", Jan is soon the most popular rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
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
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. 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
Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule is a 1983 Canadian animated film from the animation studio Nelvana. It was produced and directed by the company's founders, Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. The film features the voices of Greg Salata, Susan Roman, and Don Francks, with Catherine O'Hara, Chris...
. The short and a "making of" documentary are included on the two-disk version of that film in a slightly edited form of 22 minutes from its VHS release of 25.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jim Henshaw Jim Henshaw Jim Henshaw is a professional actor, screenwriter and film and television producer.The first Actor graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, he began his professional career in 1971... |
Daniel Mouse |
| Annabel Kershaw | Jan Mouse |
| John Sebastian John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000... |
Daniel Mouse (Singing Voice) |
| Laurel Runn | Jan Mouse (Singing Voice) |
| Chris Wiggins Chris Wiggins Chris Wiggins is an English actor.He started out as a banker in his home country before he began his acting career in Canada, where he moved in 1952.... |
B.L. Zebub |
| Martin Lavut Martin Lavut Martin Lavut is a Canadian voice actor who is best known for his contributions to early Nelvana productions, such as The Devil and Daniel Mouse and its spin-off, Rock & Rule. He studied acting at California’s Pasadena Playhouse, and New York’s American Theatre Wing... |
Weez Weezel |
Uses in other media
Dialogue from this cartoon was used by the rock band BauhausBauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
in the song "Party of the First Part", found on some versions of The Sky's Gone Out
The Sky's Gone Out
-Song appearances:*"Ziggy Stardust" was used in The Ongoing History of New Music episode "What's the Big Deal About Bauhaus?", from 1998.-Personnel:*Peter Murphy — vocals, guitar*Daniel Ash — guitar*David J — bass...
.
Footage from the special can be seen during a sketch featuring SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
character Gerry Todd in the season 4 "Pre-Teen World Telethon" episode.