Le Diable et la souris

I can remember it like yesterday. Christmas Eve 1978 or 9, and I'd been out helping Dad at work. It was cold, we'd had a lot of snow, and we came in at teatime. Whilst Dad got our tea, I sat and put the telly on, a big wooden box with the big clunky channel knobs. This cartoon came on and I was transfixed. Thirty one years later and it's one of my most fond and vivid memories of being with my Dad. Cold 1970's winters, helping out on the farm, and being a child again. It's funny what you latch on to for childhood memories, but this rates pretty highly up there for me. Just reading about it has started tears running down my face with fond nostalgia, and wishing back to a time when things were so much simpler.

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+

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.

Why is this getting so many good reviews?

I'm going to start out blunt. It's not a good short film.

The characters are boring and they have no personality or dept at all. Seriously. What can I say about Jan's character other than "she sells her soul to the devil"? The answer is nothing. She's dull. They are all dull.

The animation is just awful. It moves too fast and soppy, the way the characters are designed is ugly. The Devil looks like a fat alligator. In fact worst devil I've ever seen.

The songs are just bad seventies music. Though, it's not as horrible as everything else.

The movie's plot is interesting. An unfortunate person sells their soul to the devil for a better life, eventually they realize "I'm going to hell", and they stand trial against Satan. This was a bad adaptation of that story.

I'm giving this movie 1 out 10

I remember watching this cartoon as a kid growing up in Fairmont, West Virginia (the home of Mary Lou Retton). It is an excellent modern day adaptation of Benet's classic story told in animation. They do a wonderful job of bringing it into the 70's, in fact you could almost say that it is a cartoon for adults in some ways. The message is meaningful in so many ways that a song from your heart sets you free and beats the devil every time. I am so sorry but I still have that song stuck in my head from over twenty years ago......look where the music will take you when your getting low....a song from your heart sets you free and beats the devil every single time.