Sound: The original film was shot painstakingly in a quadraphonic setup so the DVDs 5.1 Dolby Digital was far less intrusive than similar works from the time that savage 2.0 tracks to introduce elements not originally present. There really wasn’t a lot of action taking place in the rear channels but if you play this as loud as it needs to be, you won’t notice. The dynamic range of the audio was actually better than I thought it would be but make no mistake, this isn’t a movie made recently and comparisons to such would be flawed. The music was often terrific with songs by Debbie Harry/Chris Stein (Blondie) including Angel’s Song, Send Love Through, and the Invocation Song (bits of these were used in later solo albums by Ms. Harry); Cheap Trick’s Born To Raise Hell, I’m The Man, and Ohm Sweet Ohm; Lou Reed’s perfect My Name Is Mok as well as Triumph; and some other decent, if less interesting songs that are not generally available commercially.

Extras: The extras were one area that Rock & Rule: Collector’s Edition really shined. On the first disc, the inclusion of the director’s commentary gave Clive Smith a chance to reminisce over so many aspects of the making of the movie as well as what went wrong. I strongly recommend fans listen to it since it gave nearly as much detail as the printed interview from FPS magazine provided in the paper handout included here. I could forgive Mr. Smith’s minor faux pas in terms of conflicting information since so many years had passed and I only wished that some of the others involved in the project could’ve participated. I also loved watching the 24.5 minute long Making of Rock & Rule special included as it showcased many of the creative forces going into the movie (with rare interviews of the musicians for example). Whoever thought to document their participation should be congratulated as this was far better than average and not just a fluff piece as most such extras tend to be. There was also a series of sketches and the aforementioned restoration comparison as well as a special thanks to all those involved.

The second disc offered up even more for the fan, starting with the Canadian version of Rock & Rule, a slightly different but no less powerful film that suffered from a substantially lower quality print (due to a fire at the storage facility) done in full frame. I agree with the makers that this was important to include since the alternative ending, different voice for Omar, and extra footage were cool but also since this might well be the version that many fans saw. Of no less value was the inclusion of the short feature The Devil and Daniel Mouse, a take off on the classic Devil and Daniel Webster but also the conceptual basis for the feature itself too. There was a Making of feature for this one too, one I believe was unreleased before now, and it also added some significant value to the collector’s set. Historians and fans alike might enjoy the working storyboard for Rock & Rule (called Drats at the time) as it gave even more lost footage and some perspective of how the film evolved. They should also appreciate the working blueprint for the opening sequence that lasted nearly three minutes too as well as the two trailers and additional sketch gallery. Lastly, there was a DVD ROM version of the script itself, something many fans have clamored for over the years. I only wish the music rights could’ve been worked out so that the music videos and a music CD could be offered, if not an isolated score too, but it should be considered a near miracle that the songs all survived in the movie given the manner in which copyrights have interfered with similar projects coming to DVD.

Final Thoughts: Rock & Rule: Collector’s Edition was well worth the wait in my opinion. As a fan of the movie, I have to give some credit to the folks at Unearthed Films for going the extra mile(s) in order to make sure the movie was properly handled considering MGM’s past attempts at releasing older films. The movie was an important step in the evolution of animated films and even if the story was a bit uneven, it helped advance the market for animation of all types, including anime. The technical matters here were superior to many films released on DVD in recent months, even those much more recently hitting the big screen. Looking at the big picture, I have to admit that I’ve looked forward to this release for over twenty years given the messed up aspect ratio of the tape and laserdisc if not for the valuable additions of extras and technical fixes alone. In short, Rock & Rule: Collector’s Edition was the definitive version of a film long lost to the ravages of time. If Unearthed Films does as good a job with their other releases, I suspect they’re going to be mentioned along with Criterion before long in DVD circles.