''Heavy Metal'' is a 1981 Canadian

adult animated An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of m ...

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...

film directed by

Gerald Potterton Gerald Potterton (8 March 1931 – 23 August 2022) was a British–Canadian director, writer, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic '' Heavy Metal'' and his animation work on '' Yellow Submarine''. Potterton wa ...

, produced by

Ivan Reitman Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998. Film ...

and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, which was the basis for the film. It starred the voices of Rodger Bumpass,

Jackie Burroughs Jacqueline "Jackie" Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Early life Born in Southport, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England, she emigrated to Canada on 26 August 1948 with her mother Edna, her ...

, John Candy,

Joe Flaherty Joseph Flaherty (born June 21, 1941) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy '' SCTV'' from 1976 to 1984 (on which he also served as a writer), and as Harold Weir on ''Freaks and G ...

Don Francks Don Harvey Francks (February 28, 1932 – April 3, 2016), also known by his stage name Iron Buffalo, was a Canadian actor, musician and singer. Career Don Harvey Francks was born on February 28, 1932, and was adopted shortly after his birth. H ...

Martin Lavut Martin Lavut (December 18, 1934 – January 26, 2016) was a Canadian filmmaker born in Montreal, Quebec. He wrote and directed numerous theatrical and television dramas, and documentary films. Among his dramas are the films '' Certain Practices'', ' ...

Marilyn Lightstone Marilyn Lightstone (born 28 June 1940) is a Canadian stage, film and television actress and writer. Biography Early life and education Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marilyn Lightstone graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1957. She went on to ...

, Eugene Levy,

Alice Playten Alice Playten (''née'' Plotkin; August 28, 1947 – June 25, 2011) was an American actress known for her high-pitched, child-like voice. Life and career Born in New York City, Playten began her career at age 11 in the Broadway musical '' Gy ...

, Harold Ramis,

Percy Rodriguez Percy Rodriguez (born Percy Rodrigues; June 13, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was a Canadian actor who appeared in many television shows and films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was of Afro-Portuguese heritage and was born in the Saint-Henri nei ...

Susan Roman Susan Roman (born April 17) is a Canadian voice actress and voice director, best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the Canada DiC (and later Cloverway/CWi) dub of the anime, ''Sailor Moon''. She is one of the few voice ...

Richard Romanus Richard Romanus (born Richard Joseph Romanos; February 8, 1945) is an American actor. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's ''Mean Streets'' and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films '' Wizards'' and '' Hey Good Look ...

August Schellenberg August Werner Schellenberg (July 25, 1936 – August 15, 2013) was a Canadian actor. He played Randolph in the first three installments of the ''Free Willy'' film series (1993–1997) as well as characters in ''Black Robe'' (1991), '' The New Wor ...

John Vernon John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...

, and

Zal Yanovsky Zalman Yanovsky (December 19, 1944 – December 13, 2002) was a Canadian folk-rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky (née Gemeril), who died in 1958. He played lead gui ...

. The screenplay was written by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum. The film is an

of various science fiction and fantasy stories tied together by a single theme of an evil force that is "the sum of all evils". It was adapted from ''Heavy Metal'' magazine and original stories in the same spirit. Like the magazine, the film features a great deal of graphic violence,

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wi ...

, and

nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...

. Its production was expedited by having several animation houses working simultaneously on different segments. Despite the mixed reviews by film critics on its initial release, the film was a modest success at the box office and has since achieved

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. The film's influential soundtrack was packaged by music manager Irving Azoff and included several popular rock bands and artists, including

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band ha ...

, Sammy Hagar, Don Felder,

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

, DEVO, Journey, and Nazareth, among others. A sequel titled '' Heavy Metal 2000'' was released in 2000.

Plot

"Soft Landing"

Based on the comic of the same name by Dan O'Bannon and Thomas Warkentin. The title sequence story opens with a Space Shuttle orbiting the Earth. The bay doors open, releasing a 1960

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop ...

. An

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally ...

seated in the car then begins descending through Earth's atmosphere, landing in a desert canyon. ;Crew *

Jimmy T. Murakami was a Japanese-American-Irish animator and film director with a long career working in numerous countries. Among his best-known works are the animated adaptations of the Raymond Briggs books '' When the Wind Blows'' and ''The Snowman''. He was ...

and John Bruno – directors * John Coates – producer * Dan O'Bannon – writer * Thomas Warkentin – art direction ;Music * "Radar Rider" by

Riggs Riggs is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Anna Rankin Riggs (1835-1908), American social reformer *Arthur Riggs (geneticist) (1939-2022), American geneticist * Arthur Stanley Riggs (1879–1952), American author and his ...

"Grimaldi"

In the framing story, the astronaut Grimaldi arrives at home, where he is greeted by his daughter. He says he has something to show her. When he opens his case, a green, crystalline sphere rises out and melts him. It introduces itself to the terrified girl as "the sum of all evils". Looking into the orb known as the Loc-Nar, the girl sees how it has influenced societies throughout time and space. At the end of the film (the Epilogue), the anthology's theme comes full-circle back to the girl's home. ;Cast *

(uncredited) as Loc-Nar *

as Grimaldi * Caroline Semple as Girl ;Crew * Harold Whitaker – director *

John Halas John Halas (born János Halász;Brian McFarlane ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p.48 16 April 1912 – 21 January 1995) was a pioneering British animator. Together with Gyula Macskássy (an acquaintance from Sá ...

– producer

"Harry Canyon"

Original story by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum; based on '' The Long Tomorrow'' by Moebius. In a dystopian and crime-ridden New York City in 2031, cynical taxicab driver Harry Canyon narrates his day in

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarde ...

style, grumbling about his fares and frequent robbery attempts he thwarts with a

disintegrator A raygun is a science-fiction directed-energy weapon that releases energy, usually with destructive effect.Jeff Prucher, '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,'' Oxford University Press, 2007, page 162 They have vario ...

installed in the back of his seat. He stumbles into an incident where he rescues a sexy young woman from Rudnick, a gangster who murdered her father. She explains that her father discovered the Loc-Nar, and they have been pursued relentlessly by people attempting to obtain it. Harry takes her to his apartment, where they have sex. She decides to sell the Loc-Nar to Rudnick and split the money with Harry. Rudnick is disintegrated by the Loc-Nar at the exchange, and she attempts to double-cross Harry to keep the money for herself. When she pulls out a gun, Harry uses the disintegrator on her. He keeps the money, and summarizes the incident as a "two-day ride with one hell of a tip". ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Harvey Atkin as Alien, Henchman * John Candy as Desk Sergeant *

as Whore *

as Girl, Satellite *

as Harry Canyon *

Al Waxman Albert Samuel Waxman, (March 2, 1935 – January 18, 2001) was a Canadian actor and director of over 1,000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series '' King of Kensington ...

as Rudnick ;Crew * Pino van Lamsweerde – director * W. H. Stevens Jr. – producer * Vic Atkinson – producer * Daniel Goldberg – writer * Len Blum – writer ;Music * " Veteran of the Psychic Wars" by

* "True Companion" by Donald Fagen * "Blue Lamp" by

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

* " Open Arms" by Journey * "Heartbeat" by Riggs

"Den"

Based on the character of the same name created by

Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the '' Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ad ...

. A nerdy teenager finds a "green meteorite" near his house and adds it to his rock collection. During a lightning experiment, the orb hurls the young man into the world of Neverwhere, where he transforms into a naked, muscular man called

Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita ...

, an acronym for his earth name, David Ellis Norman. There, Den witnesses a strange ritual, rescuing a beautiful, young woman who is about to be sacrificed to Uhluhtc. Reaching safety, she introduces herself as Katherine Wells from the British colony of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibra ...

. The two start having sex, but are interrupted by the minions of Ard, an immortal man who wants to obtain the Loc-Nar for himself. After being taken to see Ard, Den demands to see Katherine. His request is ignored and Ard orders his men to castrate Den. Den fights off the soldiers and shoots Ard, who is immortal and heals immediately. The girl turns out to be sleeping, encased in glass under a spell where only Ard can awaken her. Ard offers Den a deal: if he gets the Loc-Nar from the Queen and brings it to him, the girl will be released. Den agrees and infiltrates the palace along with Ard's best soldier, Norl. They are promptly caught by the Queen's guards, but she offers leniency if Den has sex with her. He complies, thereby distracting the Queen while the raiding party steals the Loc-Nar. Den escapes and races back to rescue Katherine from Ard. Recreating the lightning incident that drew him to Neverwhere, he is able to banish Ard and the Queen. Den suspects that they were teleported to Earth. Refusing the opportunity to take the Loc-Nar for himself, Den rides with Katherine into the sunset, content to remain in Neverwhere. As for the Loc-Nar, it rises into the sky and lands on a space station where it is picked up by someone else. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * John Candy as

as Katherine Wells *

as Ard * Marilyn Lightstone as Queen *

as Norl ;Crew * Jack Stokes – director * Jerry Hibbert – producer *

– writer

"Captain Sternn"

Based on the character of the same name created by

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

. On a space station, crooked space captain Lincoln F. Sternn is on trial for numerous serious charges presented by the prosecutor consisting of 12 counts of murder in the first degree, 14 counts of armed theft of Federation property, 22 counts of piracy in high space, 18 counts of fraud, 37 counts of rape — and one moving violation. Pleading "not guilty" against the advice of his lawyer Charlie, Sternn explains that he expects to be acquitted because he bribed a witness named Hanover Fiste. Fiste takes the stand upon being called to by the prosecutor, but his perjury is subverted when the Loc-Nar, now the size of a marble, causes him to blurt out highly incriminating statements about Sternn (though whether or not any of them are true is unknown) before changing him into a hulking muscular brute that chases Sternn throughout the station, breaking through bulkheads and wreaking havoc. Eventually, he corners Sternn, who gives him his promised payoff, and he promptly shrinks back to his scrawny original form. Sternn opens a trap door under Fiste, ejecting him into space. The Loc-Nar enters Earth's atmosphere with Fiste's flaming severed hand still clinging to it. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Rodger Bumpass as Hanover Fiste *

as Charlie, the lawyer *

Douglas Kenney Douglas Clark Francis Kenney (December 10, 1946 – August 27, 1980) was an American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, TV and film who co-founded the magazine ''National Lampoon'' in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its ...

as Regolian * Eugene Levy as Captain Lincoln F. Sternn *

as Prosecutor ;Crew * Julian Harris – director * Paul Sebella – director *

– writer ;Music * " Reach Out" by

"Neverwhere Land"

Because of time constraints, a segment called "Neverwhere Land", which would have connected "Captain Sternn" to "B-17", was cut. The story follows the influence of the Loc-Nar upon the evolution of a planet, from the Loc-Nar landing in a body of water, influencing the rise of the industrial age, and a world war. This original story was created by Cornelius Cole III. The original rough animatics are set to a loop of the beginning of Pink Floyd's " Time". The 1996 VHS release included this segment at the end of the tape. On the DVD release, this segment is included as a bonus feature. In both released versions, the sequence is set to the music of "Passacaglia" (from ''Magnificat''), composed and conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki.

"B-17"

A World War II

B-17 bomber The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

nicknamed the ''Pacific Pearl'' makes a difficult bombing run with heavy damage and casualties. As the bomber limps home, the co-pilot goes back to check on the crew. Finding nothing but dead bodies, he notices the Loc-Nar trailing the plane. Informing the pilot, he heads back to the cockpit, when the Loc-Nar rams itself into the plane and reanimates the dead crew members as zombies. The co-pilot is killed, while the pilot parachutes away in time. He lands on an island where he finds a graveyard of airplanes from various times, along with the wrecked airplanes' zombified airmen, who surround him, sealing the horrified pilot's fate. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Don Francks as Co-Pilot (Holden) * George Touliatos as Pilot (Skip) *

as Navigator ;Crew * Barrie Nelson – director * W. H. Stevens Jr. – producer * Dan O'Bannon – writer ;Music * " Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" by Don Felder

"So Beautiful & So Dangerous"

Based on the comic of the same name by

Angus McKie Angus McKie (born July 1951) is a British artist who has worked as a colourist in the comics industry. He is best known as an English science fiction illustrator whose work appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction paperback novels in ...

. Dr. Anrak, a prominent scientist, arrives at

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...

for a meeting regarding mysterious mutations that are plaguing the United States. At the meeting, the doctor tries to dismiss the occurrences. When he sees the Loc-Nar in the locket of Gloria, a beautiful buxom stenographer, he begins to behave erratically and sexually assaults her. A colossal starship drills through the roof and abducts the doctor and, by accident, Gloria. The ship's robot is irritated at Anrak, who is actually a malfunctioning android, but its mood changes when it sees Gloria. With the help of the ship's alien pilot Edsel and co-pilot Zeke, the robot convinces Gloria to stay on board and have "robot sex" (albeit off-screen). Meanwhile, Edsel and Zeke snort a huge amount of a powdered drug called Plutonian Nyborg before flying home, zoning out on the cosmos. Too intoxicated to fly straight, they crash-land unharmed in a huge space station. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Rodger Bumpass as Dr. Anrak * John Candy as Robot * Joe Flaherty as General * Eugene Levy as Male Reporter / Edsel *

as Gloria * Harold Ramis as Zeke * Patty Dworkin as Female Reporter * Warren Munson as Senator ;Crew *

– director *

– writer ;Music * "Queen Bee" by

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succe ...

* "I Must Be Dreamin'" by Cheap Trick * "Crazy? (A Suitable Case for Treatment)" by Nazareth * "All of You" by Don Felder * "Prefabricated" by

Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

* "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar

"Taarna"

Original story by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum; based on ''

Arzach ''Arzach'' () is a comic book collection of four wordless short stories by artist/author Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, which were originally published in the French sci-fi/fantasy comics magazine '' Métal Hurlant''. The stories follow Arzach, a silent ...

'' by Moebius. The Loc-Nar, now the size of a giant meteor, crashes into a volcano on another world and draws a large mass of curious people. As they begin to climb the volcano, it erupts, and green slime covers the crowd, mutating them into an evil barbarian army. The mutants subsequently attack a nearby city of peaceful scholars. Desperate, the city leaders mentally summon the Taarakians, a once powerful yet now declining warrior race with whom the city had a pact, but the city falls before the call can be answered. Taarna, a beautiful yet mute warrior and the last of the Taarakians, receives the summons; and after ritually preparing herself, she and her avian mount fly to the beleaguered city, only to find the citizens dead. Determined to avenge them, she begins following the trail of their murderers and encounters a small band of the mutant barbarians. After killing them, and with more information at hand, she travels towards the mutant camp, but she and her mount are captured. Taarna is tortured and thrown into an open pit, unconscious. Her mount escapes and rescues her. She tries going for the Loc-Nar, but the mutants pursue and shoot her mount down. The mutant leader faces Taarna in a duel to the death, wounding her, but Taarna manages to kill him. With the last of their strength, Taarna and her companion make a death flight to the volcano. As they approach, the Loc-Nar warns her off, claiming that sacrificing herself would be futile. Ignoring the Loc-Nar, Taarna unleashes the power imbued in her sword and dives into the volcano, destroying the Loc-Nar. Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar *

Thor Bishopric Thor Bishopric (born September 6, 1963) is a Canadian actor and writer. He is a prominent member of ACTRA. Bishopric has performed roles in television and film, and provided his voice for animated and puppet productions and several films for The ...

as Boy * Ned Conlon as Councilman #1 * Len Doncheff as Barbarian #1 * Don Francks as Barbarian #2 * Joseph Golland as Councilman #2 * Charles Joliffe as Councilman #3 *

Mavor Moore James Mavor Moore (March 8, 1919 – December 18, 2006) was a Canadian writer, producer, actor, public servant, critic, and educator. He notably appeared as Nero Wolfe in the CBC radio production in 1982. Life and work Moore was born in Tor ...

as Elder * August Schellenberg as Taarak * Cedric Smith as Bartender * George Touliatos as Barbarian #3 *

Vlasta Vrána Vlasta Vrána (born 1950), is a Canadian actor of Czech descent. Life and career Vrána, born to Czech parents in Norway, moved to Canada at age four. He made his feature-film debut in Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's '' Shivers''. Vrána ...

as Barbarian Leader * Zal Yanovsky as Barbarian #4 Music * "

E5150 ''Mob Rules'' is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in November 1981. It followed 1980's '' Heaven and Hell'', and was the second album to feature lead singer Ronnie James Dio and the first with drummer ...

" by

* "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath * "

Through Being Cool ''Through Being Cool'' (typeset as ''"Through Being Cool"'') is the second studio album by American rock band Saves the Day, released on November 2, 1999 by Equal Vision. The songs on ''Through Being Cool'' were written while the band members a ...

" by Devo

"Epilogue"

As the final story ends, the Loc-Nar that was terrorizing the girl explodes, destroying the mansion in the process. Taarna's reborn mount appears outside, and the girl happily flies away on it. It is then revealed that Taarna's soul has been reincarnated in the girl, transforming her into a new Taarakian. Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar

Closing credits

Music * " Working in the Coal Mine" by Devo

Production

Animation

Animator

Robert Balser Robert Edward "Bob" Balser (March 25, 1927 – January 4, 2016) was an American animator and animation director. Balser, together with co-director Jack Stokes, are best known as the animation directors for the 1968 film, '' Yellow Submarine'', whi ...

directed the animation of the "Den" sequence for the film. The film uses the

rotoscoping Rotoscoping is an animation technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. Originally, animators projected photographed live-action movie images onto a glass panel and traced o ...

technique of animation in several shots. This process consists of shooting models and actors, then tracing the shot onto film for animation purposes. The B-17 bomber was shot using a 10-foot (3 m) replica, which was then animated. Additionally, Taarna the Taarakian was rotoscoped, using Toronto model Carole Desbiens as a model for the animated character. The shot of the exploding house near the end of the movie was originally to be rotoscoped, but as the film's release date had been moved up from October/November to August 7, 1981, a lack of time prevented this. This remains as the only non-animated sequence in the film. During development of this film, the Canadian animation studio,

Nelvana Limited Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

, was offered the chance to work on ''Heavy Metal'', but they declined their offer, instead working on their first theatrical film, ''

Rock & Rule ''Rock & Rule'' (known as ''Ring of Power'' outside North America) is a 1983 Canadian adult animated musical science fantasy film featuring the voices of Don Francks, Greg Salata and Susan Roman. It was produced and directed by Michael Hirsh, Pa ...

''. Fantasy illustrator Chris Achilléos designed and painted the iconic promotional poster image, commissioned in 1980, that features the central character Taarna on her birdlike steed. That artwork continues to be used for home video releases. Achelleos also did conceptual design work for the Taarna character.

Release

The film was released on August 7, 1981. It was a financial success, grossing over $20 million on a $9 million budget.

Reception

The film was met with mixed response. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 66% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10 and the critical consensus: "It's sexist, juvenile, and dated, but ''Heavy Metal'' makes up for its flaws with eye-popping animation and a classic, smartly-used soundtrack." Janet Maslin of '' The New York Times'' wrote that "for anyone who doesn't think an hour and a half is a long time to spend with a comic book, ''Heavy Metal'' is impressive," and noted that the film "was scored very well, with music much less ear-splitting than the title would suggest." '' Variety'' declared, "Initial segments have a boisterous blend of dynamic graphics, intriguing plot premises and sly wit that unfortunately slide gradually downhill ... Still, the net effect is an overridingly positive one and will likely find its way into upbeat word-of-mouth."

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...

of the '' Chicago Tribune'' gave the film three stars, writing that it "isn't intended for close scrutiny on a literal level. The film clearly is intended as a trip, and on that level it works very nicely." He criticized the film as "blatantly sexist" and for having "wildly romanticized" violence.

Sheila Benson Sheila Benson (December 4, 1930February 23, 2022) was an American journalist and film critic. She served as film critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1981 to 1991. Early life and education Benson was born in New York City on December 4, 193 ...

of the '' Los Angeles Times'' wrote, "Somehow a great deal of the charm f the magazineleaked out on the way to the movie house, but all of the sadism stayed put. And then some. It's the most expensive adolescent fantasy revenge fulfillment wet dream ever to slither onto a screen." John Pym of ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' found that it was "to put it mildly, something of a hodge-podge." Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin gave the film 3 stars out of 4 in his ''Movie Guide'', calling the feature "... uneven, but great fun on a mindless, adolescent level." On the whole, in terms of individual segments, critics were typically most favorable towards the "Den" story. Critic Janet Maslin gave the film a positive review in '' The New York Times''. She said, "The other highly memorable story is about a bookworm from earth who winds up on another planet, where his spindly body is transformed into that of an extraterrestrial Hercules." She also complimented John Candy's vocal performance as Den. Christopher John reviewed ''Heavy Metal'' in '' Ares Magazine'' #11 and commented that "Sadly, what could have been a true boost for animation in this country is a weak, opportunistic failure, put together with very little care and no love at all."

Home media

In 1983, ''Heavy Metal'' aired on HBO, then again in 1991. Prior to official release on VHS and

LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

in 1996, the film was re-released to 54 theatres on March 8, 1996, remixed in

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

's 8-track

SDDS is a cinema sound system developed by Sony, in which compressed digital sound information is recorded on both outer edges of the 35 mm film release print. The system supports up to eight independent channels of sound: five front chann ...

audio system, taking in $550,000. The subsequent home video release, the first animated film issued on the VHS format to be THX-certified, moved over one million units. The film was released on

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of stori ...

on February 1, 2011 as a

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebr ...

exclusive and it was later released everywhere on June 14. A remastered 4K version was released on

Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Blu ...

on April 19, 2022, bundled with a Blu-ray Disc release of the sequel, '' Heavy Metal 2000''.

Music

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on LP in 1981, but for legal reasons, was not released on CD until 1995. The album peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The film's theme song, " Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" was sung by Don Felder. It was released as a single in the U.S. and reached number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number five on the Mainstream Rock chart on September 19, 1981.

wrote and recorded a song called "Vengeance (The Pact)" for the film, but the producers declined to use the song because the lyrics provided a capsulized summary of the "Taarna" vignette. " Veteran of the Psychic Wars" was used instead. Both songs can be found on Blue Öyster Cult's album ''

Fire of Unknown Origin ''Fire of Unknown Origin'' is the eighth studio album by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on June 22, 1981. It was produced by Martin Birch. The album, which included the Top 40 hit "Burnin' for You" (#1 on Billboard's Al ...

''. Though used in the film, the songs "Through Being Cool" by Devo and "E5150" by

were not included in the released soundtrack album. These songs are on ''

New Traditionalists ''New Traditionalists'' is the fourth studio album by the American new wave band Devo, released on August 26, 1981, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded over a period of four months between December 1980 and April 1981, at the Power ...

'' and '' Mob Rules'', respectively. The legal difficulties surrounding the use of some songs in the film delayed its release to home media. The production company's use of some songs was limited solely to the theatrical release and soundtrack and did not include home media releases. It was not until 1996 that there was an official home media release on VHS when

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine '' Heavy Meta ...

, who had bought the publishing rights of ''Heavy Metal'' magazine in 1992 and previously contributed to the magazine, reached a settlement with the music copyright holders. Original LP contained four tracks per side and was programmed in stackable order (A, D, B, C). Rhino Records reissued the two-LP collection in 2017, programmed in standard order (A, B, C, D), as part of their "Rocktober" collection.

Charts

Certifications

Score

Unusual for the time, an LP recording of

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

's score was released alongside the soundtrack in 1981, and it featured the composer's first use of the

ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , "Martenot waves") or ondes musicales ("musical waves") is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. A player o ...

, an instrument which became a trademark of Bernstein's later career. On March 13, 2008, '' Film Score Monthly'' released an official, expanded CD release of Bernstein's score, which he conducted. The score was performed by the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

with the London Voices and

Jeanne Loriod Jeanne Blanche Armande Loriod (13 July 1928 – 3 August 2001) was a French musician, regarded as the world's leading exponent of the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument. Born in Houilles, Yvelines, she was the younger sister of Yvonne ...

on the ondes Martenot. Original track listing: # "Den and the Green Ball" (03:17) # "Den Makes It" (02:49) # "Den and the Queen" (02:56) # "Den's Heroics" (02:52) # "Bomber and the Green Ball" (04:41) # "Space Love" (01:32) # "Harry and the Girl" (03:45) # "Tarna Summoned" (sic) (02:50) # "Flight" (02:20) # "Tarna Prepares" (sic) (03:35) # "Barbarians" (03:37) # "Tarna Forever" (sic) (03:37) Re-release track listing: # "Beginning" 1:16 # "Intro to Green Ball" 1:18 # "Discovery/Transformation (Den and the Green Ball)" 3:15 # "Den Makes Out (Den Makes It)" 2:42 # "Castrate Him/Searching for the Loc-Nar" 2:04 # "Queen for a Day (Den and the Queen)" 2:54 # "Pursuit (Den’s Heroics)" 2:51 # "Fiste" 1:27 # "Getting Bombed" 3:06 # "Green Ball" 2:15 # "Dem Bones" 2:44 # "No Alarm" 0:58 # "Robot Love (Space Love)" 1:32 # "Harry" 1:35 # "The Next Morning" 1:56 # "End of Baby" 2:43 # "Council (Taarna Summoned)" 2:49 # "The Flight to Temple (Flight)" 2:16 # "The Sword (Taarna Prepares)" 3:32 # "Flight to Holiday Town" 2:20 # "Fighting" 2:43 # "My Whips!/Taarna Escapes Pit" 4:57 # "Finish (Taarna Forever)" 3:34 Bonus tracks # "Den Makes Out" (film version) 2:49 # "Bomber and the Green Ball" (album edit) 4:35 # "Harry and the Girl" (album edit) 3:41 # "Barbarians" (album edit) 3:34

Sequel

The sequel, titled '' Heavy Metal 2000'', was released in 2000.

Remake

In March 2008, '' Variety'' reported that Paramount Pictures was set to make another animated film with David Fincher "spearheading the project".

, who is the current owner and publisher of '' Heavy Metal'', will direct a segment, as will Tim Miller, "whose

Blur Studio Blur Studio is an American-based production company which specialises in CGI visual effects, CGI animation and CGI design. Located in Culver City, California, the studio has produced CGI-animated films, teasers and ad spots for television, as we ...

will handle the animation for what is being conceived as an R-rated, adult-themed feature". Entertainment website

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

announced, on July 14, 2008, "David Fincher's edgy new project has suffered a serious setback after it was dropped by Paramount, according to '' Entertainment Weekly''." ''Entertainment Weekly'' quoted Tim Miller as saying "David really believes in the project. It's just a matter of time." In September 2008, Eastman was quoted as saying "Fincher is directing one, Guillermo del Toro wants to direct one,

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...

wants to direct one, Gore Verbinski wants to direct one". It was reported that the film had been moved to

division

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mult ...

(which had released the original) and had a budget of $50 million. In June 2009, Eastman said "I've got breaking news that Fincher and

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

are going to be co-executive producers on the film, Cameron will direct one. Mark Osborne and

Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), '' Shallow Hal'' (2001), '' Orange County'' (2002), ''School of Rock'' (2003), '' ...

from Tenacious D were going to do a comedy segment for the film." Production is stalled indefinitely, as no film distributor or production company has shown interest in distributing or producing the remake since Paramount Pictures decided to forgo being the film's distributor, who purportedly thought such a film was "too risqué for mainstream audiences". In July 2011, filmmaker

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

announced at the

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

that he had purchased the film rights to ''Heavy Metal'' and planned to develop a new animated film at the new Quick Draw Studios. On March 11, 2014, with the formation of his very own television network, El Rey, Rodriguez considered switching gears and bringing it to TV. On March 15, 2019, the reboot was released on Netflix as a reimagining titled ''

Love, Death & Robots ''Love, Death & Robots'' (stylized as ''LOVE DEATH + R⬮BOTS'', and represented in emoji form as ❤️❌🤖) is an adult animated anthology streaming television series created by Tim Miller and streaming on Netflix. Produced by Blur Studio ...

''.

References

External links

* * * * * *
''Heavy Metal'' score soundtrack
questions, answers and more @ the SoundtrackINFO project

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heavy Metal Heavy Metal (magazine) films 1981 films 1981 animated films 1980s fantasy adventure films 1980s science fiction adventure films Canadian adult animated films Canadian animated science fiction films Canadian animated fantasy films Canadian erotic films Canadian animated feature films 1980s English-language films Animated action films Animated adventure films Canadian anthology films Rotoscoped films American dark fantasy films Canadian fantasy adventure films Films scored by Elmer Bernstein Films about drugs Films about sexuality Films based on short fiction Films directed by Gerald Potterton Films produced by Ivan Reitman Film controversies Canadian independent films Science fantasy films Columbia Pictures animated films Columbia Pictures films 1980s American animated films American erotic films Animated films based on comics Animated films about extraterrestrial life Fantasy anthology films Films with screenplays by Dan O'Bannon Obscenity controversies in animation Obscenity controversies in film English-language Canadian films Animated anthology films 1980s Canadian films