The Electric Piper
| The Electric Piper | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Raymie Muzquiz |
| Produced by | |
| Written by | Bill Burnett |
| Music by | Guy Moon |
| Edited by | Ann Hoyt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Nickelodeon |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Electric Piper is an animated television film written by Bill Burnett and directed by Raymie Muzquiz.[1] Originally produced for airing in 2000,[2] it was broadcast on Nickelodeon on February 3, 2003, but was never released to home media. It was considered to be a lost film for over a decade, [3] but on August 9, 2016, a complete copy was made available on archive.com.[4]
Plot
In the small town U.S. town of Hamlin, the parents of the city are overly protective of their children and refuse to listen to them and allow them to pursue their own life interests. One day, the mayor of the town, Nick Dixon, drives his children, Mick and Janet, home after finding out to his displeasure that his son was playing his guitar in class. While his mother, Patricia, and Janet like his music, Nick refuses to let him play and orders him to focus on his school work. Janet is told by Nick all she has to do in life is be wise on who she marries.
Soon after, Mick and Janet notice that Hamlin is being taken over by rats lead by their king, Rat-A-Tat-Tat and his helper, Rinky-Dink-Dink. The parents are so focused on controlling their children that they don't notice the rats. A mysterious man named Sly enters the town and shows the children that he possesses magical powers which are fueled by him playing his guitar and harmonica. After much trouble, the children convince the adults to allow Sly to get rid of the rats as long as Sly is given Nick's old motorcycle named "Marilyn". It is then revealed that Nick used to be in a biker gang and met Patricia when he drove into a town and found her working at a cafe. Nick at first refuses, but later changes his mind once the rats completely overtake Hamlin. Using his music, Sly is able to persuade the rats to leave Hamlin by hypnotizing them to swim out of the area in the rivers leading out of the town. After the job is done, Nick refuses to give Sly his motorcycle. Sly retreats to the top of a mountain and convinces the children to join him in his journey.
After reaching a room in the top of the mountain, Sly uses his magical powers to give them whatever experiences they want (such as going to the Moon) and whatever food they would like to eat. Mick then realizes he is not yet able to play a guitar at Sly's level. Meanwhile, the parents of the town grow much older as the night goes by. Nick changes his mind and offers Sly his motorcycle by placing it at the top of the town's sign to get his attention. Sly teaches Mick how to play a guitar to full power and the children discover that their parents are getting older and want them back. The kids decide to go back Hamlin, to Sly's displeasure. Mick uses his new powers to guide the children out of the mountain, but loses his life in the process. Sly returns to the children and revives Mick back to life.
Back at the town, Sly informs everybody that only Mick has the power to bring Hamlin back to a better state and reverse the aging of the adults. Mick plays the guitar and uses his powers to rebuild Hamlin and restore the parents to their accurate age. Nick gives Sly his motorcycle and in return, Nick is given Sly's top hat. Sly rides out of town into the mountains looking back on a more lovely and lively Hamlin.
Voice cast
- Wayne Brady as Sly, The Electric Piper
- Rodney Dangerfield as Rat-A-Tat-Tat
- Christine Ebersole as Pat Dixon
- Lesli Margherita as Janis Dixon
- Robbie Rist as Mick Dixon
- Laura San Giacomo as Mrs. Robinson
- Rodney Saulsberry as Mr. Jones
- Crystal Scales as Abby Jones
- Rob Schneider as Rinky-Dink-Dink
- George Segal as Mayor Nick Dixon
Availability
The Electric Piper was originally produced in 2000, but was held back due to sample clearance issues, and not released until February 2003. The film was only broadcast a couple of times once it was released. The film was never released on DVD or VHS, and because of the minimal airings on Nickelodeon, no bootleg recordings ever surfaced online. Over the years, clips and snippets of the film began to appear online, however no copy of the movie in its entirety was released.
In early 2016, Electric Piper's director, Raymie Muzquiz, stated online that he had a copy of the movie, but did not want to release it at the time to avoid copyright issues with Nickelodeon.
On August 9, 2016, the entire film was officially released online by an anonymous source, who supposedly received a copy of the movie from someone who had originally worked on it when it was produced.
References
- ↑ Strike, Joe (August 4, 2003). "The Fred Seibert Interview — Part 2". Animation World Network. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ↑ "FORECAST SAYS: RADIO CITY FUN - NICK MOVES INTO MOVIES". New York Daily News. November 8, 1999. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
Coming up next year will be... two animated offerings, "Globehunters: An Around the World in Eighty Days Adventure" and "The Electric Piper: A Pied Piper Adventure".
- ↑ "The Electric Piper". The Big Cartoon Database.
- ↑ "[Found] guess what was found today? (More info in comments) • /r/Lost_Films". reddit. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
External links
- The Electric Piper at the Internet Movie Database
- The Electric Piper at archive.com