Rock & Rule - Dizzy, Stretch and the futuristic arcade

Here's a ton of fun sequence from the Rock & Rule animated feature film produced by Nelvana and released in the mid 1980s. It contains some of the first drawings I did for the film.
This sequence opens backstage at Mylar's club as the band - Omar (eGuitar), Stretch (eBass), Dizzy (eDrums) and Angel (vocals and keys) - wait their turn for the talent show. Omar and Angel are arguing over who's songs (his or hers) the band is going to play while Stretch drives a futuristic arcade game with Dizzy fretting in the background.
This is one of those establishing sequences where we're "laying pipe" - doing a lot of talking-heads to convey dialog that can get really boring really quickly.
I had free reign over how I composited the shots and picked some angles on Dizzy that add to the crazy game he's playing. The effects were a combination of slit-scan work on a multi-plane camera-stand and some CGI provided by Industrial Light and Magic.
At the time this film was being made - late 1970s/early 1980s - Pacman hadn't even been invented yet. The best we had were a bunch of mechanical arcade machines making the imagery here quite outside-the-box the time it was made.
Animation layouts and posing by Verne Andru.
CGI by Industrial Light and Magic who where just off doing the first Star Wars movie at the time.
From Nelvana's animated feature "Rock & Rule." Used by permission.
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Rock & Rule on IMDb: www.imdb.com/t...
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About me - An award-winning designer, I'm best known for my illustration, animation and directing work with some of the best including Captain Canuck, Universal Studios, Marvel, Ikea and Nelvana's animated cult-classic "Rock & Rule." In addition to teaching comic book production and animation at the prestigious Vancouver Film School, I created the "Simply Accounting" name, designed Pigtronix's flagship musical effects pedal and launched both into successful brands. Driven to draw, I'm currently working on new editions of the Captain Cannabis comic book series I started back in the seventies. A unique mix of science fiction, dark comedy and gritty realism, the story is fun with great characters adventuring in an inspired universe told in what's been described as a truly original voice.
Captain Cannabis IMDb: www.imdb.com/t...
WEBSITE: www.captaincannabis.com

[@werebunniee]

Everyone’s simping for Dizzy, and honestly, I’m here for it.

[@tatatamor]

Dizzy is simply a husband material at this point

[@tatatamor]

_JUST LOOK AT HIM_ 1:13 *_LOOK AT HIS FOXY LOOKING GRIN_*

[@nytrodioxide]

He's definitely the most wholesome character of the movie next to Zip

[@Luizza_Oliveira]

We stan a badass nerd husband

[@Johnlindsey289]

Angel is waifu for me

[@Montork]

omg. people have crushes on him.

[@honeysucle10]

Dizzy's animation/facial expressions are really well done in this whole sequence, seriously.

[@TheaterPup]

"Hey it worked, I'm not nervous....I'm scared!" I think we can all relate.

[@rabbit0664]

So true

[@Atreides22222]

Dizzy low-key handsome tho

[@sebastianleo1708]

High-key. Fuck it. Not many mouse dudes can pull off sideburns and a man bun, it's pretty impressive.

[@Butterstix2014]

Thank God I didn’t have to be the one to say it now I feel less deranged

[@DarkRose266]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one crushing on Dizzy

[@Verneandru]

He's the only one that made sense!

[@raven08201992]

He's really cute 🥰

[@diegobareno5820]

0:36 That's just cute

[@brissadlr9939]

Diego Bareno you mean 0:37? And that's the face most kids make.

[@brushrolla8379]

@@brissadlr9939 it's still cute.

[@ericamick5462]

Stretch's scared smile at the end

[@HeavyMetal95]

Hey it worked I'm not nervous I'm Scared

[@massacresoldier3082]

I love Dizzy so much

[@ohm_sweet_ohm]

I can't be the only one who's head over heels for Stretch...right?

[@rockandrule]

you’re so real for this

[@hileewhitaker6855]

"Yeah, you trust everybody." *(Angel sticks out her tongue )*

[@ratbastian]

Dizzy lookin cute as hell 👀

[@Butterstix2014]

Honestly I’m kinda surprised everyone’s simping for Dizzy but kinda thankful since maybe it means I don’t have shit taste 😭

[@Drixenol86]

I can do a dead on impression of Stretch.

[@HeavyMetal95]

Drixenol86 do a video of your impression of Stretch from Rock & Rule

[@silentfox139]

Omar is almost never animated talking. He is either heard talking when not on camera or facing away

[@jiado6893]

Stretch is a cross between Joey Wheeler and Shaggy.

[@JamesEmirzianWaldementer]

0:42 I like that 2D and 3D Animation effects that still impressive since 1980s, I usually have to make Interstellar Laser Fantasy background artistic, Which it still made Canadian indie animation film they’re made.

[@JamesEmirzianWaldementer]

By the way, The legends animator is good speaking hear

[@caseyshort8475]

Dizzy is best boi

[@93Chowo]

It kinda feels like that those characters were drawn and animated differently corresponding to their characteristics. Dizzy for example feels smoother and Omar more "edged".

[@Verneandru]

Each character was assigned to an animator with a few assistants so the differences in skills of the animator are reflected in what you see on screen.

[@Brasswatchman]

​@@Verneandru I think it works for them on a character design basis, though. Makes them each feel visually distinct.

[@sweets_Cat88]

I’m here seeing which character is Dizzy… Now I see it

[@TheStoicOne-p3k]

Love this scene, They should use this for psychology analysis.

[@joegover9452]

Stretch looks like Shaggy.

[@grantcole1898]

He reminds me more of Lampy from Brave Little Toaster.

[@Flutterbaina]

@@grantcole1898Brave Little Toaster?😮

[@grantcole1898]

@@Flutterbaina One of my favorite movies growing up. It’s about a bunch of old appliances that go out in search of their long-lost owner.

[@origamipein18]

Yeah, that's fine, Stretch. ^^ (hugs Stretch)

[@chepepuy]

So, Polybius was real here.

[@Verneandru]

I had to look up that name since I've not heard it before. Certainly wasn't something purposefully put in - just having some fun imagining the future. Funny the way these things work out.

[@Phoebe5448]

Stretch is just like me fr.

[@StormsongK]

The Dragnet theme survived the nuclear war...:D

[@HeavyMetal95]

so Dizzy is the fat one and Stretch is the skinny one

[@Verneandru]

Yup!

[@HeavyMetal95]

VerneAndru this is like the equivalent of Baryl who is the short drummer from the Anime movie made by Leiji Matsumoto Interstella 5555

[@KazumaKanjifreakBackupAcct.]

Bro was legit playing Polybius

[@odennismic1008]

I wanna pull Omar's mullet it looks so soft

[@jameswaldner7171]

Love This Movie

[@cryingbecausehollowknightd5748]

I’m so gay for Dizzy

[@lilmissrockchick4962]

If they made this live action in the 90s, or remade it still keeping the animation, what about Keanu Reeves as Dizzy and Jim Carrey as Stretch?

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

Stretch is on acid

[@mrdonutswildride7808]

Honestly.

[@Johnlindsey289]

Funny duo

[@BlitzAMV]

Was there some rotoscoping done here? Kinda feels that way.

[@Verneandru]

This Dizzy and Stretch stuff was good-old-fashioned cell animation. We used roto mainly for the music/band playing parts.

[@BlitzAMV]

@@Verneandru the animation was so smooth!

[@Verneandru]

The crew was the best of the best at that time, which was the pinnacle of 2D cell animation IMHO. Computers have taken over since.

[@_ukimira]

0:37 This is different from the version I saw! Omar says “yeah you trust everybody” and Angel just looks at him like he’s nuts. Is this the American or European release?

[@Verneandru]

There were 2 releases featuring a change in Omar's voice actor and some of the lines. This was a failed attempt to "fix" the story issues in post production.

[@BlissfullyEvil]

The original version is the Canadian version, where Omar is much more of an asshole in the beginning, and has a proper character arc where he gradually gets “nicer” . But the American version butchers Omar and Angel’s relationship making Omar more playful in one scene, but then having him just snap back to his original selfish character in the next, totally messing up his character progression and making him feel uneven and odd (in my opinion … I like the Canadian version much, much more)

[@TBnJgg]

0:35 is he playing the donkey kong arcade theme?

[@Verneandru]

This was done years before donkey kong was created. 🙂

[@TBnJgg]

@@Verneandru aah i figured it was a nice little easter egg of sorts given the time period and the following arcade scene. Amazing animation regardless, had these clips pop up in my recommendations and I believe it was something my Dad remembered watching back in the day.

[@ClioMako]

Is this the Canadian version?

[@Verneandru]

Rock & Rule was a Canadian production. Nelvana [Canadian] produced it out of their Toronto studios.

[@ClioMako]

Though I know that the voice acting has two version, the original Canadian and the American, where Omar's voice played by a different actor. Great upload, by the way!

[@Verneandru]

Thanks [subscribe if you're not already]. I got these clips from the original 3/4" broadcast masters not long after the film wrapped, so they are the original version - Canadian I guess. These were the first sequences I did for the film and I remember them well because I got to come up with all those cool camera angles. These were some of the first attempts at computer animation on a feature film, this was 1980 after all. The special effects were done with ILM using optical techniques like on the first Star Wars. I know there were problems with the Omar character - he was supposed to be a bit of a jerk who becomes a nice-guy, but people didn't like the way he was playing onscreen. There were problems in the writing as they were still writing the film while we were in production, and Omar's animator was very slow getting started with lack-luster results even in camera-tests. I wouldn't surprise me if they tried to fix it with a different voice actor but, truth be told, Omar was a problem throughout the production.

[@GrumpyOldMilk]

@@Verneandru I am highly amused by the fact that an animated character was problematic throughout production due to personality as well as technical reasons.

[@Verneandru]

@@GrumpyOldMilk - not wanting to tell tales out of school, animated characters come from an animator so when looking for the source of character problems follow the pencil.

[@pinchofgoth5477]

I want omar so bad its not even funny

[@megansmallwood3409]

Please dear God tell me they aren't changing the voice actor! When I buy this movie I want the damn voice actors to stay the same

[@Verneandru]

I believe the only voice-actor that was changed was the one used for Omar. They were having troubles making that character "work" and tried revoicing it after the initial release. The Unearthed 2 DVD set contains both versions IIRC.