Hair High 03/26 Blu-ray (Rental)

Acclaimed animator Bill Plympton's (THE TUNE, MUTANT ALIENS) cheerfully unhinged tribute to 1950s teen romance and musicals like GREASE and HAIRSPRAY HAIR HIGH, 2004 Plymptoons, 78 min. Legendary animator Bill Plympton's (THE TUNE, MUTANT ALIENS) cheerfully unhinged and wildly hormonal tribute to 1950s teen romance opens on star quarterback Rod (voiced by Dermot Mulroney) and head cheerleader Cherri (voiced by Sarah Silverman) as the unchallenged king & queen of Echo Lake H.S.. Enter scooter-driving Spud (Eric Gilliland) as the bumbling New Kid in School, who quickly runs afoul of Rod and Cherri - but will love unexpectedly blossom between the Geek and the Prom Queen? Filled with reanimated frogs, writhing teenage tongues / tonsils / lips, deranged parodies of drive-in flicks like THE BRAINEATERS, and (of course) a sea of gravity-defying, Dr. Seuss-like hairstyles (our favorite visual gag? Rod's football helmet is shaped like his massive hairdo), this is Plympton's cheeky musical take on REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, GREASE, HAIRSPRAY and BYE BYE BIRDIE. And like the best of Plympton, it's fueled by sex and roaring libidos: the school team is the Fighting Cocks, and one of the wildest sequences involves the mascot experiencing an uncontrollable erection and humping everything in sight. "The joys of biology," as chainsmoking teacher Mr. Snerz (David Carradine) observes between (literally) hacking his lungs out. Featuring a stellar voice cast including Beverly D'Angelo, Martha Plimpton, Keith Carradine, Tom Noonan, Justin Long, and Ed Begley Jr., plus fellow animators Matt Groening and Don Hertzfeldt, with a wonderful score by longtime Plympton musical collaborators Maureen McElheron, Hank Bones and Corey Allen Jackson. And remember: today's lunch will be Sloppy Joe's and creamed corn! Bonus Materials Two Bill Plympton animated shorts: “Horn Dog” (2009, 5 min.) and “Shuteye Hotel” (2007, 7 min.) New video interview with Bill Plympton and composer Maureen McElheron (THE TUNE, I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!), moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile. New visual essay “Horny High: Sex, Identity and Animated Anarchy in Hair High” by film critic Celeste de la Cabra. New commentary track by animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. Cast & Crew Actors: Sarah Silverman Dermot Mulroney Eric Gilliland Martha Plimpton Beverly D'Angelo Keith Carradine David Carradine Justin Long Tom Noonan Ed Begley Jr. Matt Groening Director: Bill Plympton