"A magical musical tour if there ever was one."
Rock Odyssey is a 1987 Animated Musical from Hanna-Barbera. It was directed by Robert Taylor (though credited to William Hanna and Joseph Barbera on the final print). Production on the film began in 1981 but it would be shelved for several years, apparently due to higher-ups in the company taking issue with some disturbing imagery involving the Vietnam War. It was never properly released in the United States, being only screened once at the Los Angeles International Animation Celebration in 1987, but did air overseas on television a few times. Due to music licensing issues, the film has never had a release on home media and was hard to come by, even online, until it was finally found and uploaded to the Internet Archive.
The plot involves a Magical Girl named Laura who is looking for love. She journeys through The '50s, The '60s, The '70s, and The '80s meeting several different men along the way. All this is set to popular music from each decade, hence the film's title. A jukebox voiced by Scatman Crothers narrates the story, which otherwise has no dialogue.
This film provides examples of:
- Abhorrent Admirer: A repulsive-looking goblin who follows Laura around appears to be this for her... at least until he transforms himself into an amalgamation of all the men she fell for throughout the decades.
- Animate Inanimate Object: The narrator is a talking jukebox.
- Animorphism: Laura transforms back and forth from a human to a panther during "The Great Pretender", and later she and her '60s boyfriend are briefly depicted as part-fish... for whatever reason.
- Art Shift: "I Really Don't Want To Know" is played over a fantasy sequence showing Laura and Jack as children, which is in a completely different style from the rest of the movie.
- Beast Man: A gang of these pursue Billy at a carnival to beat him up. Several seem to be a mix of various creatures (with pig snouts, rat-like tails, and bug antennas) while their leader is a green and pink rabbit man. Why are they after Billy and what are they doing in a world populated by regular humans? No idea.
- Break-Up Song: "Bye Bye Love" plays as Laura breaks up with Billy.
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Broken Aesop: Playing the song "Just the Way You Are" over a scene where an Abhorrent Admirer shapeshifts into an amalgamation of the heroine's love interests to make her like him really isn't representative of what the lyrics are about. - Cat Girl: At times Laura is shown with cat ears and a tail.
- Clown Car: Billy's car briefly transforms into one during "The Great Pretender" sequence (while he himself becomes a clown).
- Cover Version: The songs featured in the film are by soundalikes, not the original artists.
- Deranged Animation: Lots of surreal imagery, such as characters randomly morphing into animals and objects for no real reason.
- Drive-In Theater: Billy takes Laura to one on a date.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: Laura is the object of the affection of several men throughout the film and has long blonde hair.
- Flat Character: All the characters qualify, as none have any true depth. Even the protagonist, Laura, is enigmatic to the point that it's never even explained what she is (clearly something akin to a sorceress) or what her motivations are aside from finding love.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Downplayed with Laura, who even in her true form as an alien sorceress looks human, but turns herself into a regular girl wearing the fashion of each decade she visits in order to fit in.
- Fusion Dance: At the end of the movie, a goblin creature who has been following Laura transforms into a fusion of all the men she met on her journey, combining their best qualities into One True Love for her.
- Green and Mean: Played Straight with the green rabbit man who sends his goons after Billy during the "Searchin'" segment. Initially the green goblin who follows Laura around in the latter half of the film appears this way, until he fuses into an amalgamation of her love interests and she instantly falls for him.
- High-School Dance: As "Great Balls of Fire" plays, Laura is shown waiting for Billy at the prom.
- Hot Witch: Laura is a beautiful woman with magical powers.
- Human Aliens: There is a heavy implication that Laura (who, even in her true form, looks human) is one, as early in the film she is shown in a setting that appears to be her home on another planet.
- Human Disguise: While it's never made clear what sort of supernatural being Laura actually is, she's definitely just pretending to be an ordinary human while interacting with people in each era she visits.
- Lady in Red: Laura's regular outfit (when not donning fashion of each era she's in) is a long red gown.
- Magical Girl: Laura, who is an immortal being with supernatural powers, though it is never stated what exactly she is.
- Magical Girlfriend: Laura to all the men she has romantic relationships with. She's clearly an incognito sorceress, alien or goddess (possibly a combination of these) of some kind who uses her powers to manipulate situations in the world around her.
- Mime and Music-Only Cartoon: Besides the jukebox narrator who speaks every once in a while, there is no dialogue in the film, only songs played over the action.
- Mind Screw: Bizarre situations and inexplicably weird imagery appear throughout the film, and it's unclear what is supposed to be real or simply a fantasy sequence. Adding to the confusion is the fact that besides occasional narration from the jukebox, there is no dialogue to properly explain anything that's going on.
- Ms. Fanservice: Laura, especially in the "I'm A Woman" sequence, which seems to have been created for this purpose.
- No Name Given: Laura's love interest in the '80s differs from the others from previous decades in that we never even learn his name.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: At one point Laura briefly (and randomly) transforms into a mermaid while her '60s boyfriend Bob's head becomes that of a fish.
- Panthera Awesome: Laura has a panther companion and the ability to transform herself into one.
- Power Crystal: Laura has one she wears as an earring.
- Reality Warper: As a supernatural being, Laura does this sort of thing. A notable example is the "Great Balls of Fire" sequence where she uses her powers to prevent her boyfriend Billy from getting into an accident on the way to the prom.
- Sad Clown: Billy is heavily implied to be this during "The Great Pretender", where he literally transforms into a clown at certain parts to emphasize the point.
- Satellite Love Interest: The men Laura has romantic relationships with exist for that sole purpose. The least developed of all of them is undoubtedly her '80s love interest. His name is never given, nor is he even important enough In-Universe to appear at the end to become part of Laura's "perfect man" amalgamation.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Bob returns from the Vietnam War as one.
- Special Person, Normal Name: The protagonist appears to be an immortal, time-traveling sorceress with the ordinary name Laura.
- Stock Footage: Old clips from Hanna-Barbera cartoons are set to the Wham! song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in a sequence that was added in 1987 to disguise that most of it was completed in 1981 and thus depicted only the very early 1980s.
- Supernatural Floating Hair: In her true form as a sorceress, Laura's hair streams out.
- Time Travel: Laura visits several different decades in the 20th century.
- Tragic Keepsake: After Bob's death, the grief-stricken Laura holds onto his dog tags.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Laura is shown to be able to change into a panther at will.
- War Is Hell: In the '60s segment, Laura's love interest Bob is drafted into the Vietnam War; he returns with PTSD.
