This week, we’re diving into the groovy world of The Devil and Daniel Mouse—a delightfully strange 1978 Canadian animated Halloween special that’s pure 1970s magic. Originally aired on CBC on October 22, 1978, this 25-minute Nelvana production takes Stephen Vincent Benét’s classic tale The Devil and Daniel Webster and reimagines it with anthropomorphic animals in the world of rock music.
The story follows Jan and Daniel Mouse, a struggling folk duo whose old-fashioned sound just isn’t cutting it anymore. When the smooth-talking record producer B.L. Zebub (subtle, right?) offers Jan fame and fortune, she signs a contract in blood without reading the fine print. Soon she’s the lead singer of Funky Jan and the Animal Kingdom, topping the charts with her supernatural band of conjured animals. But when the Devil comes to collect her soul at midnight, it’s up to Daniel—who’s definitely not a lawyer—to defend her in a supernatural courtroom filled with ghostly music industry souls.
With music by John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful—and animation that screams vintage 1970s—this Halloween special later inspired Nelvana’s cult classic feature film Rock & Rule. Join us as we explore this wonderfully weird piece of Canadian animation history that asks the eternal question: can a song from the heart really beat the Devil every time?
