CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL
TREY PARKER and MATT STONE'S PRE-SOUTH PARK COMEDY CLASSIC MAY BE THE FUNNIEST DVD EVER!

I love Cannibal! The Musical.  There's an honest fun to it that few films have ever accomplished.  While many first films by students flounder horribly, everything seems to click with this movie, which never ceases to dazzle my friends that I get the pleasure of showing it to for the first time.  After borrowing the video of it just months ago, I promptly bought the DVD and have seen it no less than 25 times since.  Cheesy gore, corny dialogue, and some of the most catchy songs ever recorded help make this a comedy classic for the ages.

 

Cannibal! The Musical uses the notorious pioneer era man-eater Alferd Packer as the unlikely subject matter for this irresistible musical.  As roadsideamerica.com points out, while The Donner Party ate their dead to survive a harsh winter, Packer preferred a hot meal when times got tough. 

The opening scenes, pictured above, feature an over the top depiction of the killings that sets the court trial in motion.  Packer, played wonderfully by Trey Parker, insists that's not how it really happens, and tells his tale through the rest of the film via flashbacks.  Packer recalls how he became an unwilling guide to a band of gold prospectors.  Along the way he loses his horse (the best friend he ever had) that may have been stolen by hilariously evil trappers.  Things just go downhill for the party there.

Israel Swan, as played by Jon Hegel (pictured on the left) has a innocent Chris Elliot
style charm that works beautifully in this film.  It's a shame that it's the only movie he's
ever made, cause he's a riot.

There's a great fun to Cannibal! that's rarely seen in movies.  Trey made the film while attending the University of Colorado, and was ultimately kicked out as the project was leaving no time for school work.  And with the film being the spark that helped him go on with his buddy Matt Stone to make South Park, that was a great thing for everyone.

If you look carefully while Swan is tap-dancing during the "Snowman" song,
the snowman's head is temporarily changed into that of an alien's. 
There's actually 5 other small alien cameos throughout the film.

The songs are amazingly funny and well produced.  From Cannibal! to his immense (and Oscar nominated) work with the South Park franchise, Trey Parker is easily one of the most underrated songwriter's of our time.

"The Trapper Song" is the centerpiece of the film, that is easily one of the funnier
tunes I've ever heard.  You can CLICK HERE to read the lyrics, and see for yourself.

From "That's All I'm Asking For" to "The Trapper Song" (which features brilliant lyrics like "The brain of an antelope, tastes like cantaloupe, what a yummy life!"), it's hard to not sing along.  The Trappers are certainly the high point of the film, both menacing and ridiculous at the same time.

Matt's role as Humphrey was certainly instrumental in inspiring the look of South Park's "Kyle".

The DVD, while chock full of extra features for the die-hard fans, has what many people consider to be the funniest audio commentary ever made.  Parker and Stone, along with much of the film's 1993 original cast, tell you right up front that they're just going to get drunk on whiskey and have a great time, resulting in some truly funny dialogue that doesn't fail to give great behind the scenes info.  Here's some interesting tidbits divulged during their drunken descent in to madness.

When the "Hang the Bastard" sequence begins, you can find Matt Stone in drag sitting on the porch.

The film's trailer, which was shot to secure funding for the film, features a poncho wearing Mexican character that's not used in the actual movie.

The green jacket Trey wears throughout the film was actually issued to his grandfather while he served in World War One.

Another shot from the trailer shows that Swan was originally a mean guy, who ends up shooting the butcher after tiring of his "Snowman" song.

Alfred's horse was named "Liane" as a dig to Trey's ex-fiancé Liane who called off their marriage a month before the magic date.  Line's like "everyone in town has ridden your horse" are digs at her.  Cartman's slutty mom in South Park is also named Liane.  In a strange bit of irony, the real Liane (pictured above, front center) was used to choreograph the final dance number, oblivious to the reference.

The DVD also has some bizarre tidbits like scenes from a laughably awful stage version of the film, the original trailer which features cast and character appearance differences, and more.

I totally recommend this film for a good laugh, you can't go wrong.  And if you really want to see a kickass site dedicated to Cannibal!, visit the banner below and enjoy an incredibly thorough look at the film.

NICE HAT!