The Electric Piper

The Electric Piper is a 2003 American, animated, made-for-TV film. It is based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin. It was co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Nickelodeon Studios, and Frederator Inc. It premiered on the cable network, Nickelodeon. After airing a few more times, it wouldn't be heard from again for over a decade, that is, until 2016 when an anonymous user uploaded it online.

Plot
A more modernized take on the Pied Piper story, it centers on a traveling, Jimi Hendrix-esque musician named Sly. He's summoned to the town of Hamelin to get rid of a rat infestation by way of guitar-playing and he succeeds. When the mayor stiffs him on a deal of an exchange that was supposed to be made and doesn't keep his end of it (the mayor owes him a new motorcycle), Sly responds by stealing away the townspeople's children and they head to some mountains.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The contemporary setting (well, that is, at least, contemporary for the time, the 1960s) makes this such a standout from other versions of the story.
 * 2) The writing is an innovative and well-reimagined.
 * 3) The musical numbers are exciting and well-written parodies of actual songs on which they're based and were popular at the time.
 * 4) The parodies and pop-culture references are well-referenced, such as a scene with four astronauts walking on the crosswalk, which parodies the Abbey Road album by The Beatles.
 * 5) The character designs are a cool mix of the stylized look and the thick, black outlines.
 * 6) The scenes with the psychedelic effects are awesome and capture the vibe well.
 * 7) The characters are phenomenal in their own ways, especially Sly, who has another motivation for stealing the kids that's revealed later.
 * 8) The whole cast did such a tremendous job in voicing their characters.
 * 9) The names of a few of the characters who are named after certain, real-life musicians is a nice touch.
 * 10) The animation is vivacious enough.
 * 11) The ending couldn't be any more satisfying in defying the original's conclusion.
 * 12) It spawned a soundtrack.

Trivia

 * Although the character is inspired by Jimi Hendrix, his name, Sly, comes from Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart, the frontman of the psychedelic soul/funk band, Sly and The Family Stone.
 * The siblings, Mick and Janis Dixon, are named after Mick Jagger from the British rock band, Rolling Stones and the late hard rocker, Janis Joplin.