Wave Twisters
{{Short description|2001 American animated film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Wave Twisters
| image = wavetwisters.png
| caption = DVD cover
| director = Eric Henry
Syd Garon
| producer = Yogafrog
| screenplay = Doug Cunningham
Syd Garon
Eric Henry
| story = DJ Q-Bert
| starring =
| music = DJ Q-Bert
| cinematography =
| editing = Rodney Ascher
Kim Bica
Syd Garon
Eric Henry
Carol Lynn Weaver
| distributor = Thud Rumble
| released = {{Film date|2001|01|23|Sundance Film Festival|ref1={{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=110797|title=DJ Q-Bert Scratches His Way to Sundance|last=Comerford|first=Will|date=2001-01-16|access-date=2014-09-02}}}}
| runtime = 46 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $250,000{{cite web|url=http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/summer2001/reports/scratch_back.php|title=SCRATCH BACK|last=Lowe|first=Justin|work=Filmmaker|year=2001|access-date=2014-09-02}}
}}
Wave Twisters is a 2001 American animated film directed by Eric Henry and Syd Garon and based on DJ Q-Bert's album of the same name. It is known as the first turntablism-based musical. It is a mix of live-action, computer graphics, and cel animation.
Plot
A crew of heroes is determined to save the lost arts of hip hop: break dancing, graffiti, MCing, and DJing from total extinction. The lost arts are being oppressed throughout inner-space by lord Ook and his evil minions the Chinheads. DJ and dentist The Dental Commander, graffiti artist Honey Drips, robotic MC Rubbish, and breakdancer Grandpa have a series of adventures, synchronized to the music. Armed with the ancient relic known as the Wave Twister (a small turntable/wristwatch, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat the enemies), they travel to the far ends of inner-space for a final confrontation with the sinister army of oppressors. The film ends with the team teaching the liberated the lost fundamentals of hip hop.
Cast
- DJ Q-Bert as Darth Fader
- Yogafrog as Turbo Frog
- D-Styles as Wax Fondler
- Flare as Butchwax
- Buckethead as himself
Production
The film is entirely scripted to match the DJ Q-Bert recording. It was produced digitally using Adobe After Effects and a relatively small team of animators, who used Apple PowerMac G3 computers.{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qhgIKMHie3kC&pg=PA61|title=Spaced Invaders|last=Johnson|first=Gregory|journal=Spin|date=June 2001|page=61}} The film spent three years in production.{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gSYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60|title=Wave Runner|last=Bernstein|first=Kate|journal=Vibe|date=August 2001|page=60}} DJ Q-Bert wanted to make videos for his music without sacrificing his street influences. At the same time, he wanted to highlight the underground elements in hip hop culture.{{cite news|url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2001-02-08/calendar/enter-the-wave-twisters/full/|title=Enter the Wave Twisters|last=Kelley|first=Brendan Joel|work=Phoenix New Times|date=2001-02-08|access-date=2014-09-02}}{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Underground-DJ-Culture-Surfaces-Two-films-at-2958805.php#page-1|title=Underground DJ Culture Surfaces / Two films at Sundance highlight talent of S.F. stars|last=Chonin|first=Neva|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=2001-01-28|access-date=2014-09-02}} Sources for the images used in the film include NASA and old cartoons. Other influences include Shaft, Star Trek, Bullitt, and Lost in Space.
Release
Reception
Vibe called it "a Saturday-morning cartoon gone street". Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote, "A dazzling sensory-overload goof, animated featurette Wave Twisters pays parodic homage to sci-fi actioners in terms as densely layered as its visual and sonic textures."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/wave-twisters-1200466600/|title=Review: 'Wave Twisters'|last=Harvey|first=Dennis|work=Variety|date=2001-02-22|access-date=2014-09-02}} Harvey states that more staid audiences may not get the film, but it will appeal highly to the MTV generation.
References
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