Cannibal! The Musical

In 1993, Trey Parker and his collaborators released their first motion picture, a low-budget horror-comedy musical called Cannibal! The Musical. It's a wild ride of bizarre humor, gore, and music that chronicles the true story of a doomed trek across the Rocky Mountains in the late 1800s.

Packer is a singing and dancing hero of the film (played by Trey Parker himself) who leads a group of gold miners through the mountain ranges of Colorado. The area is so remote and treacherous that the group has no choice but to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. As the journey progresses, Parker and his companions must face harsh weather, hostile Native Americans, and the fear that they may never get to taste anything other than human flesh again.

The film is unabashedly absurd and playful, riffing on the musical genre in ways that are both hilarious and heartwarming. Parker's songs are catchy and clever, with titles like "That's All I'm Asking For", "Let's Build A Snowman!", and "Hang The Bastard". The choreography is also no-holds-barred, with scenes that range from hoop skirts and high kicks to synchronized axe chopping and bludgeoning.

The supporting cast is filled with Parker's usual gang of collaborators, including Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, and Stephen Blackpool. Each actor brings their own brand of wacky energy to the film, with Bachar's character Liane getting her own heartfelt ballad ("When I Was On Top Of You"), and Blackpool's "Japanese Indian" soldier taking a stand against prejudice and bigotry.

Despite its low budget and gore-filled subject matter, Cannibal! The Musical manages to deliver a sense of charm and humor that is reflective of Parker and Stone's work. It also has a strange sense of authenticity thanks to Parker's dedication to historical accuracy, with dialogue that is drawn from the actual journals of the ill-fated Donner party.

The film is not for the faint of heart, with plenty of gruesome scenes that are designed to shock and disgust. But it's also an underdog story, with characters that you can root for and whose struggles tug at the heartstrings. Even if you're not a fan of musicals, Cannibal! The Musical is worth a watch for its sheer audacity and inventiveness.

Overall, Cannibal! The Musical is a genuinely funny and entertaining film that defies classification. It's a musical, a horror film, a comedy, and a history lesson all at once. And it's a testament to the off-the-wall creativity of its creators, who would go on to create even more groundbreaking material in the years following its release.