Doctor Omega
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American Pop is a 1981 American adult animated musical drama film starring Ron Thompson and produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi.
It was the fourth animated feature film to be presented in Dolby sound.
The film tells, through one family, the story of the history of American popular music in the 20th century.
The majority of the film's animation was completed through rotoscoping, a process in which live actors are filmed and the subsequent footage is used for animators to draw over. However, the film also uses a variety of other mixed media including water colors, computer graphics, live-action shots, and archival footage
The score for American Pop was composed by Lee Holdridge. As the result of his reputation as an innovator of adult animation, Bakshi was able to acquire the rights to an extensive soundtrack, including songs by Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, The Doors, George Gershwin, The Mamas & the Papas, Herbie Hancock, Lou Reed and Louis Prima, for under US$1 million in permissions fees. Due to music clearance issues, the film was not released on home video until 1998
The film was a success upon its February 12, 1981, release. Writer Jerry Beck called it "one of Bakshi's best films". The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and currently holds 59% on Rotten Tomatoes.