Editing Heavy Metal (film) (section)

==Plot==
==="Soft Landing"===
The title sequence was based on the comic of the same name by [[Dan O'Bannon]] and Thomas Warkentin.<ref>{{cite comic|story=Soft Landing|writer=[[Dan O'Bannon]]|artist=Thomas Warkentin |title=Heavy Metal|volume=3|issue=5|date=Sep 1979}}</ref>

The title sequence story opens with a [[Space Shuttle]] orbiting the Earth. The bay doors open, releasing a 1960 [[Chevrolet Corvette (C1)|Corvette]]. An [[astronaut]] seated in the car then begins descending through Earth's atmosphere, landing in a desert canyon.

'''Crew'''
* [[Jimmy T. Murakami]] and [[John Bruno (special effects)|John Bruno]] – directors
* [[John Coates (producer)|John Coates]] – producer
* [[Dan O'Bannon]] – writer
* Thomas Warkentin – art direction

'''Music'''
* "Radar Rider" by [[Jerry Riggs|Riggs]]

'''Studio'''
* MGM Titles
* T.V. Cartoons Ltd

==="Grimaldi"===
In the framing story, the astronaut Grimaldi arrives at home where he is greeted by his daughter. He says he has something to show her. When he opens his case, a green, crystalline sphere rises out and melts him. It introduces itself to the terrified girl as "the sum of all evils". Looking into the orb known as the Loc-Nar, the girl sees how it has influenced societies throughout time and space.

'''Cast'''
* [[Percy Rodriguez]] (uncredited) as Loc-Nar
* [[Don Francks]] as Grimaldi
* Caroline Semple as Girl

'''Crew'''
* [[Harold Whitaker]] – director
* [[John Halas]] – producer

'''Studio'''
* [[Halas and Batchelor|Halas & Batchelor Animation Ltd]]

==="Harry Canyon"===
Original story by [[Daniel Goldberg (producer)|Daniel Goldberg]] and [[Len Blum]]; based on ''[[The Long Tomorrow (comics)|The Long Tomorrow]]'' by [[Jean Giraud|Moebius]].

In a dystopian and crime-ridden [[New York City]] in 2031, cynical taxicab driver Harry Canyon narrates his day in [[film noir]] style, grumbling about his fares and frequent robbery attempts he thwarts with a [[Raygun|disintegrator]] installed in the back of his seat. He stumbles into an incident where he rescues a red-haired young woman from Rudnick, a gangster who murdered her father. She explains that her father discovered the Loc-Nar, and they have been pursued relentlessly by people attempting to obtain it. Harry takes her to his apartment, where they have sex. She decides to sell the Loc-Nar to Rudnick and split the money with Harry. Rudnick is disintegrated by the Loc-Nar at the exchange, and she attempts to double-cross Harry to keep the money for herself. When she pulls out a gun, Harry uses the disintegrator on her. He keeps the money, and summarizes the incident as a "two-day ride with one hell of a tip".

'''Cast'''
{{div col}}
* [[Harvey Atkin]] as Alien, Henchman
* [[John Candy]] as Desk Sergeant
* [[Marilyn Lightstone]] as Whore
* [[Susan Roman]] as Girl, Satellite
* [[Richard Romanus]] as Harry Canyon
* [[Al Waxman]] as Rudnick
{{div col end}}

'''Crew'''
{{div col}}
* [[Pino van Lamsweerde]] – director
* W. H. Stevens Jr. – producer
* Vic Atkinson – producer
* [[Daniel Goldberg (producer)|Daniel Goldberg]] – writer
* [[Len Blum]] – writer
{{div col end}}

'''Music'''
* "[[Veteran of the Psychic Wars]]" by [[Blue Öyster Cult]]
* "True Companion" by [[Donald Fagen]]
* "Blue Lamp" by [[Stevie Nicks]]
* "[[Open Arms (Journey song)|Open Arms]]" by [[Journey (band)|Journey]]
* "Heartbeat" by Riggs

'''Studio'''
* [[Atkinson Film-Arts|Atkinson Film Arts]]

==="Den"===
Based on the [[Den (comics)|character of the same name]] created by [[Richard Corben]].

A nerdy teenager finds a "green meteorite" near his house and adds it to his rock collection. During a lightning experiment, the orb hurls the young man into the world of Neverwhere, where he transforms into a naked, muscular man called [[Den (comics)|Den]], an acronym for his earth name, David Ellis Norman. There, Den witnesses a strange ritual, rescuing a beautiful young woman who is about to be sacrificed to [[Cthulhu|Uhluhtc]]. Reaching safety, she introduces herself as Katherine Wells from the British colony of [[Gibraltar]]. The two start having sex, but are interrupted by the minions of Ard, an immortal man who wants to obtain the Loc-Nar for himself. After being taken to see Ard, Den demands to see Katherine. His request is ignored and Ard orders his men to castrate Den. Den fights off the soldiers and shoots Ard, who heals immediately. The girl turns out to be sleeping, encased in glass under a spell where only Ard can awaken her. Ard offers Den a deal: if he gets the Loc-Nar from the Queen and brings it to him, the girl will be released. Den agrees and infiltrates the palace along with Ard's best soldier, Norl. They are promptly caught by the Queen's guards, but she offers leniency if Den has sex with her. He complies, thereby distracting the Queen while the raiding party steals the Loc-Nar. Den escapes and races back to rescue Katherine from Ard. Recreating the lightning incident that drew him to Neverwhere, he is able to banish Ard and the Queen. Den suspects that they were teleported to Earth. Refusing the opportunity to take the Loc-Nar for himself, Den rides with Katherine into the sunset, content to remain in Neverwhere. As for the Loc-Nar, it rises into the sky and lands on a space station where it is picked up by someone else.

'''Cast'''
* John Candy as [[Den (comics)|Den]]
* [[Jackie Burroughs]] as Katherine Wells
* [[Martin Lavut]] as Ard
* [[Marilyn Lightstone]] as Queen
* [[August Schellenberg]] as Norl

'''Crew'''
* [[Jack Stokes (director)|Jack Stokes]] – director
* Jerry Hibbert – producer
* [[Richard Corben]] – writer

'''Studio'''
* Votetone

==="Captain Sternn"===
Based on the [[Captain Sternn|character of the same name]] created by [[Bernie Wrightson]].

On a space station, crooked space captain [[Captain Sternn|Lincoln F. Sternn]] is on trial for numerous serious charges presented by the prosecutor consisting of 12 counts of murder in the first degree, 14 counts of armed theft of Federation property, 22 counts of piracy in high space, 18 counts of fraud, 37 counts of rape&nbsp;— and one moving violation. Pleading "not guilty" against the advice of his [[lawyer]] Charlie, Sternn explains that he expects to be acquitted because he bribed a witness named Hanover Fiste. Fiste takes the stand upon being called to by the prosecutor, but his perjury is subverted when the Loc-Nar, now the size of a marble, causes him to blurt out highly incriminating statements about Sternn (though whether or not any of them are true is unknown) before changing him into a hulking muscular brute that chases Sternn throughout the station, breaking through bulkheads and wreaking havoc. Eventually, he corners Sternn, who gives him his promised payoff, and he promptly shrinks back to his scrawny original form. Sternn opens a trap door under Fiste, ejecting him into space. The Loc-Nar enters Earth's atmosphere with Fiste's flaming severed hand still clinging to it.

'''Cast'''
* [[Rodger Bumpass]] as Hanover Fiste
* [[Joe Flaherty]] as Charlie, the lawyer
* [[Douglas Kenney]] as Regolian
* [[Eugene Levy]] as [[Captain Sternn|Captain Lincoln F. Sternn]]
* [[John Vernon]] as Prosecutor

'''Crew'''
* Julian Szuchopa – director
* Paul Sebella – director
* [[Bernie Wrightson]] – writer

'''Music'''
* "[[Reach Out (Cheap Trick song)|Reach Out]]" by [[Cheap Trick]]

'''Studio'''
* Boxcar Animation Studios Inc

==="Neverwhere Land"===
Because of time constraints, a segment called "Neverwhere Land", which would have connected "Captain Sternn" to "B-17", was cut.

The story follows the influence of the Loc-Nar upon the evolution of a planet, from the Loc-Nar landing in a body of water, influencing the rise of the industrial age, and a world war. This original story was created by Cornelius Cole III.

The original rough animatics are set to a loop of the beginning of [[Pink Floyd]]'s "[[Time (Pink Floyd song)|Time]]". The 1996 VHS release included this segment at the end of the tape. On the DVD release, this segment is included as a bonus feature. In both released versions, the sequence is set to the music of "Passacaglia" (from ''Magnificat''), composed and conducted by [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] and with animation studio being produced by [[Noble (company)|Duck Soup Produckions]].

==="B-17"===
A [[World War II]] [[B-17 bomber]] nicknamed the ''Pacific Pearl'' makes a difficult bombing run and suffers heavy damage with all of the crew except the pilot and co-pilot killed by gunfire. As the bomber limps home, the co-pilot goes back to check on the crew. Finding nothing but dead bodies, he notices the Loc-Nar trailing the plane. Informing the pilot, he heads back to the cockpit, when the Loc-Nar rams itself into the plane and reanimates the dead crew members as [[zombie]]s. The co-pilot is killed, while the pilot parachutes away in time. He lands on an island where he finds a graveyard of airplanes from various times, along with the wrecked airplanes' zombified airmen, who surround him, sealing the horrified pilot's fate.

'''Cast'''
* Don Francks as Co-Pilot (Holden)
* George Touliatos as Pilot (Skip)
* [[Zal Yanovsky]] as Navigator

'''Crew'''
* [[Barrie Nelson]] – director
* W. H. Stevens Jr. – producer
* Dan O'Bannon – writer

'''Music'''
* "[[Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)]]" by [[Don Felder]]

'''Studio'''
* [[Atkinson Film-Arts]]

==="So Beautiful & So Dangerous"===
Based on the comic of the same name by [[Angus McKie]].<ref>{{cite book|title=So Beautiful and So Dangerous|first=Angus |last=McKie|author-link= Angus McKie|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date= April 1, 1979|isbn= 978-0930368418}}</ref>

Dr. Anrak, a prominent scientist, arrives at [[The Pentagon]] for a meeting regarding mysterious mutations that are plaguing the United States. At the meeting, the doctor tries to dismiss the occurrences. When he sees the Loc-Nar in the locket of Gloria, a beautiful buxom stenographer, he begins to behave erratically and [[Breast fetishism|motorboats]] her. A colossal starship drills through the roof and abducts the doctor and, by accident, Gloria. The ship's robot is irritated at Anrak, who is actually a malfunctioning [[Android (robot)|android]], but its mood changes when it sees Gloria. With the help of the ship's alien pilot Edsel and co-pilot Zeke, the robot convinces Gloria to stay on board and have [[Sex robot|"robot sex"]] (albeit off-screen). Meanwhile, Edsel and Zeke snort a huge amount of a powdered drug called Plutonian Nyborg before flying home, zoning out on the cosmos. Too intoxicated to fly straight, they crash-land unharmed in a huge space station.

'''Cast'''
* Rodger Bumpass as Dr. Anrak
* John Candy as Robot
* Joe Flaherty as General
* Eugene Levy as Male Reporter / Edsel
* [[Alice Playten]] as Gloria
* [[Harold Ramis]] as Zeke
* Patty Dworkin as Female Reporter
* [[Warren Munson]] as Senator

'''Crew'''
* [[John Halas]] – director
* [[Angus McKie]] – writer

'''Music'''
* "Queen Bee" by [[Grand Funk Railroad]]
* "I Must Be Dreamin'" by Cheap Trick
* "Crazy? (A Suitable Case for Treatment)" by [[Nazareth (band)|Nazareth]]
* "All of You" by Don Felder
* "Prefabricated" by [[Trust (French band)|Trust]]
* "Heavy Metal" by [[Sammy Hagar]]

'''Studio'''
* [[Halas and Batchelor|Halas & Batchelor Animation Ltd]]

==="Taarna"===
Original story by [[Daniel Goldberg (producer)|Daniel Goldberg]] and [[Len Blum]]; based on  ''[[Arzach]]'' by [[Jean Giraud|Moebius]].

The Loc-Nar, now the size of a giant meteor, crashes into a volcano on another world and draws a large mass of curious people. As they begin to climb the volcano, it erupts and green slime covers the crowd, mutating them into an evil barbarian army. The mutants subsequently attack a nearby city of peaceful scholars. Desperate, the city leaders mentally summon the Taarakians, a once powerful yet now declining warrior race with whom the city had a pact, but the city falls before the call can be answered.

Taarna, a beautiful and mute warrior and the last of the Taarakians, receives the summons. After ritually preparing herself, she and her avian mount fly to the beleaguered city, only to find the citizens dead. Determined to avenge them, she begins following the trail of their murderers and encounters a small band of the mutant barbarians. After killing them and with more information at hand, she travels towards the mutant camp, but she and her mount are captured.

Taarna is tortured and thrown into an open pit, unconscious. Her mount escapes and rescues her. She tries going for the Loc-Nar, but the mutants pursue and shoot her mount down. The mutant leader faces Taarna in a duel to the death, wounding her, but Taarna manages to kill him. With the last of their strength, Taarna and her companion make a death flight to the volcano. As they approach, the Loc-Nar warns her off, claiming that sacrificing herself would be futile. Ignoring the Loc-Nar, Taarna unleashes the power imbued in her sword and dives into the volcano, destroying the Loc-Nar.

'''Cast'''
* Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar
* [[Thor Bishopric]] as Boy
* Ned Conlon as Councilman #1
* Len Doncheff as Barbarian #1
* Don Francks as Barbarian #2
* Joseph Golland as Councilman #2
* Charles Joliffe as Councilman #3
* [[Mavor Moore]] as Elder
* [[August Schellenberg]] as Taarak
* [[Cedric Smith (actor)|Cedric Smith]] as Bartender
* George Touliatos as Barbarian #3
* [[Vlasta Vrána]] as Barbarian Leader
* Zal Yanovsky as Barbarian #4

'''Music'''
* "[[E5150]]" by [[Black Sabbath]]
* "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath
* "[[Through Being Cool (Devo song)|Through Being Cool]]" by [[Devo]]

==="Epilogue"===
As the final story ends, the Loc-Nar that was terrorizing the girl destabilizes and begins breaking up. The girl flees it and her home. The Loc-Nar then explodes, destroying the mansion in the process. Taarna's reborn mount appears outside and the girl happily flies away on it. It is then revealed that Taarna's soul has been reincarnated in the girl, transforming her into a new Taarakian.

'''Cast'''
* Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar

'''Music'''
* "[[Working in the Coal Mine]]" by Devo