Tars: The Ladder

Theatrical release poster

***Tars: The Ladder*** is a 1999 live-action/animated fantasy psychological musical drama film directed by Michio Yamamoto, Nobuhiko Obayashi, René Laloux, Jacinto Molina, Vincent Dawn, Clyde Anderson, Martin Newlin, Eddie Romero, Al Adamson and Gary Trousdale, based on Tars's album of the same name. It was Mark Rendall's first film and Olive Gregg's last film before her retirement on December 4, 1999 and death in November 7, 2003.

Like its associated album, the film is highly metaphorical, and frequently utilizes both visual and auditory symbols throughout its runtime. It features little dialogue, instead being driven by the music from the album throughout. The songs used in the film have several differences from their album versions, and one of the songs included, "Face to Face" and "Nine Voices", does not appear on the film at all. Despite its turbulent production, the film received generally positive reviews and has an established cult following amongst Tars fans, although its reception from the band themselves has been less favorable.

## Plot

David is a nice rock star who appears wakes up, brushing teeth, eating breakfast and going to school. Young David later met Tars, Madeline Fogg and Miss Clavel.

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## Cast

* Mark Mileham as David and Himself
	+ Mark Rendall as Young David
* Andrea Libman as Madeline Fogg
* Stevie Vallance as Miss Clavel
* French Tickner as Lord Cucuface
* Michael Monroe Heyward as Pepito
* Ben Daniels as Leopold the Tutor
* Veronika Sztopa as Chloe
* Britt Irvin as Nicole
* Christopher Lloyd as Hacker
* Gilbert Gottfried as Digit
* Christopher Plummer as Narrator
* Bill Switzer as Matt
* Annick Obonsawin as Inez Ramon
* Erica Luttrell as Jackie LeRange
* Len Carlson as Buzz and Henry Chan
* Robert Tinkler as Delete
* Billie Mae Richards as Motherboard
* Richard Binsley as Dr. Marbles
* Alex Karzis as Ledge
* Hadley Kay as Coop Burtonburger and Theodore Roachment
* Richard Cox as Kevin Reynolds
* Matt Hill as Tyler Bowman
* Tabitha St. Germain as Jennifer Shope
* Mako as Zenblock
* Richard Yearwood as Memnock
* Herbert Lom as Count Venamus
* Veronica Lazar as WordGirl
* Philip Williams as Burt Burtonburger
* Oliver Grainger as Dennis Chan
* Kristina Nicoll as XR4TI
* Kathleen Barr as Mr. Kat, Millie Burtonburger and Lorne
* Olive Gregg as Harvey
* Finty Williams as Fiona Munson
* Linda Sorenson as Old Lady Munson
* Martin Stephens as Himself
* Clive Powell as Himself
* Michael Massee as Himself
* Anna Massee as Herself
* Enzo Gottin as Himself
* Don Messick as Himself
* Frank Silva as Himself
* Michele Soavi as Himself
* Stuart Stone as Himself
* Maria Bamford as Violet Heaslip
* Walker Edmiston as Captain Huggy Face
* Sunny Besen Thrasher as Mr. Cheeks and David's friend
* Robert Champagne as David's father
* Paul Naschy as Tony
* Mary Coulson as David's mom

## Release

The film was shown out of competition during the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

*Tars: The Ladder* was released in July 16, 1999 in France, September 24, 1999 in USA, September 29, 1999 in UK, October 6, 1999 in Japan, and October 8, 1999 in Italy.

*Tars: The Ladder* was released on VHS and DVD on November 13, 1999.

## Reception

This film received positive reviews upon release. It currently has a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10. The site's consensus states: "It may be a tad tedious for older viewers, but *The Ladder is an fictional location*". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.