The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is Rob Zombie's foray in the mad bad world of animation. It's a wacky zany kinda flick that's spread out over an hour but could've easily been condensed into 25 minutes i reckon. The storyline (of what there is) is a bit on the wild side. Basically Dr Satan needs a bride to become all powerful and world dominating, he finds his suitor in a class-less stripper and it's then down to the over sexed El Superbeasto and his friend Suzi-X to put an end to him. Erm.. As far as story goes i guess that's pretty much the meat of it. However, story is not what this flick is really geared towards, I'll explain.
Most of the movie engages in jocularity and over the top scenes of cartoon sex, alien/monster action and Nazi Werewolf shenanigans. A very bizarre mix of elements creating a bewildering viewing experience. Clearly The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is created with the hyperactive viewer in mind and whizzes a long at a hell of a rate. One thing that you couldn't criticise it of being, is slow. There are times keeping track of why certain characters are in the places they are, doing the things they're doing can be tough. Although given the simplicity of the over arching storyline it's never that big a deal to get to grips with.
The acting quality is decent enough and THWoES sports a fantastic ensemble cast featuring the likes of Danny Trejo (Machete), Ken Foree, Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob's Wife) playing a main character Suzi-X, Bill Moseley, Paul Giamatti, Sid Haig, etc, etc. Undoubtedly you couldn't say this flick is lacking star appeal.
Being an animation special effects are on the light side, there's no CGI shots or anything, certainly nothing prominent that sticks out in my mind. Except for one little sequence everything is animated and is done using what looks like old style cell shading very Akira esque. It actually reminds me a lot of the modern Batman style of animation although is perhaps somewhat better.
Ultimately do i recommend THWoES? For animation or Rob Zombie lovers i would likely say yes. Don't expect anything deep and meaningful and i can't see you being too disappointed. Although to be honest i would recommend renting this one first before buying flat out, its a quirky little flick and some people may not take to it. For those folks that hate animation, you'd best steer well clear of this one.