^{Interstella 5555} is an anime film / music video that depicts all of the songs of the Discovery album, by Daft Punk. It was produced by the band, along with Toei Animation in 2003. It was supervised by Leiji Matsumoto.

The sheer length of this work - over one hour long - along with a well written story that is continuous (and contagious to watch) since the first track to the last and great synchronization between animation and music made Interstella 5555 to surpass the notion of a music video and be considered an actual quality anime film.

The story of Interstella 5555 is about an alien pop band that is kidnapped from their home planet in order to be stars in another world (guess where!). Their only hope is Shep, a soldier that has a crush with Stella, the vocalist of the band and that will sacrifice all to release them from the clutches of the main villain.

The animation of Interstella 5555 is quite good - the style is similar to a great anime of the past, Captain Harlock, which was a big influence in the childhood of the band - and the music, well, it's Daft Punk (!), what can I say, if you like electronic / house music this is a must-see-hear.

1. "One More Time" - 5:20
2. "Aerodynamic" - 3:27
3. "Digital Love" - 4:58
4. "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" - 3:45
5. "Crescendolls" - 3:31
6. "Nightvision" - 1:44
7. "Superheroes" - 3:57
8. "High Life" - 3:22
9. "Something About Us" - 3:51
10. "Voyager" - 3:47
11. "Veridis Quo" - 5:44
12. "Short Circuit" - 3:26
13. "Face to Face" - 3:58
14. "Too Long" - 10:00

The videos posted on this page concerning the anime show were not uploaded by me on the video servers. They have lower quality than the originals and it's main purpose is for the viewer to have contact with a work not seen previously.

If you liked what you saw PLEASE BUY the original product in the links of Amazon I provided or in another official retailer.

The story begins in a parallel galaxy where four blue-skinned music stars on an alien planet are performing the song "One More Time" to a similarly blue-skinned audience. At the end of the song, a team of humanoid troops appear and subdue everyone with gas, including the band on stage. The lead guitarist almost manages to escape, but is taken down by one of the troops. The four musicians are kidnapped and beamed aboard a large space vessel ("Aerodinamyc").

A distress signal is sent out to a nearby ship piloted by Shep. When Shep is first seen he is daydreaming of Stella, bass player of the kidnapped band. He dozes off and is visited by an apparition of Stella. Just as the couple are about to kiss, the alert finally reaches him and brings Shep out of his dream. After receiving the call, Shep is determined to save the band and rockets off in pursuit of the kidnappers. During a chase sequence, Shep and the kidnapping vessel travel through a wormhole and eventually land on Earth. The kidnappers quickly bring the band off as an unidentified leader watches. Shep and his ship crash into a dense forest ("Digital Love").

Within a large underground facility, the band goes through an entirely automated process while unconscious. Each member of the group is stripped of their alien garb and have their memories rewritten. Their old memories are archived and stored on disks. The band is then skin-painted and hair-dyed to resemble humans. They are redressed and implanted with mind control devices ("Harder, Better, Faster,Stronger"). The band's captor (Earl de Darkwood), dressed in formal attire and presenting himself as their elderly manager, takes them to a recording studio where a record deal is made. The band (now named The Crescendolls) star in a photo shoot and produce their hit single "One More Time". The names of the protagonists are revealed: Stella (bass guitarist), Arpegius (guitarist), Baryl (drummer) and Octave (keyboardist / vocalist). In no time, The Crescendolls are a worldwide phenomenon ("Crescendolls"). The fame has its disadvantages as the exhausted members of the band are forced to sign large amounts of marketing material. While this is happening, Shep walks the streets at night discovering what has been done to his heroes ("Nightvision")

The band later appears in concert at a crowded arena. Earl de Darkwood appears on the stage and directs an orchestra. Shep appears and fires a device at Arpegius, Baryl and Octave, freeing them from the effects of their mind control devices. Aiming at Stella, he hesitates before pulling the trigger; this allows Darkwood to block the beam with his arm and draw out his laser pistol. Leaving Stella behind, Shep and the others hijack a step van and attempt an escape. During a chase, bodyguards catch up to the van in two black cars and mortally wound Shep before crashing into a semitruck ("Superheroes").

Still under the control of the Earl, Stella is later taken to a "Gold Record Award" awards ceremony, for which The Crescendolls have received a nomination. When the Golden Record is awarded to The Crescendolls, Baryl uses the anti-mind control device on Stella and beckons her to follow. The two enter a waiting taxicab, driven by Octave, and escape ("High Life").

The reunited band gathers around a dying Shep. Even as his life slips away, he manages to raise his injured arm out to Stella. She takes it and experiences a dream sequence similar to the one Shep experienced earlier. Shep then reveals The Crescendolls' true identity. The band expresses their gratitude as Shep draws his final breath ("Something About Us"). The Crescendolls later find a giant tree and lay their savior to rest. At night, the band watches Shep's spiritual essence emerging from the ground and rocketing into the stars. While driving away, the band screeches to a halt in front of a road sign to Darkwood Manor. This is the same place which appeared on a card Stella found earlier. The foursome agrees to check it and drive off ("Voyager").

The four band members eventually reach a great castle-like mansion. They happen upon a journal titled Veridis Quo that describes in great detail exactly what Earl de Darkwood's origins and plans are. In brief the book reveals that musical artists associated with the Earl on Earth are actually aliens used by him to make music worthy of Gold Records. The Earl would then unleash a tremendous power when 5,555 records have been claimed, which would allow him to rule the universe. The Crescendolls themselves were awarded Gold Record number 5555. The band find themselves surrounded by the Earl's guards, who escort them to the chamber of an underground chasm. Earl grabs Stella and thrusts her into a massive device lined with his Gold Records. The remaining members free themselves from the guards. Arpegius rushes to Earl before he releases the power and causes the record to fall from his hands to the abyss. Then Earl tries to get the disk, but he himself falls in; Arpegius tries to grab him, but he cannot hold on. The robed cult members surge forward into the lava after their lost master. Arpegius rescues Stella from the device and the band flees from the castle, which explodes ("Veridis Quo").

After learning the technology that the Earl of Darkwood had used on them, the band travels back to the Record company. Octave breaks in and finds the master recording of "One More Time", under which the band's archived memory disks are found. Octave attempts to leave with the disks but is surrounded by guards. He reaches into his jacket to retrieve a page of Veridis Quo, but one of the guards uses a stun gun on him. Due to the electric shock, Octave falls to the ground and turns into his original blue skin color, much to the surprise of the witnesses. The page is taken from Octave's hand and reveals what the disks are ("Short Circuit").

Construction crews unearth Shep's ship and the police investigate the Record company. Police also search every part of Darkwood Manor. A news report is later shown and depicts scenes of an operation to send The Crescendolls back home. The report also explains the situation and even shows that The Crescendolls were not the only group to have this happen to them. Octave wakes up and is greeted by the band, who are back to normal. As the band prepares to leave, people wave goodbye to the band from all over the world ("Face to Face").

When the band's ship is heading to the wormhole, the Earl's essence engulfs and attacks the ship. Shep's essence flies up to the Earl and defeats him, which frees the band. They successfully return to their home planet and are welcomed by its inhabitants. The band is again on the stage and the audience is dancing to their song. Everyone on Earth is also seen dancing to the performance shown on television screens. Outside the stadium, a heroic statue of Shep is unveiled. The camera pans out of the celebration. The viewer experiences a zoom out from the alien planet, to a large star cluster, and then stops with a record player. This reveals a vinyl recording playing the Daft Punk album Discovery. A sleeping little boy is shown surrounded by The Crescendolls and Daft Punk memorabilia. The needle is moved off the record and the music stops ("Too Long"). As the ending credits roll, a remixed version of "Aerodynamic" plays.

_{from Wikipedia}