Draft:KISS: Immortals

The rock group KISS is famous (and infamous) for many artistic contributions over the decades, some prime examples being their very first movie “KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park” (the European edition with an alternate soundtrack and deleted scenes included being known as “Attack Of The Phantoms” ), their solo albums, the annual KISS Kruise , their most recent Hanna-Barbera collaboration “Scooby Doo & KISS: Rock & Roll Mystery” , and of course, the endless variety-type amounts of KISS-themed merchandise they have available for sale (ranging from KISS Condoms   to KISS Waffle Irons  to KISS Kaskets).

But a piece of KISStory which seems to have surprisingly been forgotten is their first computer-animated adventure, “KISS: Immortals”.

Background
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Original Credit Screen for the                                                                                  -"KISS Immortals" Webisode Series ]] Created and written by Jeffrey Sullivan and Bruce Ondef, "KISS: Immortals" originally appeared as a series of 27 webisodes back in 1992. It was then released as an interactive choose-your-own-adventure DVD (rated PG-13, for the record) in 2000. The keyboard is used to control the plot twists, and with dozens of plot paths and multiple endings to choose from, the viewer decides how the story will unfold. (Spoiler Alert: If the wrong path gets chosen---KISS DIES! )  "KISS:  Immortals" is the first-ever, made-for-the-Web 3-D animated series that features the actual voices, music, and likenesses of music legends KISS (specifically Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley). “KISS: Immortals” is a rock-and-roll adventure series, airing in weekly "Webisode" installments, on a number of partner Web sites. The series finds KISS, in the midst of a concert tour, mysteriously abducted into the alien world of Umbra. Umbra is an oppressive world without music or heroes, but KISS is determined to save this universe - and ours - armed with their music, a rebellious attitude and the viewers' help.

During its stint as a webisode, it was part of Entertaindom's "Multipath Movie Channel", which ultimately featured at least five Multipath series produced by Brilliant Digital, the others being "Superman", "Xena" , "Dracula" , and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". Five episodes (one for each member of KISS and an "awesome" concert scene) were available for a preview download as of January 5, 2000, and at the same time a PC CD was offered for sale (just $13 at the time) containing the complete series. Originally slated to be launched January 29, "KISS: Immortals" got rescheduled to be released on February 29 (Leap Year that year) due to higher-than-expected demand by third party affiliate websites. These included (but were not restricted to) KISS Online, the Excite@Home and Road Runner broadband services, VH-1.com, and Brilliant Digital's own website.

Kevin Bermeister, president of Brilliant Digital at the time of the initial launch, commented, "We are very pleased with the increase in demand for ‘KISS: Immortals’, which has been stimulated by the growing visibility and success of our current Internet content offerings. While we were prepared to launch the series, at the request of new syndication partners, we are delaying the launch to accommodate their interest and enable them to participate, simultaneously, in the global launch. The worldwide launch of a new entertainment form, that combines music, 3-D animation, interactivity and the Internet, and features the music, voices and likenesses of the legendary rock band KISS, deserves a unique launch date. `Leap year day,' which comes but once every four years - and the first time this Millennium couldn't be a more perfect day for us to `rock' the Internet. We apologize to KISS fans around the world for the delay, but trust that the significance of the day, and the broader access it will allow, will be well worth the wait."

Fred Graver, Senior Vice President of VH1.com at the time of the initial launch, commented, "VH1.com is thrilled to partner with Brilliant Digital Entertainment in producing the kind of entertainment that our audience expects from the VH1 brand on the Web."

KISS Asylum was another website very excited to partner with Brilliant Digital to carry the "KISS: Immortals" webisodes, and also provided a customized email form so that fans could get reminder updates on future KISS Immortals installments as they became available. That way they could catch not just the premiere "KISS: Immortals" webisode each time, but also be sure they saw all the future installments of this exciting new series right there on "their favorite KISS website". Incidentally, and most unfortunately, all direct url links for the webisodes have since become defunct, and it is currently unknown whether or not the series will be relaunched online---though it is sincerely hoped for and desired that a complete set of the webisodes or a master copy of the DVD rendition may be located in the near future for reintroduction and reproduction.

Currently in possession of the original author/creator of this webpage is an ALMOST-complete digital copy of the webisodes edited together into a presentable DVD movie format, but there is still approximately ten minutes of footage still missing, so an appeal is going out to all bootleggers of the webisodes for at least one digital copy of those missing ten minutes (specifically the part between KISS’ dream sequences—-Gene dreaming about a girl, Ace dreaming about food (“Mmm, pastrami on rye!”), and Paul dreaming about knowledge—-to when KISS is reunited in the Black Diamond mines) to complete the restoration and finish the project on behalf of Gene Simmons (and Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss as well, of course).

Plot
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The list of the "KISS: Immortals" webisodes/chapters-KISS as CG Stars]] The lights flash and the crowd roars with enthusiasm as KISS plays their final date in Pittsburgh. As always, Paul, Gene, Ace, and Peter are bringing down the house with "Shout It Out Loud". Suddenly, a portal appears above them and tendrils of light snatch them up one by one into it. "Ace, if you say 'Mary' next, I'm gonna kick your butt!" Gene warns Ace as they get grabbed last. As they travel through the portal, they hope it's just a bad dream. But then, a woman's voice addresses them, referring to them as "The Four Who Are One". She pleads to them for help, saying they are the only ones who can save her from "the storm". And even though they've been kidnapped (or KISS-napped, so to speak) by her, KISS doesn't outright refuse, because it's not their style to leave a damsel in distress (plus, if she’s resorted to such an extreme action, she must be REALLY desperate for help). They inquire who she is, but she only cryptically replies, "I am the voice of the shadows." Within a matter of minutes, they find themselves transported to a surreal world populated by reptilian-like creatures called Umbrans. And they quickly discover from a teenage local that music is outlawed. Rescuing the boy, Taj, from the local cops, KISS is guided to the city of Namnos, where the law of the land is upheld by Domino, a feisty redhead who shoots first and asks questions later.

Domino is a Destroyer, an enforcer of Lord Kel, the right-hand man to the emperor Tempest (in other words, HE'S the "storm" the woman who brought KISS to Umbra was referring to). Tempest is revered and feared as a god on Umbra, and Domino proves to be equally deadly. When KISS refuses to surrender their instruments to her, she incinerates Gene's axe bass with her arm gauntlet---instantly turning his attraction to her into anger---and after an intense fight (during which KISS discovers that musical instruments are weapons on Umbra) which results in Peter's drumsticks, Ace's guitar and Paul's guitar all being incinerated, she deems them as enemies of the empire (like enemies of the state, but a thousand times worse) and tries to publicly execute them by burying them alive. She reports in to Lord Kel, then returns to the palace (to the song "Strutter"). The execution attempt has failed, however, and instead KISS ends up wandering in the sewers. Eventually, Peter's sharp sense of smell detects incense burning, and following his nose, KISS discovers a hidden temple, and are surprised to discover that it's dedicated to THEM. The high priest, Zimarr, "The Watcher For The Four", also recognizes them as "The Four Who Are One” (bowing to them and vocalizing “Shout It Out Loud” as he does so). He informs KISS that they are demigods, and there is an ancient prophecy about them, that they will save Umbra from the evil emperor god Tempest, and themselves in the process.

Zimarr guides them to a chamber where four ancient weapons of power (musical instruments), one for each member of KISS, are imprisoned in stone. They each try to pull their instruments free sword-in-the-stone-style, but their attempts all fail. Zimarr instructs them to use their power within to free the instruments, so they play and sing "Within", and not only are the instruments freed---they almost wind up bringing the roof down on their heads. As Zimarr guides them out of the sewer, he tells KISS about Domino, Lord Kel, the emperor Tempest, and the prophecy, and that the key to defeating the emperor is by acting as one, using the power of their music. He also informs them that the palace of the emperor is located across the Wasteland, then wishes them good luck and departs back to the temple. It is then that KISS re-encounters Taj, who informs him that they don't have to cross the Wasteland on foot; there's a transport ship nearby. They commandeer the ship, and use their musical weapons to fight off and evade the Umbran guards---and the transport station winds up being destroyed in the melee. As they fly across the Wasteland, Ace reveals himself to be a natural pilot (much to the surprise of the others). But Gene and Ace both grow alarmed when their hands transform, Gene's into a monster's claws, and Ace's into a robot's digits. The transformations are brief, however, and they're too distracted by pursuing Umbran sky patrols to wonder about it for the moment. They successfully escape, and land outside the palace.

An imposing view of the palace is shown (set to KISS’ “Tell Me”), and KISS sneaks inside, but unfortunately they are spotted and confronted by a pair of guards.