It is loosely based on the true story of Alfred "Alferd" Packer and the sordid details of the trip from Utah to Colorado that left his five fellow travelers dead and partially eaten.
Trey Parker (credited as Juan Schwartz) stars as Alferd Packer, with frequent collaborators Stone, Dian Bachar, and others playing the supporting roles.
[2][3][4] The film begins with a reenactment of the gruesome act of cannibalism described by the prosecuting attorney during Alferd Packer's 1883 trial.
During a break in the trial, Packer is enticed by journalist Polly Pry to tell his side of the story, which he proceeds to do, via flashback beginning with his horse Lianne galloping in a field.
He and Lianne set off on what Packer estimates will be a three-week journey with a party of five miners: Shannon Wilson Bell, James Humphrey, Frank Miller, George Noon and Israel Swan.
The men discuss their dire situation that night over the fire, speaking of the cannibalism that the Donner Party had to resort to in California.
Contrasting with the musical's generally dark and morbid humor are its cheerful songs, all composed by Parker, including "Let's Build a Snowman", "When I Was on Top of You", "Hang the Bastard", and "Shpadoinkle" (pronounced shpah-doink-ul).
[7][8][9][10] A few incidents happened during filming, such as Parker getting a hairline hip fracture after being thrown from one of the horses playing "Lianne", fights occasionally breaking out among the crew, some of the main cast experiencing cold shock and almost being swept away by strong currents from crossing the icy Gunnison River that doubled for the Green River, as well as inclement weather and even an avalanche complicating shooting.
Following Matt and Trey's success with South Park, Troma re-released the film on VHS and DVD and it enjoyed a decent cult following.
A special edition 13th anniversary DVD was released by Troma with added features, including all-new interviews with the cast and crew.
Songs such as "Shatter Proof" and the early short films of Parker and Stone were considered to be a part of the new DVD, but these additions were ultimately rejected.
In September 2024, Boutique label Vinegar Syndrome announced the world premiere Blu-ray edition for release in November of that same year.
The disc will include a remaster in 4K with the involvement of original stars Jason McHugh and Dian Bachar[17] In September 2024, British studio Refuse Films announced a Blu-ray special edition for release in December of that same year.
In 2001, Saturday Players launched a six-month off-off-Broadway run of the show that earned critical acclaim and returning audience members.
Later that year the show made its German debut at the University of Regensburg and played many small colleges and community houses in the US.
In 2006, the show debuted at its first Fringe Festivals in Minneapolis and Victoria, Canada and continued to find adoption by small colleges and community theaters.
had its first national tour in 2017 which rehearsed out of Toronto before heading to the Capitol Theatre in Windsor, ON [25] the Canadian cast featured Greg Carruthers, David DiFrancesco, Shaeane Jimenez, Michelle Nash, Taylor Lavigne, Lucas Popowich, Brandon Knox, and Benjamin Zoëy.
The Town Hall Arts Center in Matt Stone's hometown of Littleton, CO produced a stage production of Cannibal!
The website's consensus reads: "If you're only going to watch one black comedy about a real-life explorer whose fellow travelers ended up eaten, make it Cannibal!
"[29] Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle enjoyed the film, opining that it was "a ridiculous, over-the-top carnival of gore, sophomorically sly humor, and cheese-whiz choreography that manages -- above all odds -- to be cheerily invigorating as well" before giving it a score of 3/5.
[30] Todd Doogan of The Digital Bits praised the film, labelling it a "wacky meshing of 1950s musicals with splatter movies and Farrelly Brothers/Zucker/Abrams-style comedies" that was "simply perfect.
"[31] In a review written for Empire, Kim Newman gave the "Western horror musical comedy" a score of 3/5 and concluded, "It has its longeurs but there's an air of genial enthusiasm, tempered by sick humour, that is surprisingly engaging.
"[32] Germain Lussier of Gizmodo commended the "horror comedy musical" and stated, "It's rough around the edges, gross, offensive, and at times a little hard to watch, but the good outweighs the bad so massively, you can't help but fall in love.
"[34] Anita Gates of The New York Times felt the film was "amateurish" and "pretty stupid" but "not completely appalling" with "flashes of real humor" and "refreshingly ludicrous notes that even people old enough to see this movie without a guardian can appreciate.
"[35] Allan Ulrich of the SFGate had a positive response to the film, calling it a "tasty 90 minutes of yummy production numbers and intense spiritual crises" and concluding, "Admittedly, Cannibal: The Musical seems a bit overextended; the soppy ballad delivered by the newspaper reporter who believes in the hero's innocence doesn't make it even as bogus R & H. But it will take a truly jaded soul to push away from the table before this often hilarious meal is over.