Meet the Feebles

The Feebles Variety Hour troupe rehearses in the hope of landing a syndicated TV slot. They work through acts and skits, chasing the dream of fame as network scouts watch. Tension and humor mingle with the ambition behind the scenes.

Trevor, a rat director with a Peter Lorre-inspired voice, belittles Heidi during the lead-up to the show. He flaunts his affair with Samantha, a Siamese cat living on the streets. Heidi vents to her boss and lover Bletch, not realizing the betrayal behind the scenes.

Robert, the troupe’s new hedgehog recruit, immediately falls for Lucille, a poodle. He serenades her with support from Arthur, the worm who manages the show. The budding romance provides a counterpoint to the troupe’s growing dysfunction.

Sid, the blue elephant trainer, is visited by his ex-girlfriend Sandy, who files a paternity suit over Seymour, the elephant-chicken hybrid. The personal baggage adds more strain to the performers as the show approaches. The audience remains largely unaware of the drama behind the curtain.

Samantha bluntly reveals Bletch’s infidelity, shocking Heidi. Heidi throws Samantha into a garbage pile and retreats to her dressing room, where she eats a Black Forest gateau and pores over a scrapbook of fame and youth. The backstage morale dips as the actors’ secrets begin to unravel.

Harry the hare is told by Dr. Quack that he has a terminal disease after a sexual encounter, a revelation that alarms the troupe. The gossip leaks when F.W., a tabloid housefly, overhears and publishes the story. The press storm adds pressure ahead of the performance.

Trevor drugs and rapes Lucille to entice her into becoming his new star for his pornos. Believing Lucille is unfaithful, Robert dumps her, further destabilizing the pair’s relationships. The fragile romance threads are rescinded by manipulation and coercion.

Bletch, Cedric, and Barry hatch a plan to obtain drugs from the docks, using borax to kill Louie and Dennis as part of their intimidation. They confront a violent underworld and manage to secure the drugs after eliminating Cedric's boss, Mr. Big, and several crab henchmen. Barry is killed by a giant black widow spider during the escape.

Sebastian confirms Heidi’s decision to skip the performance, prompting Bletch to persuade her to perform by feigning lust. The pair briefly have sex, which helps secure her return to the show. The arrangement promises stardom but sows further deceit behind the scenes.

Sebastian informs Bletch that the network has chosen them for the program, raising the stakes. On the drive back, Bletch learns of Harry’s illness via a newspaper article and, enraged by gossip, kills F.W. to silence the source. The crew braces for a televised catastrophe rather than a triumph.

As the show unfolds, ailing Harry vomits on stage, Sid is accosted by Sandy in front of the audience, and Wynyard accidentally kills himself during a knife-throw act. Sebastian performs a provocative number about sodomy in a bid to salvage the performance. The production spirals toward disaster.

Heidi erupts in a violent rampage, killing many troupe members, including Harry, and shooting Sid in the knee caps while protecting Seymour. Robert confronts Trevor and Lucille’s truth becomes clear, disrupting the fragile balance of the cast. Heidi’s grip on the chaos worsens as Trevor and Bletch reveal their true designs.

Robert intervenes, and Heidi shoots Trevor and Bletch after luring them into vulnerability. Arthur informs Heidi that he has turned her in to the authorities. Heidi resolves to perform one last song before her arrest, accepting her fate.

A photographic epilogue reveals what happened to the survivors. Sid becomes a struggling horticulturalist with Seymour after kneecap surgeries, Arthur receives an OBE and retires, Sebastian writes an autobiography and negotiates film rights, Robert and Lucille marry, and Heidi, after ten years in prison, reintegrates into society under a new identity and works as a cashier.