Iconic college film turns 25

LOS ANGELES -- Maybe you were the beer-belching omnivore Bluto, the fun-loving yet responsible Katy, the smooth ladies' man Otter, the cackling anarchist D-Day or the geeky romantic Pinto.\nAnd you probably remember someone like the priggish ROTC horseman Neidermeyer, or the snooty Southern belle Babs.\nWorst-case scenario: You crossed paths with the blockheaded authoritarian Dean Wormer, who declares, "The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot ... is me."\nIn honor of the 25th anniversary of "Animal House," Universal Studios Home Video released a new DVD package set Tuesday-- subtitled "Double Secret Probation Edition," a reference to Dean Wormer's covert fraternity house punishment. The disk also includes a "mockumentary" about the characters as adults.\nThe studio hosted a reunion on Hollywood Boulevard for the cast and crew last week to recreate the comedy's parade climax, complete with a cake float, a live elephant, cheerleaders and a performance of "Shout" by Otis Day and the Knights.\nAs the castmates reminisced about the antics a quarter-century ago that led to one of Hollywood's most enduring comedies, most agreed that "Animal House" became popular because people could see parts of themselves in its array of lovers, losers, jocks, preppies and wannabes.\nThe most sympathetic of them all was Flounder, said the now-slim Stephen Furst -- who played the portly, shy newbie. "He was the guy who just wants to be like everybody else and just isn't quite as cool as everybody else. But it was great because the only requirement of being a Delta was wanting to belong."\nThe Deltas, of course, were the fictional fraternity that put the "animal" in "Animal House," a group of relentless partiers who sacrificed their dignity, grade-point averages and millions of brain cells on an altar dedicated to loose women, booze and bad taste.\n"Animal House," promoted under the banner of the National Lampoon comedy magazine, went on to earn $141.6 million at the box office and inspired countless imitators, including the short-lived TV series "Delta House," and a legion of oft-repeated catch phrases.\nTwisted Sister used Neidermeyer's barked insult "You are all worthless and weak!" in its song "We're Not Gonna Take It" and the title comes from John Belushi's rallying cry as Bluto.