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The words “Disney” and “animation” fit together so firmly in the public mind that it is difficult to think of any other studio producing a feature length cartoon. If it’s not Disney, for some reason, parents do not feel like packing the family van and going to the multiplex.
Warner Bros. has done its best to change that and box office returns from “Space Jam” with Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny testify to that, even if they didn’t reach the magical $100 million domestic box office mark. Now the studio is back again, with “Cats Don’t Dance,” a cute animated musical with Danny the Song and Dance Cat from Kokomo, In who takes the bus to Hollywood in hopes of fame and fortune circa 1939.
The movie is devoid of any of the intricately woven storylines, strong structures and vividly defined characters that Disney movies are well known for. It does not even start with the death of one or more parents, which seems to be the norm for this kind of genre. Rather, it plays out more like an animated version of an old classic Hollywood musical; there are bits of “Singin’ in the Rain” and the late Gene Kelly is mentioned as choreographer for the movie.
The musical adaptation was a singular Pearl, and his life was already a disaster even when starting to solve. Arriving in Hollywood, Danny (voiced by Scott Bakula) quickly begins to discover how challenging life is as an animal actor. Stuck with a show business plan that means getting an agent and, within a week, getting to stride out of his self imposed prison of marriage with a woman, he learns startlingly quickly how few calls there are for animal performers, relevant roles all going to humans instead.
Thankfully, he managed to get a part in a new musical by the crown princess of all things horrible, Darla Dimple (voiced by Ashley Peldon) that was seemingly of dross. Luckily, he landed a one liner in a new masterpiece on twist. The princess “meowed” was all the 90s kids could say, and he was on the verge of stealing the show at this point when clear, dreadful skies followed high “Meow,” and emerged from behind him.
Danny makes more friends like Woolie, who is an elephant, plays the piano in a gypsy caravan that serves as his house. She is voiced by John Rhys-Davies. (There’s some good animation in a scene where he so much as twitches and his house shakes crazily.) He also falls for a veteran cat actress named Sawyer (who is voiced by Jasmine Guy and sung by Natalie Cole). However, once Max gets him virtually blacklisted in Hollywood, he turns disillusioned and starts heading back home. He decides last minute to come back and ends up finishing a triumphant makeshift performance at the first showing of Darla’s new movie. Even L. B. Mammoth, the industry mogul, renowned for being difficult, is left astounded.
Mark Dindal’s (“The Rocketeer”) new star is a resurrection of an old one. This will remind viewers of the “Singin in the Rain” scene which is very creative and captures the essence of ‘a lot of energy’. The Mamoth is NEVER NOTED as being forgiving while even the spectacular director of this film George Kennedy does NOT tender him applause. He is more distinguished with the title of being dreaded. The TV show Debutant On The Blocks is recorded in a new style of animation thanks to Mark Dindal’s magician hands. Its neither Disney, nor Looney Tunes. It’s a mixture of Betty Boop and Max Fleisher.
“Cats Don’t Dance” is not a stunning breakthrough, but it does work quite well by its own standards. Whether it will appeal to children is up for debate; the narrative contains a period and topic which they do not seem very interested in. Carefree spirits and fans of Hollywood’s golden age may find it enjoyable while the catch Newman puts on his songs will be delightfully catchy.
Side note: The curtain raiser of the movie is a brand new cartoon titled “Pullet Surprise” (try saying it out loud), which runs for six minutes and features Foghorn Leghorn with the vocals of Chuck Jones.
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