elicopperman In 1997, Warner Bros. and Ted Turner released an animated musical feature called Cats Don't Dance, which was intended as a tribute to Hollywood musicals from the 1930s. With direction from Mark Dindal (who would go on to make The Emperor's New Groove) and some choreography taught by the legend himself, Gene Kelly, this seemed like a sure fire hit....that is if it really were. While the film was decently well received by critics, it wasn't marketed very well and sadly flopped at the box office. Luckily, it has garnished a cult following over the years, and after seeing it myself, I can more than ever see why.Set in Hollywood in the late 1930s, the film centers around the optimistic and talented cat Danny who wants to make it into showbiz. The only issue, he's a cat and all other animals are only treated as second rate props behind human actors, including the nasty Darla Dimple. Upon getting into trouble with Ms. Dimple, Danny decides to bring all the animals together to make it big in the movies. Yeah, right off the bat, the plot is rather predictable and it's not so different from the usual underdog story we normally see in some animated movies. That being said, the film makes up for the weak plot with some highly entertaining scenes and jokes, fast paced animation, likable characters, and a true passion for Hollywood.In terms of the characters, Danny is the highly ambitious albeit naive protagonist who wishes to be a star, even if he has to fight hard to get his dream, which is something many people still go through today so he is a little sympathetic. Sawyer is the disillusioned albeit beautiful white cat who neglects Danny's hopes at first, but soon supports him and the other animals to become big as well. Also, can I just say that Danny and Sawyer are absolutely adorable? I love cats as it is, but they are so charming and delightful to watch....anyway, the rest are rather one dimensional, but are still humorous in their own right, like the giddy Tillie, the bad tempered curmudgeon Cranston, the superstitious T.W., and the chubby albeit charming Pudge.And then there's Darla Dimple, who is absolutely hilarious from her voice to her design. As she is a parody of Shirley Temple, she may seem like an adorable animal loving angel, but she's really an egotistical monster who will do whatever it takes to sabotage the animals just so she can be the big shot. In addition, her butler Max just cracks me up almost every time, mainly from how huge and deadpan he is. Speaking of Darla's prejudice of animals, the most interesting thing about the story itself is how, as stated before, the animals are viewed. Many of the animals themselves have dreams to be big in the theater, but they're sadly looked down upon by the humans who top them. If not for the fact that they were animals, this film probably could have been a social commentary on how African Americans were mistreated in showbiz until the 1960s....damn, this film is smart.As for the animation, in accordance to the film's upbeat and whimsical tone, the general style is reminiscent to the Looney Tunes and cartoons by Tex Avery. The characters are designed from the ground up to be cartoony, and their fast paced squash & stretch movements are perfectly timed. Not to mention, given how Gene Kelly did some choreography for the animators, the dance moves are superb, really bringing out a lot of jive and soul from each animal. The way the movie recreates Hollywood is solid enough, but the dance movements bring out that extra flavor of fun for the audience. It's also cool how the film utilizes a perfectly contrasted color scheme to set the tone: saturated when optimistic and happy and neutralized when sad and hopeless.Now I will admit, the musical numbers done by Randy Newman are rather hit or miss. Some like I Do Believe, Danny's Arrival Song and Tell Me Lies do come at their given times and are well directed and choreographed, but they don't leave enough impact to be memorable enough to sing along to. That being said, others like Animal Jam, Big and Loud, and especially Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now are highly entertaining, catchy and worth getting off your seat and just dancing to. The last one mentioned is a special highlight, not just because of the shenanigans Darla Dimple gets herself into, but also by the jazzy and upbeat tone that stands as a true finale highlight, complete with solid colors, lyrics, and dances. So yeah, the songs are either average or very good, but the good ones stick out more.I don't know how this film would have gone had it been marketed properly, but I do know that it would have been somewhat of a classic. Cats Don't Dance is a highly entertaining and fun feature that stands as an enjoyable tribute and rendition to musicals from Hollywood's golden era. Even if the plot is fairly standard and most of the characters aren't particularly grand, the wacky fast paced animation, lovable main protagonists and antagonists, catchy songs, and comedic tone make it an enjoyable feature worth your time. If you're a fan of Hollywood movies from the 30s and 40s, musicals, animated features with talking animals, or even cartoony animation, then definitely seek this one out for the whole family. Give this film as much love and support as it needs, and make it big and loud (wink wink).

Blueghost I caught a rendering of a scene on Deviant Art, and was told that the scene was from an animated feature called "Cats Don't Dance". I took a chance on it, and saw a film that I think could have been better than it ultimately became.When I think of classic MGM cartoons I immediately think of Tom and Jerry, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel and a few others. Well, "Cats Don't Dance" is none of those, but it does have a certain charm. A lot of the classic ultra violent slapstick that is that hallmark of the classic cartoon has been replaced with high energy benign comic styleings that, to be honest, don't really hit the mark. I'm sorry, but even kids know that comedy is the misfortune of others, largely because it makes us feel superior to the poor guy who suffers misfortune, because he's done so through his own stupidity.Now, not all humor has its genesis in laughing at the other guy's plight, as there are a lot of humorous things that can be done through expressions, reactions and close calls of all sorts. But when you strictly base humor solely on the benign, or rather delegate the bad- taste humor because it involves cartoon violence to the "black hats" in the piece, then you're making a value judgment that the public is smart enough to figure out.People can get swept up in trends and hysteria, but to presuppose that children, or specifically all children, will mimic violent slapstick, is perhaps not unrealistic, but perhaps making too much of an assumption of the human character (regardless of age).And that's the real problem with this film. It tries to make up for a lack of humor by injecting tons of energy into every routine, every bit, every gag that's displayed for the audience. It thus feels like a quickly put together patch job of gags that were story boarded and retrofitted to a basic story and plot.The voice acting is fine, the sound effects and other facets of the production are first rate, but, as I say, we essentially have a neutered production. The small evil Shirley Temple like antagonist is over the top and cliché, the protagonist is cliché, pretty much the whole array of characters are from central casting. Even so Bakula and Guy do a respectable job of thesping the part, but they're hard pressed to carry a production that has other issues.To be honest it's not a production I'd take my kids to see (if I had any). Not because it's offensive or lacks morals, it's just not that good, and at times is so high energy as to be incomprehensible. Give it a whirl if you must, but watch at your own risk.An okay production, but nothing sterling.

Steve Pulaski Cats Don't Dance has gone down in history as one of the biggest risks in animation yet. It is one of the few full length animated features not to bare the Disney name, yet comes off as one just as cheerful and safe for kids. Clearly, parents didn't believe so, or possibly they didn't hear about the film due to Turner Feature Animation's miserable marketing tactics, not to mention the competition of the re-release of a Star Wars movie and Disney's film Hercules.Because of all those factors, Cats Don't Dance was a monstrous bomb, all the more considering it was an animated film, which are always expected to gross at least double their budget, and it remains as a curious piece of history and nostalgia. It comes off as so cheery and genial, that as you watch it, the name "Disney" never comes to mind. It's in a league of its own, where pitch-perfect realism doesn't always come first, and fun and livelihood always lead the way. It's a unique experience.The story concerns Danny (voiced by Scott Bakula), a plucky and anxious cat who leaves his humble roots in Kokomo, Indiana to travel to Hollywood, where he can hopefully make it big as an actor. One roadblock, he's a cat, and Hollywood's places for cats are few and far between. He manages to get cast in a movie with Darla Dimple (Ashley Peldon), a spoiled, heavily-pampered child actress who turns maniacal and practically evil as soon as the cameras stop rolling.Along the way, the naive soul runs into Sawyer (Jasmine Guy), a beautiful, yet heavily pessimistic female cat, who Danny is immediately smitten with. Sawyer explains how Hollywood's attitude towards animals would seem inviting, when it is just morose and neglectful towards the idea of stepping outside the box. This sort of makes Cats Don't Dance's life come full circle. Think of it as Danny. He steps out of his natural roots to find fame in Hollywood, winds up getting the cold shoulder, until the inevitable happens and he is looked on with great satisfaction. Now think of the film's life. It stepped out of the cliché Disney light, was created and brought to life by a studio no one knew, was ignored pretty much by everyone during its initial release, yet is looked on as a classic animated gem by many in the present. If serendipity could talk...The animation is beautiful. Rambunctiously neat, and very, very eye-appealing. Not to continue to rain on the film's parade, but at this point in time (1997), we were already met with the genius of Pixar and their groundbreaking film Toy Story. We knew all of what animation can do, and once you see what seems to be the best, do you have much interest in the rest? Regardless, this is sort of what I adore about Cats Don't Dance; it plays by its own rules. It's so lightweight and non-intrusive that it doesn't seem to care it's not on par with other pictures of its own league. It isn't heavy-handed or on a moral rush. It's just looking for a good time.One thing I enjoyed were the musical numbers, which are delightfully sung, wonderfully crafted, and beautifully choreographed with such kinetic energy. I believe the more exposure or knowledge you have with Hollywood, cinema, and how the big guys manipulate the little ones, the more you'll be inclined to enjoy Cats Don't Dance. It's one of the cheeriest films I've seen all year.Voiced by: Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Natalie Cole, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Kathy Najimy, and Don Knotts. Directed by: Mark Dindal.

Electrified_Voltage This does not appear to be one of the most widely recognized animated films of the 90's, but I did see it once on video during that decade. I guess that would have been shortly after the movie came into stores. It definitely wasn't up there with certain other animated films I saw in my childhood, but I think I found it fairly entertaining. After that, I didn't see "Cats Don't Dance" again until this year, I think just a few weeks ago. It seemed to be well-liked among those who have seen it, so I wasn't expecting a lacklustre effort. However, I didn't like it much during what was my first viewing in a long time. A few weeks later, I've already given it another try. I think it did improve with this viewing, but a lot of it still didn't really impress me.Danny is an ambitious cat who leaves his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana to pursue a career in Hollywood. Very soon after arriving at his destination, he gets a role in a film with Darla Dimple, a child star who is known as "America's Sweetheart, Lover of Children and Animals." He is very excited about his role, until he learns that all he gets to say is "meow" and he doesn't get to dance and sing. When Danny tries to spice up his role, he soon sees Ms. Dimple's true colours and how misleading her on screen persona really is! She is actually a horribly spoiled, selfish, mean-spirited brat with a giant valet named Max, who makes sure she always gets her way! It turns out that animals only get to be extras in Hollywood, so Danny begins to work with other animals to try and change this and show Tinseltown their true talent, but Ms. Dimple knows this could threaten her career if they succeed, so she is determined to foil their plan! When the film begins, we soon see that the animation is nicely colourful and pleasing to the eye, but for at least a while, the movie is a little too fast-paced, making it less effective than it could be. There are some fairly funny parts early on, such as Danny accidentally slamming Sawyer's (a cat secretary in Hollywood who becomes a major part of the story) tail in a door, and the look she gives him, but at this point, I had trouble really getting into the film. It isn't long before Darla Dimple, the antagonist, comes into the story. This character is clearly supposed to be funny, but she didn't amuse me very much. I did not care for her loudness, faces, etc. After a while, the film improves. It eventually didn't seem quite as fast to me and the story got more intriguing, though Ms. Dimple continues to be hardly bearable in the scenes she appears in. The animal characters are generally likable, and viewers can easily find themselves rooting for them. The movie also has an interesting premise and some funny moments, even if there aren't as many good laughs as there are supposed to be.There are times when I'm not 100% sure about my rating for a movie, and this is one of those cases. I most definitely can't say I absolutely LOVE this movie like many others do, but feel I could be giving it a seven out of ten instead of a six. In fact, without the antics of the Darla Dimple character, I might not have any reason to give "Cats Don't Dance" a rating any lower than seven. It seems most people who have seen this 1997 animated feature like it more than I do, but I can still understand its appeal, as it certainly does have its charm. I wouldn't complain if it were to ever gain more recognition. The pace around the beginning, the antagonist, the film's songs which are not exactly bad but not the most memorable numbers for an animated musical, and maybe occasionally some other problems (minor ones) make the movie lose points, but there's also a lot to like. While this film can't match a number of other full-length animations made in the same decade, you could still easily find that it's good family fun.