Amy Adler Mary McDuie (Karen Dotrice) is a young, motherless girl living in Scotland at the turn of the 20th century. Of course, she does have her father, veterinarian Dr. Andrew McDuie (Patrick McGoohan) but he's been cold and distant since her mother died. Therefore, her only real solace is her cat Thomasina, a beautiful orange tabby with personality. It does help that her housekeeper is quite nice and the children of the neighborhood are her dear friends. On the outskirts of the village lives a lady, Lori (Susan Hampshire) who the children think is a WITCH. She does have a yard full of rescued animals and a magic way about healing the creatures. Thomasina goes in and out Mary's bedroom window by the help of a tall tree and often goes out at night. Unhappily, Thomasina eats the wrong food, becomes sick and appears dead, even though Dr. Mac promised to save her. Mary is so upset she ignores everything her father says, hinting that he is "dead" to her. But, when the children take the box with Thomasina to the town's edge, planning to bury her and hold a funeral, the "witch" appears and scares them away. Only she notices that Thomasina is still alive and takes her home to nurse her. Will Thomasina survive? Will the village drive the "witch" away? This lovely story has the rarity of being about a cat, not a dog, and a clever, patient one at that. Dotrice is winning as the young girl who dresses her cat in clothes and takes him on buggy adventures. McGoohan is also fine as the stern father and Hampshire is sweet and lovely as Lori. Other cast members, scenery, costumes, script and direction are all nicely fitting. Beware, parents, that Thomasina appears to die and there are many tears that may fall. However, cat lovers, Disney fans, and family film friends will welcome this title as an oldie but goodie.

Neil Doyle A Scottish tale by Paul Gallico features an orange tabby who is the beloved cat of a little girl (KAREN DOTRICE from "Mary Poppins"). The feline is mistakenly believed by the girl and her friends (including MATTHEW GARBER, who played her brother in the "Poppins" film), to be dead. When a nearby "witch" recovers the cat (who has been given a funeral by the children), she discovers that it still has a pulse and gives it shelter.So begins the tale, which eventually reunites the "witch," the children, and the young village doctor (PATRICK McGOOHAN) who has been unjustly accused by his little daughter to have caused the cat's death. Through love and forgiveness, all ends on a happy note.It's all done in taste and style, photographed in rustic settings with superior art direction, costuming and settings. SUSAN HAMPSHIRE is lovely and appealing as the good "witch" who has a way with animals. The title cat is played by several felines, as often happens when the director needs a cat who fits several script requirements beyond the range of a single tabby.Recommended for young and old, a delight from start to finish.

Bloom6000 I don't see what is the fuss over this dull forgettable movie. It's not cheery as with Karen Dotrice's next film Mary Poppins. There are far too many soppy moments in this film for kids, and even some adults, to handle.Things bound to get people too emotional is the death of a cute cat (although she comes back to life) and after that death, the rejection of so many cute, adorable puppies and kittens looking for a home only to be rejected by a miserable girl.That aside, it's also a very boring film. I hope people would put this one aside and focus on 1964's superior Disney feature Mary Poppins and not even acknowledged that anyone from the Mary Poppins casts was involved in this dark, morbid, sordid piece of forgettable slop.

MovieAddict2016 The Three Lives of ThomasinaAnother classic Disney story of a smart stray cat named Thomasina who dies and comes back to life, living with a so-called "witch" on her farm in the middle of a desolate wooded area--until the little girl Thomasina used to belong to finds out the cat is still alive and tries to get her back.I have a fuzzy old tape of this movie buried somewhere in my stash of recorded videos. I used to watch it quite a lot and it is very entertaining for the kids. Don't watch it without children around or else you might be put off by its quaint silliness.**** / *****