Walt Disney Pictures
Starring: Glenn Close, Gérard Depardieu, David Horovitch
Directed by: Kevin Lima
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Having undergone behavior control therapy, Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close) is released from prison a changed woman. She immediately begins supporting a struggling dog charity but is her transformation too good to be true?
Kitty Cameo: The first scene of the movie takes place in the Behavior Control Center of the prison where Cruella is being held. Dr. Pavlov (David Horovitch) is explaining to his assistant (Dick Brannick) how he has been able to completely subdue the criminal intent in various test cases. The first cell window he opens shows a long-haired orange cat sitting contentedly with a canary bird on its head. Dr. Pavlov explains this is the result of conditioning (which includes shock treatment. On test animals? In a kids’ movie? Seriously?)
Later in the film the assistant is sitting watching television in the cell block when Big Ben chimes. All of a sudden the animals in the cells behind him start going crazy. When Dr. Pavlov comes in he checks the cells and sure enough all of the animal test cases have been undone, supposedly by the bell’s enormous chime (a joke on the use of the name Pavlov, of course). When he opens the cell with the cat and bird the cat walks out with a yellow feather in its mouth looking like the cat that ate the . . . well, you know.
Final Mewsings: Animal testing is nothing to joke about!
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