by Linda Kay
Directed by: Franco Cristofani
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Based extremely loosely on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. The young and handsome Cornelius Van Baerle sets out to create a black tulip to win a contest but is thwarted by his withered neighbor Isaac Boxtel who covets not only the flower but Cornelius’ love interest Rosa for evil purposes.
Cartoon Cat: There’s nothing like pepping up a classic novel with some talking mice, a wicked cat and some demon worship, all in the name of appealing to little kids. This is exactly what happens here, as the animators borrow liberally from Disney’s Cinderella by giving Cornelius two mice friends named Hans and Jeremy (one tall, one short and stout) who are constantly threatened by Boxtel’s anemic and mangy looking cat Brisket.
Brisket watches as Boxtel dabbles in alchemy, which goes completely awry after the cat knocks a container of sulphur into the mixture.
An extended scene involves Hans and Jeremy saving some baby doves from Brisket.
This leads to Brisket falling through the roof of Boxtel’s house.
Boxtel finds a book that had been hidden in the ceiling titled “Evil Secrets of the Ancients” and finds a spell to obtain unlimited power, the recipe for which calls for a maiden of pure heart and a black flower.
After Cornelius is arrested on unfair charges, he entrusts the jailer’s daughter, Rosa, to look after his black tulip bulbs. Boxtel hangs around the prison hoping to locate the bulbs and realizes that Rosa is the maiden he needs to complete the spell.
It all leads to a climax at the top of the prison tower in which Boxtel tries to summon a demon via sorcery. Hans and Jeremy are sent to fetch the keys from the jailer to free Cornelius (sound familiar?) but are hounded by Brisket all the way.
Brisket is, in turn, literally hounded by the jailer’s dog Dorf.
In the end the demon gets pissed at Boxtel and destroys the prison. Everyone but Boxtel survives, including Brisket who even helps the mice escape.
Final Mewsings: Someone really needs to get Brisket to the vet, he doesn’t look at all well!
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and Twitter.