Warner Bros.
Starring: Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Ashley Peldon, Kathy Najimy
Directed by: Mark Dindal
Synopsis: Set in Hollywood of the 1930’s, Danny (voiced by Scott Bakula) is an aspiring song-and-dance cat from Kokomo who arrives on the scene with set plans of hitting it big in the movies. He learns the hard way that there are firm boundaries about the limited role of animals in the industry, yet he is determined to overcome this narrow-minded structure to open the doors for animals to perform on screen. His fellow actor friends are not as optimistic, including Sawyer (voiced by Jasmine Guy), a jaded and sharp-tongued aspiring singer / dancer turned secretary.
Cinema Cats: This is a sadly overlooked film which is a lot of fun, especially if you’re a fan of old Hollywood. The story is a thinly-disguised allegory about the race discrimmination which has been so prevalent in Hollywood for so long. Danny and Sawyer are the only cat characters in the movie but each is so delightful in their own way and the story is set around them.
There are lots of nods to classic Hollywood for film afficianados, including one of the best screen villains of the 90’s, Miss Darla Dimple (voiced by Ashley Peldon), a sick and twisted Shirley Temple-style actress, and her Erich von Stroheim-meets-Frankenstein sidekick Max (voiced by the film’s director, Mark Dindal.)
Final Mewsings: How does the kitty cat go?
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