Cats Don't Dance
|
|
Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 animated feature; the only animated feature produced by the short-lived Turner Entertainment animation unit. It was distributed to theaters by Warner Bros.
In the film, a young ambitious cat named Danny comes to 1939 Hollywood with a song in his heart, dancing moves in his feet, and the dream of becoming a movie star. When he gets there, he learns that he can get no part other than the stereotypical cat roles with "meow" being his sole line. With his friends, including a discouraged female dancer turned secretary named Sawyer, he sets out to change that situation. However, Darla Dimple, a child star, is also out to ensure that the gang will never get that chance and become a threat to her career.
The film features the voices of Scott Bakula and Jasmine Guy, and was the directorial debut of former Disney animator Mark Dindal. It is also notable for Gene Kelly's contributions as choreographer; it was his final film project. The film's 1939 setting allowed it to parody the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it features caricatures of Mae West, Laurel & Hardy, W.C. Fields, Cary Grant, King Kong, and Toto from The Wizard of Oz. The art and directing styles of the film reflect the influence of 1930s/1940s cartoon makers such as Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, and the artists at the Fleischer Studio.
Although Cats Don't Dance was critically acclaimed, it was a casualty of the Turner/Time Warner merger: it was released in 1997 without fanfare and failed to draw an audience. It did substantially better when made available for rediscovery the following year on home video.
Preceding the feature in theaters was a newly produced Looney Tunes short featuring Foghorn Leghorn, Pullet Surprise.