Underrated Films - Cats Don't Dance

 

Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 animated musical comedy film. It was produced by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, Turner Feature Animation, David Kirschner Productions, and Warner Bros. Feature Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Cats Don't Dance was written by Roberts Gannaway, Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser, and Theresa Pettengill and directed by Mark Dindal.

The story is it's 1939 and a young cat named Danny has left his hometown and has moved to Hollywood to follow his dreams. However, once he gets there he soon discovers that animal actors aren't given the same roles as human actors. Now Danny sets off to prove that him and his fellow animals can be big stars just like the rest of them.

Why It's Underrated

The reason why this movie is underrated is the same old same old. It just doesn't get enough attention as it rightfully deserves. I think I saw it one time on Cartoon Network...back when I was like 6 maybe 7. But every since then I can't find a TV showing for it anywhere. Sure, the film did get a DVD release and it is available on Google Play and Amazon Video. But it has yet to get a Blu-Ray release and it's not even on HBO Max. Which is odd considering that they have every other Warner Bros. film and TV series on there, even the ones nobody wants to talk about.

My Thoughts

Now since this is a musical, how does the music stack up? Honestly, the songs are really good. From the very first two songs (Our Time Has Come and Danny's Arrival Song), you can tell your gonna be in for a treat with the music. The songs are very fun, and can be a little infections. They're wonderful.

Let's move on to the animation. Now the movie did have a troubled production. At some point during production, the film was transferred from one studio to another. But despite that, the animation is just gorgeous. One of the best things about is just fast the characters are moving. They can bounce from one place to the next in almost a blink of an eye. There really is life to this animation, and I just couldn't look away. In matter of fact, if you do it's almost a crime. Cause it's so good, you really don't want to miss a moment.

Then there's the voice performances. This cast was truly amazing. While they definitely nail the more humorous and light-hearted moments, I think where they really shine was with the emotional stuff. There's one very simple scene in the movie, where Sawyer tells Danny to give up on his dream and just go home. It's a subtle moment but, you can just hear the sadness coming from Jasmine Guy's [Sawyer's voice actress] voice. Like I said, small moment for a performance, but it's done so well. But like I said before, whether the moment is fun or dramatic the cast is spectacular.

What also really works for the film is the characters. Our animal characters are very likable and you really want to achieve their dreams. Whether it's Danny's story of rallying the troops, or something like Sawyer getting her spark reignited. You'll really get invested in their journey. Then we have Darla Dimple, and oh boy. This character is one of many great examples of a character you'll love to hate. Seriously, she is such an over the top brat, that all you want to see is her suffer the consequences her actions.

Another great aspect of Cats Don't Dance is the humor. I would love to go into more detail, like I did with the previous stuff, but I don't want to give anything away just in case you want to see the movie. But I will say when Darla losses her cool, her angry expressions are kind of hilarious.

Now after reading the synopsis above, you more than likely figured it out, that there's some sort of allegory in the film. Now you don't have to worry about that. Remember, this was made in a time back when entertainers were entertainers, and not people standing on their soapbox. But that's not the focus, the real focus is despite the allegory, the film does pay a loving tribute to that era of Hollywood. With the way people are dressed, the cars, to even just having a poster to Gone with the Wind show up. It's very much a love letter to an era back when musicals were a big deal.

I think it'll come as no secret that I absolutely love this movie. What with it's great songs, beautiful animation, stunning voice cast, well written characters, great humor, and loving tribute to a much older Hollywood. If you haven't seen this film, I strongly recommend you check it out.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Aug 4th for my Look Back at review of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and please watch this movie. I really mean it when I say it's a must watch.