Memorable, crazy movie

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Cats Don't Dance (1997) is a hyper-saturated animated feast for the senses and an especially fun treat for those familiar with the musicals and screwball comedies of the 1930's. Having been accustomed to the beautiful detail of Pixar and the delicate touches of Disney's golden age, I was pleasantly surprised by a movie that takes absolute advantage of the slapsticky world of cartoons.Danny (Scott Bakula) is our wide-eyed feline protagonist who sings and dances his way into a big studio picture headlined by America's Sweetheart Darla Dimple (part voiced by Ashley Peldon and sung by Lindsay Ridgeway). His friends/critics include cynical bit players Tillie the Hippo (Kathy Najimy), Cranston the Billy goat (Hal Holbrook), Wollie the Elephant (John Rhys-Davies) and Pudge the Penguin (Matthew Herried). Also in the mix is obvious love interest Sawyer (voiced by Jasmine Guy and part sung by Natalie Cole). I say obvious because she absolutely despises Danny through two thirds of the film and she's the only other cat in the film. Call me crazy but I think that relationship is a lock.Danny learns quickly that animals aren't considered star material in Hollywood. His hamming on the set captures the attention of an infuriated Darla yet gains the respect of the other animals. This dynamic is reminiscent of how African Americans were treating during the time. Those who made a go of acting were type-casted as slaves, maids and shoe shiners. Those lucky enough to take full advantage of their roles like Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind (1939) received death threats.It's interesting to not that in addition to the barrier breaking Gone with the Wind, The film also makes references to The Wizard of Oz (1939), regalia of the LGBT community instilling since of community. Maybe the creators of Cats Don't Dance wanted to make a modern day fable holding to the maxims of equality and acceptance towards all. Though the more reasonable rationale for both films getting their names in lights is they were both released in 1939.There are other sly riffs on Hollywood classics such as The Footlight Parade (1933), The Ten Commandments (1956), Singin' in the Rain (1952) and Bringing Up Baby (1938). That is in addition to the Darla Dimple character being an obvious parody of Shirley Temple at one point ravenously biting off the heads of animal crackers in front of the beleaguered Danny. They even have an onslaught of throwaway gags involving King Kong (1933), Zsa Zsa Gabor and The MGM Lion among many, many others.Yet those not looking to reduce an animated movie to a game of "I Spy" will still find a lot to take away. The plot while well-worn is nevertheless genuine and interesting, the animation is eye-popping- ly goofy and the songs are entertaining if occasionally a little bland. One would wish that the characters were given a little more breathing room since the pace of the film is near neck-breaking yet seeing the gang sing "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" makes it all worthwhile.Directed by the man who gave you The Emperor's New Groove (2000), featuring songs written by the considerably talented Randy Newman and starring the Captain of the Starship Enterprise NX-01, Cats Don't Dance is infectious fun. Overall not quite up there with The Lion King (1994) but comparable to Disney's Hercules (1997) released the same year. It's certainly not a film deserving of its obscurity so track it down and watch it if you can.http://www.theyservepopcorninhell.blogspot.com

Cat's Don't Dance is a 1997 Warner Bros Family Entertainment animated film that tells the story of Danny(voice by and sung by Scott Bakula who was in Quantium Leap and he played Zachary Levi's father in the TV show Chuck)who dreams of going to Hollywood to pursue an acting career opposite Darla Dimple(voiced by Ashley Pendon)who is a big hit in Hollywood as she is a lover for animals...or is she?So Danny goes to Hollywood and meets other animals too including a grumpy goat,a fish,a hippo,a elephant who's name is Mammoth,a cute pengiun and a sassy cat named Sawyer(voiced by Jasmine Guy and sung by Nat King Cole's daughter Natalie Cole). What I like about this film is the songs as every song fits this movie perfectly. In some animated films the songs don't actually suit at all,like in Disney's Hercules as the songs in that film were all over the place,here in Cat's Don't Dance all the songs had a Broadway/Jazz sound to them,and who is the composer for this film,why its Randy Newman (who also did music for Monster's Inc,all the Toy Story films and of course The Princess & The Frog).Overall I found this film very entertaining and enjoyable to watch. I still have this on VHS ever since I was a kid,and I still watch it. The animation is vivid,the charcthers are likable,some of the songs are sorta forgettable but hey you gotta love them all the same. Also I love how they make fun of the 1930s genre and have films that Warner Bros made in the 1990s or 80s like The Mask,Batman & Robin,Grumpy Old Men,Beetlejuice and many more. Its a shame that its such an underrated film like Swan Princess,another film I love to watch all the time. 7/10

Anyone remember 'Singin' in the Rain'? Well, this is quite the little knockoff.. a great one. Musical actors take part in an animated feature almost as great as the old movie. But with a spoiled child actress and cats.Danny is a naive but friendly cat who is picked to star in Darla Dimples' "Lil' Ark Angel", quite similar to the Shirley Temple movies and star. This cat becomes baffled by his line of "Meow" while a child (who's name is Darla) comes in and wreaks havoc. Her main plot is the cause trouble and lies about liking animals.The script is superb, much like something Pixar would make. The animation is good. The acting was magnificent. Ashley Pendon's voice was great and I loved her singing voice... Lindsey did great. And the characters' voices to the animals sounded and reminded me much like the ones in 'All Dogs Go To Heaven'. Not to mention, the music was great and my favorite has to be the final song.This movie will bring an instant smile to faces of children and adults alike. It will reminisce childhood memories and will never be forgotten. Always remember that 'Cats Don't Dance' is a heartwarming and lighthearted movie that will be in your heart... young or old.

This is one of those movies I remember seeing a couple times as a kid, and really really loving every second of. After going many years without seeing it again, I recently had the impulse to find and watch the film. To my surprise, it still held up just about as well as it had when I was younger, and in fact if anything I appreciate it more now.The animation in Cats Don't Dance is superb. There are few other animated films which have the same level of color and distinctive, characteristic charm to them, and the brilliant animation style makes the characters themselves similarly memorable and very expressive. It's a perfect example of the animation complementing the characters and events, as well as adding to the overall excitement of the movie.The story is relatively straightforward, and ostensibly isn't anything new: it's the classic story of a naive out-of-towner pursuing a Hollywood dream, discovering Hollywood's real-world coldness, and manages to ultimately find the strength to overcome the obstacles before them and make it big. However, it's executed very well and cleverly enough that it doesn't feel very clichéd.The characters are great as well, and I wouldn't say any of them are underdeveloped or uninteresting. Danny, the protagonist, is naive and optimistic on entering the Hollywood scene. Although the ruthlessness and cruelty of show business breaks his naiveté, he never really loses his optimistic edge, which I think is what makes him work as a character: throughout the entire film his determination to make it big only grows, and as the story progresses he increasingly desires to help the other animals as well. Once simple enough to accept Darla Dimple's word as trustworthy enough, he finds himself only further hardened in his will and he, in the end, manages to beat her at her own game, thoroughly upstaging her in the process (with the other animals accompanying, of course.)Sawyer shares Danny's romanticism about the Hollywood dream and herself had been similarly ambitious, but had adopted a more realistic, cynical attitude towards the possibility of her own dreams of fame being achieved. Nonetheless, she does not come off as overtly bitter, and in the beginning of the movie she seems almost satisfied with (or at least accepting of) her simpler clerical work, with none of the "broken dreams" attitude one might expect. Danny becomes determined to bring her back in touch with her dreaming persona, and although she resists initially she slowly rediscovers her larger ambition. The dynamic between the two characters grows into a love interest as Danny becomes attracted to Sawyer's romantic edge and seductive energy, and she eventually to his undying dedication and determination.The antagonist, Darla Dimple, is a very effective villain: she is sadistic, cruel, and completely self-serving, and hides it from the public under the guise of innocent, angelic childhood. Most of the animals know enough not to get in her way, but Danny is naive enough to trust her with his and the other animals' lives, giving her ample opportunity to crush them completely (she literally attempts to drown them, but failing this, at least frames them for flooding the studio.) Unfortunately for her, her facade of sweetness can barely be kept up as Danny attempts to bring himself and the other animals a last crack at making themselves seen and heard, and when her effort to sabotage their show backfires she loses it and exposes herself, before the audience, to be the monstrosity that she is.The supporting characters are also entertaining. The various animals deal with their lost dreams of fame in their own ways, and in each case they seem, as with Sawyer, to have accepted it (even Flanigan the goat, bitter as he is, just seems to be generally grouchy more than anything else.) However, they all lack the same degree of hidden ambition and, up until the end, feel they'd rather continue on as regular little people than put themselves on the line again. Nonetheless, they still retain their same love of their talents and, when they finally see a perfect opportunity before them at the end, they give it their best. Max, Ms. Dimple's gargantuan butler, is surprisingly amusing despite (okay, because of) the outward stupidity of his character. Even more interesting is that he can be made to be both terrifying and funny, often simultaneously.One last unique aspect of the movie is the pop culture references, which are all 1930s-based: people such as Laurel and Hardy and Cary Grant appear, among a number of others. Although most children won't get these references, I personally appreciated it as I last watched the film. The end credits began with a series of parody movie posters, which are interesting in that the movies they're based off of mostly came out at around the same time Cats Don't Dance did.Overall, this is one of those movies I just have endlessly fond memories of, and I highly recommend it. It has stayed off the radar for many people, simply because it was never very well-publicized, but for anyone who gets a chance to watch it it's well worth the time.