Wonderfully offbeat film!

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, and Red Buttons lent their voices to this animated movie about a cat, Mewsette, that dreams about leaving the French countryside to see the bright lights of Paris. When she gets a chance to hop on to the back of the car of her owner going there, she takes it. When Jaune-Tom (another cat obviously), voiced by Goulet, finds out she's gone, he must go after her. He may never see her again! That's okay with his buddy, voiced by Red Buttons. She was always in the way of him wanting to hang out and have fun with Tom. Tom did seem interested in Mewsette, but showed it only by bringing dead rats to her and she was unimpressed by such tactics, while probably secretly liking him but not his uncouth, un-Paris-like ways. Such are the temperaments in this tale of love and excitement in a cat's world in France. Then there's adventures abound for Mewsette in Paris and for Jaune-Tom and buddy looking for her on the way to Paris. I thought I remembered liking this years ago, but seeing it recently, I felt it to be an odd mixture of art-like animation and simple juvenile-type humor. But is this geared towards adults or children? Children are the ones who will tire of this first, as this doesn't really grab you in the beginning. Instead it relies too much on the charm and talent of its stars, but that will be lost on children, particularly young children, who won't like the singing slowing down the picture. Adults, who love the singing style of its stars, Garland and Goulet, may like its romanticism and feeling somewhat chic, and at the same time moody, but may be feel something's lacking. Also, its silly resolution doesn't really fit in or mix well with the supposed mystique of Paris and L'Amour, L'Amour. Paul Frees gives a particularly good performance as the film's villain; one could say his hammy, over-the-top performance steals the show. Parents, who aren't Garland fans, who see this for their children may be minimally pleased. Children may like its quaintness, but won't be overjoyed by it. Judy Garland fans, who try to find everything she ever did, will probably be more impressed with it than most everybody else. Its major flaws are its ending and the lack of three-dimensional characters. But, maybe if you can find this little film, you can find more than meets the eye in Gay Purr-ee.

I personally absolutely love this movie. I do think the title is rather odd though, but everything else is simply terrific. Gay Purr-ee is sophisticated, witty and charming and I have never tired watching it. I love Judy Garland, and think her performances in The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis and A Star is Born are timeless. Chuck Jones is a terrific animation director as well, who has directed some of the best cartoons in existence in my opinion. And I love cats, they are cute, clever and lovely animals, and asides from Gay Purr-ee other great cat movies are The AristoCats(a film I always see this film compared to) and especially Felidae which is quite a different kettle of fish.Gay Purr-ee is simply terrific. The animation is lovely, the visual style is unique and colourful and I loved the character designs of especially Mewsette and Meowrice, Mewsette is beautiful and charming and Meowrice is quite sophisticated. The story is always engaging, it is a very simple story, but the simplicity works wonders, plus it is never devoid of charm. The dialogue has its fair share of wit too, very rarely does it feel forced or trite. The characters are likable, I have always had a soft spot for Meowrice myself and Robespierre is so cute. The pacing is brisk, and I loved the inspired scene with the impressionist painters especially Van Gogh.My favourite assets though of Gay Purr-ee are the music and the voice work. The music is simply terrific. Harold Arlen and EG Harburg are one of the finest songwriting collaborations, and I loved their work here. The incidental music is very nice, and the overture is wonderful. Little Drops of Rain and Roses Red, Violets Blue are delightful, but my favourite is Paris is a Lonely Town which is quite touching. And of course the voice work is superb. This film is more than a showcase for Judy Garland's talents despite what some might think. She sings beautifully and she gives Mewsette a certain modesty and humanity that came through either when she was speaking or singing. Robert Goulet has a beautiful voice and Jean Tom avoids being bland thanks to the charm Goulet brings. Red Buttons is like his character Robespierre, cute and funny, while the wonderful Paul Frees is outstanding as Meowrice. And it was nice to hear Mel Blanc's distinctive voice again too.Overall, charming, witty, sophisticated and I think unfairly underrated animated film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

seriously, I thought "Gay Pur-ree" is up there on par with Disney's greatest productions, even surpassing some of them. Sure it's no blockbuster, nor is it planned to be one. But it does manage a certain kind of epic magic, more akin to the impressionist style it emulates than to the "MTV video feel" behind most of today's standard animation works.Gay Pur-ree (which aired in my country as "La Fair Mewsette", to my mind a MUCH better title) is a throwback to an age of innocence (corny as this may sound) in more than one sense; in those days, a simple, humane story was all the charm a story needed (my, that DID sound corny indeed). The movie had that special feel, in spades. And to me (a very impressionable 8-year old at the time), it was a true saga. I was taken to another world, cried for the characters, memorized their names and the song. And I dreamed of it for a month after watching it. I felt the magic. I felt as they said you should feel after watching an animated movie.*sigh*Maybe not a must see, but certainly a must remember. Watch it, and cherish the memory.

There are a few excellent points about this movie. Garland's voice sounds great here. The animation is quite unique, in that most of the backgrounds and such look like something out of an Impressionist painting, and are very beautiful. Red Buttons is very cute as Jaune-Tom's (Robert Goulet) small sidekick. The Harburg/Arlen songs are excellent, and they work nearly as well with Judy here as they did in The Wizard of Oz (1939), that marvel that truly started her entire career. The story is a little low on magic, but is pretty charming, and small children will like it. All in all, a treat for fans of Garland, Goulet, Harburg and Arlen, and original animation style.