Cats Don't Dance (1997)

I was quite small when I saw this movie inside of the local Blockbuster. Naturally, being the animal/animation lover that I am, I immediately picked it up. Watched it, loved it. Then it quickly disappeared from my memory and everyone else's since all of its hype burned out; however, it suddenly started popping up on television a few years later, and I must say, it's as good a watch as the first.

The plot: We find our hero, Danny the Cat, heading out to Hollywood in pursuit of his dreams: to become a star. The cat is bursting with musical talent, as well as his other animal friends, like Tillie, Frances, and especially Sawyer. However, the business only has its eye on musically talented humans and our friends are left out of the spotlight. Can Danny overcome firmly established prejudiced ways and the fake child star Darla Dimple, and make it to the big time, or will he and his friends be stuck with the two-bit roles?

The first thing that sticks out about this movie is the animation. Wonderful, bright,zany, and fast-paced: a very different take on the more, slower moving animated movies. From the memorable ark ride to simply the characters being themselves, the animation was simply fantastic. It dared to be different, and not only did it pay off well with the lasting appeal of the movie itself, but it greatly helped the musical numbers, which were just wonderful.

Of course, with this being a musical, you're going to be like "not another Disney-wannabe. Their songs are already bad enough...." CDD pleasantly surprised me. The songs were very enjoyable. Witty lyrics coupled with good music actually made me feel the writer's took time to develop these songs and the score. Songs ranging from the all-around fun "I've Got Rhythm" to the soulful tune of "Tell Me Lies" greatly moved the story to the wonderful finale that had me with my eyes glued to the screen.

All in all, this movie is a nice little break from many of the overworked Disney movies of today. Good plot, wonderful, colorful animation, and actually GOOD songs make this a feature that is not to be missed. And as a little token to this wonderful movie: "See you in the movies!"

Fmovies: I'll always be a hardcore Disney fan, but I can't help but have a real soft spot for movies which prove that dreams can come true. This movie about anthropomorphic characters (animals that are like people) is simply incredible- animation stylized, cute, and fun... with an incredible plot, great music (I bought the soundtrack), amazing voice talent (that includes singing!), and believable characters. This is a real keeper...and I'm surprised that it didn't get as much attention as it deserved. I'd reccomend it to anyone who's had a dream, or who has one... and those who just love cartoons.

This is a great movie for both kids and adults! I have 3 boys, ages 4, 9 and 14, and they ALL like the film, especially the songs. The strange thing is that my boys generally think musical numbers are girl-stuff. Well, girl-stuff or not, they get into this flic, and I sometimes catch them singing along with the catchy tunes.

Scott Bakula is a real surprise as Danny, the talented singing and dancing cat from Kokomo, Indiana, who comes to Hollywood with stars in his eyes, and ignites the fading dreams of the jaded animals who work as extras while humans get all the good scenes.

The principal characters are well cast and easy to like, except for Darla and Max, whom you'll love to hate! BTW - I don't know the name of the young woman who did the singing voice for Darla, but she has a set of pipes that will absolutely knock you on your seat. Big And Loud!

Take a look at this movie with an open mind and a young heart. You'll be glad you gave it a chance!

Cats Don't Dance fmovies. This film does what few animated musicals attempt but fail to accomplish. The energy and feeling of an old silver screen musical. Gene Kelly would be proud.

The animation is quite the throwback to the Chuck Jones era of cartoons. The city is wonderfully drawn and given a slight art deco feel. The voice acting is spot on for all of the characters and the singing talent is some of the best. Randy Newman does a wonderful job of scoring this film. His musical arrangements are upbeat and fun when need be and pull at your heart's strings at the right time.

It's quite sad that this film was brushed under the carpet by Warner Bros. The lack of popularity, besides not being a Disney movie, could also be due to the fact that the story deals with a subject that not many kids are familiar with, Racism. But the older audience will really appreciate this movie on a whole different level.

Cats Don't Dance was a film that was destined to fail but at the same time left to be one of the best animations of our time.

Having grown slightly weary of Disney's modern formula, I was pleasantly surprised to find an animated movie that didn't try to be something BIG. The formula was fresh and original, despite the fact that the premise is as old as time, and the songs were jazzy and finger snapping. All in all, this was a fun movie. Fun and high energy. There was also not one single weak character. No stupid sidekicks here. Everybody makes the experience enjoyable. And the humor is priceless. They also managed to make the story thoughtful and even touching while still keeping the movie light and fun. Great direction. Great music. Great animation. Overall, just a great movie. Surprising for a WB movie. This movie came out the same year as Disney's own Hercules, but this is many times better.

this movie is great-- i watched it when i was small, and i've loved it ever since! my favorite characters are Danny and sawyer... i just thought Danny was so cute and the sparks between Danny and sawyer were adorable!!! well, i guess my real favorite character would have to be sawyer, she's a great dancer and has some really good songs. my ultimate favorite scene was in the last number "nothing's going to stop us now" when they were in the "venice" scene...i thought it was the cutest, even if it was only a few seconds long! but it definitely was a cute movie, and my favorite of all time. this was a great movie. everyone, of all ages, should watch it.