Cat Scratch Fever
Felidae
The German-made animated feature Felidae has, at least at first glance, the slick commercial look of the type of Hollywood productions we’re used to seeing from the likes of Disney and Don Bluth. If you’re anything like me, that might prove to be a bit of a stumbling block, because, being that I’m no big fan of mainstream animation, that’s not the type of cinematic experience I tend to seek out. And indeed, during its first few minutes I had some serious doubts about whether I was going to enjoy Felidae. Then came the moment when the film’s protagonist, a feline detective by the name of Francis, stumbles across his first horribly mutilated kitty corpse, and I quickly realized that there were quite a few shades of difference between Felidae and Fievel Goes West.
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Comments
Comment from The Rev. D.D.
Time: July 23, 2008, 8:54 pm
Fritz the Cat, Hey Good Lookin’, Wizards…most of Ralph Bakshi’s stuff from the ’70s and ’80s, in fact. Although that’s more “adult” like the Heavy Metal films…
Animal Farm would be on there I suppose. I’d agree with Watership Down. Haven’t seen Plague Dogs.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: July 24, 2008, 6:29 am
Those exceptions aside, it doesn’t seem that the USA has embraced the cartoon as a way of telling a story to anyone but children and families (i.e. stuff for children that has a few winks and nods for the adults).
Comment from The Rev. D.D.
Time: July 24, 2008, 8:43 am
That’s exactly the case, BM. For some reason, that’s all they think cartoons are good for. I’d like to think some people will take the popularity of Miyazaki and his films in recent years to heart, and start trying to produce more adult-oriented cartoons. (Didn’t one come out last year that was up for an Oscar, about a woman growing up in the Middle East? I can’t recall the name offhand.) It’d be nice to see that stigma removed from animated films here in the U.S.
I have to say the description of Felidae makes me quite interested in tracking it down. I’d like to see an adult cartoon that’s not from Japan, especially if it’s good.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: July 24, 2008, 9:32 am
I still need to see “Chinese Gods.” I actually liked “Atlantis” a lot because the action was lot more intense than other Disney films. However, I was a stupid idiot and paid money to buy the DTV sequel for promise of a cool Kraken monster. *shudders*
Comment from El Santo
Time: July 24, 2008, 9:42 am
We can’t even take credit for Animal Farm or Watership Down– they were made in the UK, and for that matter, The Plague Dogs was primarily a British production, too. Meanwhile, Persepolis (that Oscar-nominated thing “about a woman growing up in the Middle East”) was French.
Comment from Elizabeth the Ferret
Time: July 25, 2008, 6:58 pm
Yeah, America has a real problem with assuming all cartoons are automatically for children. That’s why they buy the rights to popular Japanese shows, then butcher them so the kiddies can watch them and tend to give the characters bad voices and stupid catch phrases (I swear if I hear my nephew yelling “Believe it!” one more time, I’m going to throttle him) that were never in the original.
Comment from KeithA
Time: July 28, 2008, 11:21 am
Last night, I was in the mood to watch AKIRA again. Man I wish the US would make movies like that every now and then. Heck, I wish Japan still made movies like that every now and then. NO MORE HAREM SHOWS, JAPAN! No more shows about a loser dork who is never the less the object of affection for a group of sexy women.
Comment from The Rev. D.D.
Time: July 28, 2008, 11:45 am
Thanks to El Santo for the corrections. Much appreciated.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: July 30, 2008, 1:08 pm
Sat down and watched “Watership Down” today. That was pretty good. The violence never feels like exploitation, like the creators said, “Let’s show the audiences what those cute little bunny rabbits look like when they’re hacked to pieces.” It’s all pretty realistic and the end is actually kind of moving.
Comment from MatthewF
Time: July 31, 2008, 5:21 am
I thought Watership Down was hartbreaking when I was kid, really awful and sad. Rabbits aren’t supposed to die in cartoons, they’re supposed to hang out with baby deer. So my parents bought me a big themed jigsaw of the film. Anyway, I haven’t seen it in 20 years buth that bloody art garfunkel song is still burned into my brain.
Comment from hman
Time: July 23, 2008, 3:40 pm
Outside of the Heavy Metal films, what have been the most adult (not in porn sense) cartoons made stateside? Plague Dogs? Watership Down? I think I saw the second half of Heavy Metal and that’s all.