'Top Cat' theatrical feature coming August 2
Was Hanna-Barbera’s Top Cat ever one of your favorite TV cartoons? It wasn’t one of mine, even in its original broadcast fifty-plus years ago – and there wasn’t much competition at the time.
Yet I am looking on this new theatrical feature more favorably. Thank Roscoe it hasn’t been given the CGI makeover that Yogi Bear got! Or Rocky & Bullwinkle, or the live-action makeover of George of the Jungle or Dudley Do-Right. (Can you imagine a live-action Top Cat played by Brendan Fraser?)
No, the theatrical Top Cat has all the charm of the TV animation of 1961-62. And you know what? After all of the CGI razzle-dazzle of Escape from Planet Earth, The Croods, Epic, Monsters University, and Despicable Me 2 this year so far, not to mention the coming Turbo, Planes, The Smurfs 2, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, Free Birds, and Frozen – Top Cat looks pleasantly quaint. Those windmill running legs – that hokey voice acting – it’s nostalgia; ya know what I mean?
Whatever. Jerry Beck, on his Animation Scoop website, says that this 2011 Argentinian animated feature is being dubbed into English now for an August 2 release in theatres and home media.
About the author
Fred Patten — read stories — contact (login required)a retired former librarian from North Hollywood, California, interested in general anthropomorphics
Comments
The only time I laughed in the trailer was the last joke where he gets shot down.
Ascetically it looks like a game of Paper Mario.
Unfortunately, the movie is a textbook definition of "meh".
Well, I'll be...
Top Cat!
Do you remember it?
Top Cat!
Well, they've dismembered it.
Cartoon cats who're breaking the law — we loved it on TV, but the film version's poor.
Top Cat!
The indisputable worst film of the year!
The animation's bad, and the script is just sad.
I think we've all been had by – Top Cat!
Top Cat!
It's ineffectual.
Top Cat!
It's just incredible.
A decent film is what you desire, but oh, my, God, this really is dire.
"Top" Cat?
Oh Lordy, is the word "top" justified?
It's the bottom of the heap, and it frankly looks cheap, the disaster of the year is –
Top Cat.
-- Peter Bradshaw
A teeny bit (4 years?!) late, but this item caught my eye...
Saw the TC movie; I wouldn't give it any awards but it wasn't a disaster, it was watchable and respected the source material. (And if you enjoyed the show it was nice to see the characters again.)
What I'd REALLY like to see though, is a LIVE-ACTION/CGI "Top Cat" feature a la Chipmunks, GotGalaxy, etc. With the right script, live performers (vote for your choice to play Office Dibble!), voice acting and CGI character design it could be a lot of fun. Perhaps it could be built around a character arc for TC with him evolving from an entirely self-centered opportunist to someone who learns how to care about others.
- Joe
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