 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Cats & Dogs
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2001
Common Sense Media says
Plenty of heart and hijinks mixed with litter box humor.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie features several potty jokes and a great deal of comic/fantasy violence (no one hurt). Some children may be upset about an elderly character on life support, especially when his condition is used for comedy. A boy is sad when his dog disappears, and is reluctant to make friends with a replacement. The movie is mildly sexist -- although one of the spy dogs is female, she is not a part of the team, and the message that goes out to the spy dogs is prefaced with "gentlemen." A boy's feelings are hurt when he does so badly at soccer try-outs (off screen) that the coach suggests that he try out for the girls' team.
What's the story?
Back in the days of ancient Egypt, cats ruled. But with the help of dogs, humans took over, and cats have been trying to regain their position ever since. An evil rogue cat named Mr. Tinkles has a plot to foil the development of an injection that would cure allergies to dogs. If he can get the formula, reverse its effects, and expose every human in the world to it, then everyone would become allergic to dogs, and cats could take over.
Is it any good?
CATS AND DOGS is silly fun, a throwback to the classic Disney days of The Absent-Minded Professor and The Shaggy Dog. It moves along swiftly thanks to a brief running time (less than 90 minutes) and spectacularly seamless special effects work. It also benefits from outstanding voice talents: Tobey Maguire (Lou, the young pup called upon to save the world), Alec Baldwin (Butch, the senior agent, using some of the same world-weary courage and avuncular twinkle that he gave to James Dolittle in Pearl Harbor), and Susan Sarandon (kind-hearted canine femme fatale Ivy), as the good guys, and Sean Hayes (enjoying the role of evil villain Mr. Tinkles), and Jon Lovitz (his sidekick) as bad guys. Live action duties are undertaken with good spirits by Elizabeth Perkins, Jeff Goldblum, and Miriam Margolyes, who does a funny twist on her role as the Nurse in the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet.
All of this is aimed at 8-year-olds, so expect some PG-rated litter box humor, a couple of mild references to whether a male dog has been fixed, and a lot of slapstick pratfalls and head-bonks -- always a hit with kids.They'll also get a special kick out of the ninja cats (with a now-obligatory Matrix joke). There are a couple of good moments for parents, too, including a dog who explains that she is not homeless, just "domestically challenged," a canine news commentator named (of course) Wolf Blitzer, and having the dogs read the Miranda warnings to thousands of arrested mice. The movie comes down on the side of loyalty and families. And Mr. Tinkles' punishment is both funny and (literally) fitting.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the different ways that the cats and dogs deal with failure and setbacks and their ability to work as a team.
Families can also talk about Ivy's comment, "Sometimes mad is just a way of hiding how sad you are." Have you ever felt this way?
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- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
i lost 400000000000000 brain cells
i like it but have not sceen it for 4 years what was the question again
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AGE
good movie for 7 and older
funny movie, but violent. real animals fly through the air and are thrown about.
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AGE
Funny slapstick
This is a good movie for 9+ kids who can accept slapstick between pets.
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AGE
Good movie!
Good for kids!
Goofy and funny also gives a good point of animals!
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Kid, 12 years old
March 28, 2011
AGE
LAME AS ALWAYS!
BORING!
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AGE
Review of awesomeness!
Why does everybody hate this movie? it is my favorite talking animal movie ever! the only bad thing is, that the fluffy persian kitty is some power crazy lunatic. he tries to shoot the family with a gun, he tells the mom to shut up, and then he tries to burn them alive.
little kids won't get it though.
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Lawrence Guterman |
| Cast: | Elizabeth Perkins, Jeff Goldblum |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 87 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | July 4, 2001 |
| DVD release date: | October 16, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | animal action and humor |
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