Cats Don't Dance

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Very cute animation with Randy Newman music.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a colorful and energetic animated musical suitable for all but the very youngest toddlers. It sports some sly satire and the music, written by Randy Newman and performed by Natalie Cole.


What's the story?

A singing, dancing cat named Danny goes to Hollywood to become a star in this colorful and energetic animated musical suitable for all but the very youngest toddlers. He finds, however, that no one in Hollywood thinks that animals can be stars. A Shirley Temple-style moppet named Darla Dimple pretends to help him audition with his friends, only to sabotage their big number by flooding the soundstage. Danny, humiliated, decides to go back home. But he can't give up, and the rousing finish has all of the animals staging a spectacular musical number, with the inadvertent help of Ms. Dimple.


Is it any good?

 

The animation in CATS DON'T DANCE is well above average, if not quite up to the Disney standard, and the voice characterizations are excellent, with Scott Bakula and Jasmine Guy as the leads and Kathy Najimy, Don Knotts, and George Kennedy outstanding in supporting roles. Parents will appreciate some sly satire and the music, written by Randy Newman and performed by Natalie Cole.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about judging others on their talent and character, rather than their appearance, and about working for your dreams, even when the obstacles seem insurmountable. Kids may also like to talk about Darla Dimple, why she was so threatened by the talented animals and the contrast between the way she behaved in private and when she was in the public eye.


This review was written by Nell Minow
Kid, 11 years old
October 11, 2010
 
Age-appropriate for little kids, but not a good movie
I didn't really like this movie. Darla is a total brat and gets pretty obnoxious throughout the film. If you don't watch out, your kid may act like her and start to hate and be cruel to cats, so I suggest not to show this to your kids.

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Kinda lame for all ages.
Not a very popular movie and I don't like it. My little brothers like it but they like almost every movie.

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Parent of 7 year old
February 19, 2011
 
too intense for my 6 year old
i have a fairly sensitive 6 year old, and this movie left her "worried about bad dreams" - the villain (shirley temple prototype and henchman) were pretty scary and intense, and my daughter really didn't like it. Music and singing lots of fun, but negated in this household by scare factor.

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Adult
April 10, 2010
 
Quite possibly the most underrated Warner Bros movie of all time
Warner Bros films have rarely ever met success, and this I find sad. However, with films like Quest for Camelot, which I also liked, it was at least understandable to some extent. The Iron Giant, however, deserved so much more, but at least that one's getting recognition. However, this one I feel is highly under-appreciated. Considering the fair reviews it got, I, like many others, blame the lack of marketing for this one's financial bomb at the box office. Anyway, Warner Bros did what no other animation studio would ever think to do for a theatrical release: make a cartoon! Not some big epic piece like every other theatrical animated work, just... a cartoon. Okay, that sounds like direct-to-video material, but nonetheless, this is very enjoyable. Most Disney knock-offs have songs that don't do much to advance the plot the just drag the movie on. The songs in this, however, teach us about the characters while also moving the plot along and even paying homage to the main characters from Singin in the Rain. The characters are all likable, the premise is very creative and the soundtrack is catchy, and I just love the jokes making fun of Hollywood. All I can say overall is... well... I like it.

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Adult
March 27, 2009
 
Good movie for little kids.
Great film. You need to be warned however that there are 2 climatic scenes that can be a litle frieghtening but everyone ends up ok.

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Kid, 11 years old
September 26, 2009
 
4 and up
I have three things to say about this. 1, The title? Cats don't dance? of course they don't, they're cats, for pete's sake! (haha that was funny) 2, the cover is kinda weird. And, finally, 3. The cats are cute. I liked it.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Not one of my favorites...
My sister use too like this movie when she was in kindergarten, but I don't like this movie very much and I never have.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 2, 2010
 
Darla ain't Darling!
I love this movie, it is awesome! I think it's non only creative, but histerical! I love the music, the moves, almost every part of it! Also, Darla ( cute name ) is not Darling.

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Teen, 15 years old
March 18, 2012
 
Underrated? Definitely.
This is probably one of the most underrated movies of all time. I'm actually quite shocked at all the negative reviews it got. Nevertheless, it's the rags to riches tale of Danny. Danny is a likeable character trying to make it big who along the way makes friends and enemies in the movie industry. His portrayed message is "you can do anything if you try hard enough" which actually is the overall message of the movie. Succes and triumph through tenacity and determination. The main role model is probably Danny, his female counterpart, Sawyer, remains mostly cynical throughout most of the movie with the exception of one dance number in the alley and the final acts. Darla is the main villain with her evil henchman, Max catering to her every whim. Sort of poking fun at the Shirley Temple characters popular in the past. The other members of the cast are zany, quirky, witty and fun animals that try to support Danny in his endeavours. The violence is cartoonish. There's a flood scene where the characters are in peril, because Darla tries to drown them. Max a really tall bodyguard, slams Danny into the ground after nearly crushing him in his hand. He again places Danny in peril, near the end. Small kids may be scared of Darla, I'm not kidding there's a somewhat freaky scene where she laughs maniacally plotting the downfall of Danny and Sawyer, it involves electricity and a panel of dark pink colors. There is a manager of an acting agency and a head of a studio that smoke a lot. Other than that nothing else. The soundtrack makes the movie, the songs were amazingly written and set the mood well. Very catchy was the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" I would definitely recommend this movie to borrow or buy on dvd for your kid to watch if you're tired of Disney sitcoms. I enjoyed and continue to enjoy it as a teen and I think you will too.

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This review was written by Nell Minow
Topics:music and sing-along
Studio:Warner Bros.
Director:Mark Dindal
Cast:Jasmine Guy, Kathy Najimy, Scott Bakula
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:75 minutes
Theatrical release date:March 26, 1997
DVD release date:September 3, 2002
MPAA rating:G

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

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About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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