Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Talking alien cat outsmarts lesser humans in '70s comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Cat From Outer Space
What's the Story?
In THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE, an alien who looks like a house cat, nicknamed Jake (voice of Ronnie Schell), turns out to be the pilot of a mysterious spaceship that has landed on Earth for lack of fuel. The ship contains lots of advanced technology, including a mysterious power generator that baffles the U.S. military and a gaggle of scientists trying to figure it all out. The cat selects one oddball researcher, Frank (Ken Berry), to confide in. He shows Frank his remarkable powers of telepathic communication, his ability to freeze people in their tracks and to influence events on Earth, including horse races and pool games. When the cat diagnoses his ship's problem as a need for $120,000 worth of gold, Frank enlists a goofy colleague (McLean Stevenson) with a gambling problem to win enough to raise money to fund the gold purchase so the cat can take off and join his fellow aliens. A token power-mad villain is also after the cat and his powerful collar, and that leads to a kidnapping, a helicopter-airplane chase, and a daring rescue. Both the villain and military fail to capture the cat, who, with his human help, blasts off into space happily ever after.
Is It Any Good?
This Disney comedy hails from an era when filmmaking for families and kids often featured an exaggerated innocence and dopiness that bore little resemblance to reality. Disney's special effects and its presentation of the way people speak and behave has become better, as in the excellent The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Toy Story of the '90s, and Finding Nemo of 2003, among many others, so kids raised on those great films may shake their heads in wonder at The Cat from Outer Space. It's possible that the sheer silliness of the concept will entertain the youngest children, but tense moments regarding the cat's safety and a kidnapping and helicopter rescue may cause some anxiety in that group of viewers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the why it's fun to imagine interacting with extraterrestrials. What would you ask if you met one?
Why do you think The Cat from Outer Space makes the military officials and scientists look unintelligent? Do you think that allows the cat to seem smarter?
Do you believe there are beings somewhere in the universe from other planets with more advanced civilizations than ours? Why? Would you like to meet them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 9, 1978
- On DVD or streaming : July 6, 2004
- Cast : Ken Berry , Ronnie Schell , Sandy DUncan , McLean Stevenson , Harry Morgan
- Director : Norman Tokar
- Studio : Walt Disney Studios
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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