Top Cat: The Movie (2011)
The first I found out about Top Cat: The Movie was when I received an email from an events company that was handling promotional screenings, prior to the film’s UK release in the summer of 2012. For some reason I missed the usual pre-production publicity that comes with the rebooting of a popular franchise. One of the benefits of this was that I didn't have time to fret or fuss about this reimagining of an integral part of my childhood. I must admit I was flummoxed that this 50-year-old franchise was subject to a makeover and was even more discombobulated to find out that the original show was a massive hit in Mexico and had garnered a huge cult following. This was why Warner Bros. subcontracted this production to Mexico's Anima and Argentina's Illusion studios. Subsequently Don Gato y Su Pandilla (Top Cat and His Gang) opened on 16th September 2011 in Mexico to weekend box office returns of 41m pesos ($2.9m). It subsequently became the highest-grossing independent animated films released in the United States that year.
Now apparently, when Top Cat was originally shown in Mexico, the show was re-scripted and re-dubbed extensively to suit the local market. Something about TC's irrepressible personality and his anti-authoritarian high jinks resonated with the audience and they took him to their hearts. The original show became a major hit and remained in syndication for years. This needs to be considered when watching Top Cat: The Movie, as it is a production that has been created specifically for the Latin American market and then rendered back into a English friendly product. It is therefore a little left field and not entirely identical to the source material. The story has a contemporary setting and animation is a mixture of 2D characters within a CGI environment. The style is very much in the idiom of contemporary shows that you see on the cartoon network. However, that is not a bad thing. There are three versions of the movie available. A Spanish dialogue version. A US version featuring additional voice acting from Rob Schneider and Danny Trejo and a UK version where these actors are not present.
As to the film’s plot, Top Cat and his gang are all present as is his foil, Officer Dibble. The voices are not radically different, although Choo Choo has become even camper and now appears to be pink. However, I chose to overlook these changes as he is one of the most enjoyable members of the cast. The story is odd to say the least, revolving around a rogue robot police force and the villainous commissioner. At one point Top Cat goes to Dog Prison which raises a wealth of questions. The humour veers from gags cribbed from the original show to more modern double entendres and nudge, nudge humour. There is also some love interest introduced to the plot, but it is poorly handled and is hardly going to do any favours for the representation of women in movies. Overall, the narrative is somewhat haphazard and all over the shop. Yet it avoids complete failure due to the inherent fact that Top Cat and his gang are likeable. Top Cat: The Movie also wins by default because in direct comparison to recent reboots of old cartoon franchises such as The Smurfs and Yogi Bear, it’s simply not as bad.
Undemanding children unfamiliar with the heritage of the show will more than likely find Top Cat: The Movie acceptable. There’s enough slapstick humour and frenetic chases to keep the uncritical eyes of the young occupied. Bizarrely enough I did not object to this reboot anywhere near as much as I thought I would. It is different and certainly not as I expected but when you consider the films pedigree and the fact that the concept has been translated from one culture to another and then back again, it still retains facets of the original show. Perhaps the essential dynamics of Top Cat, his gang and their timeless shenanigans are simply too strong to be eradicated even by current studio perceptions of audience tastes and postmodern sensibilities. If you are a dyed in the wool Top Cat purist, then avoid this movie. If you are curious and have an interest in animation then give it a go. Overall I still think the Top Cat: The Movie should be filed under odd.
