Cat City

Cat City (Hungarian: Macskafogó (Cat Catcher)) is a 1986 Hungarian animated comic science fiction film, directed by Béla Ternovszky and written by József Nepp.[1] The title Cat City was used in the United States distribution.[2] The film was selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 59th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[3]

This article is about the 1986 animated film. For other uses, see Cat City (disambiguation).

Cat City
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBéla Ternovszky
Written byJózsef Nepp
Produced byRomán Kunz
Starring
Cinematography
  • Mária Neményi
  • Csaba Nagy
  • György Varga
Edited byMagda Hap
Music byTamás Deák
Jimmy Giuffre
Distributed byMokép
Release date
  • 2 October 1986 (1986-10-02)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryHungary
LanguageHungarian

Plot

The film opens with a Star Wars opening crawl, which explains the film's premise: In year 80 AM (Anno Mickey Mouse), the mice of Planet X are threatened by humiliation and total apocalypse. The well-organized, fully equipped gangs of evil cats are aiming for the total obliteration of mice, not caring for the old conventions between mice and cats. But in the last moment, when the mouse leaders are beginning to consider leaving the planet, a new hope rises...[4]

The film is a parody of several famous feature films, mainly the James Bond series. It tells the story of a special agent who is sent to the city of "Pokyo" to obtain the secret plans of a machine which could save mouse society. Of course, the cats don't want this to happen, and send some rat gangsters to stop him, who don't always prove as efficient as they initially seem.[5]

Sequel: Cat City 2: The Cat of Satan

The film was made on a limited budget of about 3 million USD, with the characters drawn and animated by hand, while objects and backgrounds were derived from 3D models and computer simulation. The visual world of the film is said to be influenced by the Matrix trilogy and Sin City, but softened for a younger audience. The former working title of Cat City 2 was retained as the final subtitle: "Cat of Satan", which would be translated literally as "The Tabby of the Baskervilles" if translated into English in its original context. The project was led by the original Nepp and Ternovszky duo, who directed the first film.

The story of Cat City 2 centers around an investigative journalist named Stanley Mouse, who wants to find out about the legend of an ancient "cat tribe" lost in Africa. He finds them and much more, once again threatening the continued existence of mouse civilization. Special Agent Grabowsky will act to save the day, however. The events are supposed to take place some 20 years after the first episode, as one of the already leaked cells shows the titular Cat-Catcher mecha rusting away in a shelter, and a grown-up child of some character appears in the plot.

Premiering on December 20, 2007, by January 2008 it had made the Hungarian Box Office Top Ten for 6 consecutive weeks.[6]

See also

References
  1. "The 30th anniversary of the iconic Hungarian animated movie, Cat City". Daily News Hungary. 23 November 2016.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 172. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  4. "Cat City" – via mubi.com.
  5. "Cat City". National Film Institute - Film Archive.
  6. "Catcher: Cat City 2". Box Office Mojo.
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