Director: Alberto Mar
Starring: Jason Harris, Chris Edgerly and Bill Lobley
Certificate: U
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Top Cat! The indisputable leader of the gang. He’s the boss, he’s a pip, he’s the championship. He’s the most tip top, Top Cat. Yes he’s a chief, he’s a king, But above everything, He’s the most tip top, Top Cat…
Many will still remember the 1960 show and jingle – perhaps not all 30 episodes in exact detail, but the TV-show has successfully lived on since 1961 and is loved even by those who didn’t grow up with it.
The show became wildy popular in countries like Argentina and Mexico which explains why this 2011 film was made and released in Mexico and later dubbed to English for a wider audience.
TOP CAT THE MOVIE has taken a very political and social critical path, telling the story of a new unqualified police chief and his determination to replace all officers with robots and to install a camera in ‘every home, and every bedroom’. He even goes as far as far as framing Top Cat for a orphanage robbery and jails him in dog-prison.
It’s understandable that TOP CAT fans who were brought up with the show were looking forward to the film, but it’s more likely that they were the most disappointed part of the audience. The animation is different, the voices are different and more importantly, the witty an fast paced 20-minute TV show has been dragged out into a 90-minute 3D movie and has failed miserably. The film isn’t for adult viewers and it’s very unlikely you’ll find it entertaining, but it will do for children thanks to its colourful CGI backgrounds and characters done with Flash.
There have been successful TV to the big screen adaptations – TOP CAT is unfortunately not one of those. Barely any effort has been made, and instead it seems like they’ve gone through the worst episodes of TOP CAT, added an hour to it, and brought it to the big screen. Instead of keeping to its 1960s class and talk, the filmmakers have brought it to the future, when robots run the world and alley cats Tweet about their latest con.
the good news is, the film is appropriate for children and will hopefully keep them distracted for 90 minutes while you watch a real movie.
TOPCAT: The Movie is available on DVD on the 15th of October.
