Dany, le chat superstar

"Cats Don't Dance" is a delightful animated feature in the style of a 1930's musical comedy. The main character, Danny (voiced by Scott Bakula), is a high-spirited cat from Kokomo, Indiana who goes to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a movie star. But there he finds limited roles available for animals. The story is a sly message about discrimination. The imagery is bright and the music is catchy. The villainess is a wonderful Darla Dimple, a Shirley Temple parody of a child star with a dark side. Together with her monstrous manservant Max, they provide many laughs. Other funny animals include Tilly the Hippo (voiced by Kathy Najimy) and T.W. the Turtle (voiced by Don Knotts). So "Cats Don't Dance" is an enjoyable movie for everyone!

What else can I say?

I've never seen an animated movie quite like this.

The first time I saw the previews for this a long time ago, I thought this was really terrible... the thing is that I actually thought it would be bad when it was broadcasted for the first time on regular tv... there's another end to a misconception for me.

This has got to be the single most amazing cartoon musical/comedy I've seen in a while.

When I was finished watching it, I kinda thought to myself, "If Danny had a dream to fuel him, I could learn from that!"

For the final note, I give this movie a 10 out of 10!

This is a great movie for both kids and adults! I have 3 boys, ages 4, 9 and 14, and they ALL like the film, especially the songs. The strange thing is that my boys generally think musical numbers are girl-stuff. Well, girl-stuff or not, they get into this flic, and I sometimes catch them singing along with the catchy tunes.

Scott Bakula is a real surprise as Danny, the talented singing and dancing cat from Kokomo, Indiana, who comes to Hollywood with stars in his eyes, and ignites the fading dreams of the jaded animals who work as extras while humans get all the good scenes.

The principal characters are well cast and easy to like, except for Darla and Max, whom you'll love to hate! BTW - I don't know the name of the young woman who did the singing voice for Darla, but she has a set of pipes that will absolutely knock you on your seat. Big And Loud!

Take a look at this movie with an open mind and a young heart. You'll be glad you gave it a chance!

I remembered seeing Cats Don't Dance when I was 10, and really liking it. To this day, I still find it a mystery as to why I didn't see it again since, and I can't think of a convincing enough reason why other than I forgot about it. Then, I was reading some reviews by chance that were praising this film, and I decided I must give it another chance. Thank goodness for YouTube. And you know what, I am glad I did that, and now I am kicking myself for only seeing this film once in my childhood. Seriously I loved it, why it is so underrated I don't know.

I am also scratching my head on some of the aspects of the film critical reviews have picked up. Critics complained of dull characters, and others of forgettable songs. Now I will admit that Cats Don't Dance is surprisingly ambitious, but I cannot disagree more with the criticism that it has forgettable music. I thought it was wonderful, the incidental music itself was beautiful, but the songs were amazing and definitely memorable, from the wonderfully energetic end number, to the poignant one sung by Sawyer in the rain. Though special mention has to go to Big and Loud, where Lindsay Ridgeway did a spectacular job with the singing voice of the antagonist Darla Dimple.

And the characters certainly weren't dull. Danny is a very likable Gene Kelly-like protagonist, and Sawyer is lovely. And if you're looking for a character for comic relief, look to Flannigan especially. But the most memorable character is easily Darla, wonderfully voiced by Ashley Peldon. You could say Darla is like Shirley Temple's evil twin, she is very cute yet she is mighty mean too. Her bodyguard Max for some reason frightened me at the end when he was chasing Danny when I first saw Cats Don't Dance. The animation is colourful and detailed, and the voice cast is excellent. Other definite pros are in the surprisingly consistent and mature scripting, the inspired story, its constant sense of fun and the glamorous and irresistible choreography. All in all, despite the decent enough rating on IMDb(though I personally think it should be in the 7s) this is a very underrated and almost forgotten film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Hollywood-it either makes or breaks you, sends some dreamers to the top, and others home. Can a little ambition go a long way?

Set in the late 1930s, "Cats Don't Dance" is about Danny (voice of Scott Bakula), a singing and dancing cat from Kokomo, who heads to Hollywood in search of a big break, complete with dreams, ambitions, and a song in his heart. He is immediately hired to play a part in "Lil Arc Angel," a picture starring Hollywood's most celebrated actress, Darla Dimple (Ashley Peldon/Lindsay Ridgeway), whom, beneath her sweetie-pie personality, is really a spoiled brat who hates animals and will do anythig to destroy their dreams. Danny decides to steal the show from Darla, who shows her true colors. When he approaches Darla for help in getting the animals a big break, Darla conjures up a plan to get them all blacklisted from movies. Can Danny prove that ambition can get them their dreams?

As a 19 year old, its not very common to like cutesy cartoons. However, this was something that would entertain anyone. Sure, the songs are corny, but the dance numbers are fun, and the singers really know their stuff. Scott Bakula, providing both the vocal and singing tracks for Danny, is energetic and fun, and he sings really well. Jasmine Guy and Natalie Cole, as Sawyer, is seductive and ambitious, just not willing to show it. The supporting animal cast, including Don Knotts as T.W. and Kathy Najimy as Tilly Hippo, are funny and smart. Kudos to Ashley Peldon and Lindsay Ridgeway, as Darla Dimple, who make her EXTREMELY evil, which I love.

Fave parts: The dancing scene in the alley, the "Lil Arc Angel" scene in the beginning, the part where Darla has Danny at her house, eating animal crackers and being sweetly evil, and the ending, which I won't give away. I liked the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". As for fave lines, I had a few. Max: What sound does the kitty cat make? Danny: (big fake grin)Meow??? Max: Gooood. This was also funny when the tables were turned. Scott Bakula doing all sorts of variations of Meow was classic too. Max cracked me up, hulking around scaring the animals. He even started to dance (one of the funniest moments).

This was a wonderful film, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh, likes cartoons, or Scott Bakula. This is a charming film that encourages chasing your dreams, no matter how big they are. As T.W. said, "They can break your cookie, but you'll always have your fortune." Isn't that the stuff dreams are made of?