Banjo the Woodpile Cat

With good fortune, I managed to find this (in three parts) on YouTube recently. Along with a few films, this is one I saw a lot as a young child, until today I had not seen it for years.

In one sentence: A beautiful, classic Don Bluth short film. In a few sentences: This animated short captures the beauty of Bluth's unique animation and the beauty of the story. The story is very sweet and many children will be able to relate to it and almost all adults will as well. There is a not-that-subtle moral in this story as well which is a very good moral, another highlight to the film. All in all, a very cute animated film well worth watching!

This film is about a kitten called Banjo who is very naughty, somehow he is always doing something bad. (He is very adorable though - and very likable. :-) ). One day, he falls off the chicken coop (on his feet) and his father orders him to fetch a switch so he can be beaten. Very harsh punishment! Not all that surprisingly, Banjo decides to run away to find new opportunities and ends up in Salt Lake city. Unfortunately, he finds he would rather be with his family...

I recommend this to all young children who like cartoons and to all adults who like cartoons and who like Don Bluth. Enjoy "Banjo the Woodpile Cat"! :-)

Hi! This is Animation Hobbyist Michael Aaron Igafo-Te'o and I Have Graduated from Jackson High School and I Want to do a review on Sullivan Bluth Studios' Debut Film -- It All Started when Don Bluth, Don's colleagues (John Pomeroy and Gary Goldman) along with 17 Animation Artists leaving Walt Disney Animation Studios' old animation lot (on Alameda Drive) in Burbank to finish "Banjo the Woodpile Cat" in The Garage at Don Bluth's former home in Ventura, California after working on this short since 1975 and the film's success kick-started Don Bluth Productions' independent careers working on Box Office Favorites from Don Bluth and his Team, ranging from "The Secret of N.I.M.H." to A Bundle of Animation Tutorial DVDs in 2009 when Don started "Don Bluth Films" in Scottsdale, Arizona as "Banjo the Woodpile Cat" was released on 2-Disc DVD for the first time in Don Bluth's history! I Remember first seeing that short on VHS Tape when I was a little boy in 1998! (After I Was Born in September 9th, 1994!)

Even if I didn't know this was Don Bluth, this animation short is truly a classic. When I first heard of this feature, I had to get it. Only, I wish it were a full length movie. Banjo is a loveable character. Don Bluth sets the tone in great looking animation the way it used to be.

I am a fan of Don Bluth, and while The Secret of NIMH is the movie I consider his magnum opus, this animated short Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a perfect example of Don Bluth in his prime. The animation is very nice, with luscious colours with some essence of darkness, fluid backgrounds and some of the better character designs in any of Bluth's work. The music is memorable, with some great jazzy undertones, while the songs are not too obvious either. The characters are immensely lovable, particularly Banjo who is also quite cute and charming, the dialogue is snappy, cute and funny and the storytelling is heart-warming and very sweet and well-meaning with an effective enough moral that doesn't hit too hard. The voice acting is very good, especially Scatman Crothers, Banjo the Woodpile Cat is well-paced and while it is very short at just half-an-hour or so there is not a dull or wasted moment. Overall, a classic and among Bluth's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox

When I was growing up my parents had made me a video with loads of cartoons on taped from the TV. Of all the Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons Banjo has always stuck in my mind. Perhaps the accessibility of the Warner cartoons has deteriorated my fond memories of them, but after 15 years I have found proof that this cartoon existed.

All I remember is a cat called Banjo who does something naughty so his father beats him and he runs off to Salt Lake City to live with some showgirls. When I told that synopsis to my friends they really didn't know what I was talking about.

After a bored afternoon it suddenly dawned on my to try the IMDB, low and behold I found Banjo. I've now ordered the VHS - I hope that it is as good as I remembered.