Le chat qui vient de l'espace

I have been slowly introducing my children to the great Disney family movies of the 70's. They were a little hesitant to watch this movie stating, "Not another one of Dad's old movie favorites"! But time and time again, they find themselves laughing out loud and realizing why this and others (Snowball Express, Blackbeard's Ghost, Herbie Rides Again, Shaggy D.A.) are family classics. This one was extra special because it starred a lovable pussycat who happens to be, "From Outer Space." Oddly enough, our cat Aslan, watched this movie from start to finish. The kids all joked that it was, "his favorite movie." Our children need more movies like this one! Fun, light-hearted comedies with family-oriented values and an interesting storyline that stimulates the imagination.

I initially saw this movie as a child and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have actually looked for it for years and am thrilled it is out on DVD. As most fun Disney films, it's not meant to be 'realistic' - just entertaining fun. Disney wasn't looking to develop masterful characters here but enjoyable ones that could help convey positive messages through the story line. Most young kids would enjoy this film, intrigued by the smart cat from another planet. Most kids would get into the plot, will probably be using their imaginations to construct pictures of the cat's home planet, and will be rooting for him to make it home. If you can withdraw from the current thrust of fast-pace, high-tech film to relax with a cute story, I'd say enjoy!

A spaceship makes an emergency landing on Earth and the pilot -a talking cat- run into spies, the army, Ken Berry and Sandy Duncan in his mission to get back home. Exciting for youngsters, if not as funny as the average Disney-comedy. A nice cast (with support from the likes of McLean Stevenson, Harry Morgan and Roddy McDowall) although Ken Berry has always seemed like the guy they get if Dean Jones has better things to do. Worth mentioning is it's great finale with some impressive stunts thousands of feet above the ground. Noted for being veteran Disney-director Norman Tokar's final film (he died the following year).

Films lauding cats come around about as often as Halley's Comet, so whenever one does arrive it should be shouted about from the rooftops. Yeah, sure... Dogs save peoples lives, look cute and are a reliable source of defecation jokes, but can anything compare to the grace and mystique of a feline? I say no. And if you disagree, you're wrong. 'Nuff said.

It's a pretty unusual plot... A cat from another planet crashlands on our shores in his spaceship, and needs 120k dollars worth of gold for repairs (Don't ask). He enlists the help of a maverick scientist, a ditzy blonde and a sleazy gambler to these ends, all the while pursued by the military and an evil criminal mastermind, who would LOVE to possess the pussy's magical collar (which has levitation and telepathic powers).

What did I tell ya? I said it was an odd story... And yet, despite the sheer inanity of what's on display, it somehow all holds together. The mystical capabilities of the collar provide much of the humour, including freezing people in mid-movement, and helping to rig a very one-sided game of pool.

The special effects are about as good as you'd expect from the 70's (e.g not very) but the adorable cat is so well trained you'd almost think it WAS an intelligent extra-terrestrial lifeform, and with the exception of an over-elongated climax in the sky, there's little padding here to make young minds impatient.

So, not quite the cat's whiskers, but far from worthy of the litter box. Did'ja see what I did there?! 6/10

This movie is just fun. No serious plot, just an enjoyable movie with some really wonderful actors. If anyone has kids, enjoys cats, or just likes a lighthearted film, see this one. This movie is the reason we named our cat "Jake" not because of his looks, but because of his intelligence (from another world you might say).