Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Fantastic Felines of Film


Since today is National Cat Day, I wanted to give a shout out (meow out?) to some of my favorite felines in movies. I have always been a cat person (Shut up, shut up! I love dogs too!), and I've always thought that they have gotten a bad rap compared to other animals depicted on screen.

I could have made this a big countdown, and I definitely left some more iconic kitties off the list. Sorry, Cat from Breakfast at Tiffany's...sorry, Oliver from Oliver and Company...sorry, Aslan from Narnia. Here are my favorite six kitty cats from the big screen.   


This is more of a brief obituary for the white cat from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The poor thing never had a proper burial, I don't think. Every cat owner is wary when they haul out their holiday decorations, because they know that their cats might possibly break a beloved ornament. In the case of Lampoon, the curious cat electrocutes himself while comping on some Christmas tree lights. 


I'm paranoid that I'm going to come home and find my cat fried on the living room floor. Rest in peace, little guy. 


I know this isn't necessarily a traditional choice considering that Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle wasn't exactly a cat. Well, she kind of was, right? 

Pfeiffer's incarnation of Catwoman will probably forever be my favorite, and the way those cats revive Selina is downright...scary. I distinctly remember hiding my face during this sequence when I saw it in the theater back in 1992. 


My friend had me watch his Siamese cat for a few months, and I was instantly reminded of the mischievous cats from Lady & the Tramp

It's sooooo racist...


Can you have a list of great cats without The Cowardly Lion? In a word, no. 


Thackery Binx might be the best name for a cat ever. 

In case you have never seen Hocus Pocus (kill yourself), Thackery Binx was a young boy who was turned into a cat by The Sanderson Sisters in 1693 when he tried to protect his baby sister. When the witches are resurrected 300 years later (man, I need to watch this movie...) Binx is the guide for the trio of teens who will stop at nothing to turn those witches to dust.  

Surely, Binx was responsible for some young people throwing out the idea that black cats are scary and evil. I mean, he turns back into a cute boy at the end--he can't be that bad, right?!


The honor of top feline has to go to Sassy from Homeward Bound: The Incredibly Journey

Not only was she an adorable Himalayan cat, but she was bitchily and sassily voiced by none other than Sally Field. Let me repeat that: two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field has voiced the greatest kitty cat of all time. 

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