Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore: (July 30th, 2010): PG
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #6 with $12,279,363
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $35,218,937
Gross Revenue: $58,628,969
Budget: $85 million
Director: Brad Peyton
You can usually expect marketing for a children’s film to be aggressive, though promotions for Revenge of Kitty Galore were no where near as prevalent as the campaigns launched for Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3, or Despicable Me. Sure, promotions for this sequel were all over the social networking websites and a mainstay on the children’s television channels, but the biggest brand tie-ins I noticed were all geared towards the film’s UK release. This lack of prevalence might have to do with the fact that there are nine years separating sequel from original, and trying to draw fans of an originally sub-par kid’s film back for a sequel is notoriously difficult. The original Toy Story is a legendary childhood film turned successful franchise backed by a studio with a flawless track record, so it’s no surprise that Toy Story 3 is on its way to being declared the most successful film of the summer. Yet, the pedigree for Cats & Dogs is nowhere near as impressive, as it was largely forgotten until a sequel was announced; when one considers the high caliber of animated children’s films already released this summer, an obscure sequel cannot be expected to perform that strongly. But since it has been my goal this summer to see as many films as possible, a little adventure with everybody’s favorite pets seemed tolerable.
Here’s a basic breakdown of the plot: the central dog is a German Shepherd named Diggs (James Marsden), who is recruited into a top-secret agency of dogs dedicated to protecting mankind. Diggs is assigned to locate hairless cat Kitty Galore (Bette Midler), who is threatening to release a signal that will drive all canines on earth insane, thereby leaving humanity unprotected and at Kitty’s mercy. When other cats recognize just how big of a threat Kitty Galore poses, they form a truce with dogs and resolve to work together to stop this rogue feline. With the help of informant pigeon Seamus (Katt Williams) and top feline agent Catherine (Cristina Applegate), Diggs must work to prove his worth as an agent and save the day.
At first glance, it might seem that despite some terribly clichéd plot elements, Revenge of Kitty Galore might have enough humor or voice talent to soften criticism, but such is not the case. When it comes to humor, dog and cat owners might get a chuckle from some of the jokes presented, but nearly all of the potential laughter is catered to young children, who will giggle at every silly and immature line or situation. However, older audience members will roll their eyes at the noticeable lack of clever humor that has characterized the recent success of animated film. As for the voices behind the fur, voice actors have always been my favorite part of animation, but despite a laundry list of recognizable voice roles, very few of the performances brought anything unique or memorable to the four-legged adventures. The two notable exceptions were comedian Katt Williams and legendary actress Bette Midler; Katt’s performance as the simple pigeon Seamus was the only consistently funny element of the entire movie, and Bette seemed to truly delight in bringing an over-the-top villain to life. When it comes to the human cast, Chris O’Donnell tries his best to bring some heart to the film as Diggs’ owner, and Jack McBrayer (of 30 Rock and Talladega Nights fame) is funny enough as Kitty Galore’s clueless owner, but their efforts are simply overshadowed by the rest of the film’s mediocrity.
Another element of criticism comes from the visual-effects and animation used on the animals to make it appear like they are actually talking to each other. Hollywood has been super-imposing facial effects on real animals for years with surprising success, but there are far too many times throughout Revenge of Kitty Galore that this trick is overdone, often making the animals appear completely computer-generated. Halfway through the story, the film also inexplicably switches over to animatronics for one of its characters, but the change is so apparent and mediocre in execution that I was shocked that the visual-effects artists had the guts to present it on-screen. I understand that some elements of the film required that the animals be computer-generated, but with today’s computer technology, I expected even some of the simplest effects to be more believable. The most impressive animation comes from the hysterical short attached to the beginning of the film, a 3-D Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon; as a lifelong Looney Tunes fan, this was by far the most enjoyable element of my ninety minutes spent at the theater, and I would have much preferred to continue watching them instead of this stupid sequel.
It looks like the box-office had a very similar reaction to this newest children’s film. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore opened up in sixth place with just over $12 million, and the future isn’t looking any brighter. Even the small percentage of critics who liked the original film have completely torn apart this sequel for destroying what little potential the Cats & Dogs franchise could have generated. I’m sure kids will continue flocking to the theater, but with little draw for older audiences, recovering $85 million is a bit of a tall order. There are a few small laughs and memorable performances, but Cats & Dogs: The Revenge for Kitty Galore was made solely for children, so there is little motivation for the rest of the movie-going demographic to purchase a ticket.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
