The Cat Came Back (1988 film)
Encyclopedia
The Cat Came Back is a 1988 animated
film
by Canadian
director
Cordell Barker
, produced by fellow award-winning Winnipeg
animator Richard Condie
. Based on the children's song The Cat Came Back, it concerns the increasingly desperate and lonely man named Mr. Johnson, an old man who attempts to rid himself of a small, yet extremely destructive, yellow cat that will not leave his home. The attempts to get rid of the cat become more comical, and the cat becomes increasingly destructive, until Mr. Johnson resorts to an explosive solution. The result is a twist ending playing on the end of the children's song, with the cat's nine lives bedeviling Mr. Johnson for eternity.
The ending with the cat's nine ghost lives may have been influenced by Back Alley Oproar
, a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies
cartoon released on 27 March 1948 (which, in turn, was a remake of an earlier Warner Brothers short, 1941's Notes to You
; both cartoons directed by Friz Freleng
).
Produced in Winnipeg by the National Film Board of Canada
, the film garnered over 15 awards, including a Genie Award for Best Animated Short
, as well as an Academy Award nomination. It was also chosen for inclusion in animation historian Jerry Beck
's 50 Greatest Cartoons, placing at #32. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows
.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Cordell Barker
Cordell Barker
Cordell Barker is a Canadian animator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began animating in his late teens after taking on an apprenticeship at Kenn Perkins Animation. He has worked on commercial campaigns for entities such as Coca-Cola, Bell Canada, Lors, Nike, and the Government of Canada...
, produced by fellow award-winning Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
animator Richard Condie
Richard Condie
Richard Condie, RCA is a Canadian animator, film maker and musician living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Education and career:...
. Based on the children's song The Cat Came Back, it concerns the increasingly desperate and lonely man named Mr. Johnson, an old man who attempts to rid himself of a small, yet extremely destructive, yellow cat that will not leave his home. The attempts to get rid of the cat become more comical, and the cat becomes increasingly destructive, until Mr. Johnson resorts to an explosive solution. The result is a twist ending playing on the end of the children's song, with the cat's nine lives bedeviling Mr. Johnson for eternity.
The ending with the cat's nine ghost lives may have been influenced by Back Alley Oproar
Back Alley Oproar
Back Alley Oproar is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short originally released in theaters on March 27, 1948. The short features Sylvester and Elmer Fudd as its main characters, voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan respectively...
, a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon released on 27 March 1948 (which, in turn, was a remake of an earlier Warner Brothers short, 1941's Notes to You
Notes to You
Notes to You is a 1941 Looney Tunes American cartoon featuring Porky Pig and an unnamed alley cat...
; both cartoons directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
).
Produced in Winnipeg by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, the film garnered over 15 awards, including a Genie Award for Best Animated Short
Genie Award for Best Animated Short
The Genie Award for Best Animated Short is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian animated short film.-7th Genie Awards:* Michael Scott, Richard Condie, The Big Snit* Ishu Patel, Paradise/Paradis...
, as well as an Academy Award nomination. It was also chosen for inclusion in animation historian Jerry Beck
Jerry Beck
Jerry Beck is a well-known animation historian, with ten books and numerous articles to his credit. He is also an animation producer, an industry consultant to Warner Bros., and has been an executive with Nickelodeon and Disney....
's 50 Greatest Cartoons, placing at #32. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows
Animation show of shows
The Animation Show of Shows is a traveling selection of the year's best animated short films, curated and presented by Acme Filmworks founder, Ron Diamond. It began in 1998 with the aim of showing the most original, funny, intelligent short animated films from all over the world and presenting them...
.