Bailey's Favorite Fictional Felines
What else can I write about when my cat sister, Sabrina, insists on climbing all over me every ten seconds? Seriously, though, between Sabrina and Lucyfur, we run the spectrum of catdom here at The Film Rewind, and we love them all. Today, I will be listing my top ten felines from film and television, one cat for every second that Sabrina can resist rubbing her face all over mine... Sorry, cast of The Lion King, I'm sticking to domestic kitties for this (scratching) post. Prep your can opener, put out the catnip, and relax in that beam of sun. Here are my top ten fictional kitties:
Lucyfur, the Jean Harlow of The Film Rewind
10. Spot from Star Trek: The Next Generation (CBS, 1987-1994) - "This is down. Down is good. This is up. Up is no." Untrainable even by Data, Spot is proof that, even in 300 years, we won't be able to keep cats off our desks.
9. Snowbell from Stuart Little (1999, dir. Rob Minkoff) - You can't go wrong when the voice of your fluffy white cat is Nathan Lane. Snowbell is sarcastic, witty, and just a little bit evil. Little did I know, when watching this film as a child, that I would grow up to be a human Snowbell.
8. Oliver from Oliver & Company (1988, dir. George Scribner) - More of a 'leaf on the wind' kind of cat, Oliver just takes things as they come. He mainly made this list because I'm still crying about no one picking him from that box on the street at the very beginning of the movie.
7. Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus (1993, dir. Kenny Ortega) - "Thackery Binx, thou mangy feline!" He's a Puritan boy-turned-cat and destined to live forever until the destruction of the Sanderson sisters. Did anyone else wonder why he didn't just say, "Hey, dad. It's me, but I’m a cat," after he's turned? He could talk, after all! Speaking of which...
6. Duffy from A Talking Cat!?! (2013, dir. David DeCoteau) - "I don't make the rules, Phil." If you've never heard of this movie, I beg you to watch the trailer at the very least, if not view the whole film. It's one of the worst, lowest production quality, yet unintentionally funniest movies of all time. The star is Duffy, a magical cat who can "only talk once," with a lazily animated mouth and the joyless, not soundproofed voice of Eric Roberts. It is so bad... I'll never stop loving it.
5. Sassy from Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993, dir. Duwayne Dunham) - "Cats rule, dogs drool!" Sassy has class and superiority - two essential qualities for the best of house cats. She also knows when to kick in those survival skills if necessary, and holds her own as the only cat in a trio of pets on a perilous mountain journey.
4. Sergeant Tibbs from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961, dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman) - Dalmatians is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies because of the support network among the animals as they all band together to save a massive group of kidnapped puppies. This support system transcends species, as the dalmatians are helped by cows, horses, other dogs, and even the dog's natural enemy, the cat! Sergeant Tibbs is steadfast, courageous in the face of danger, and stops at nothing to help the puppies escape Hell Hall.
3. Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (ABC, 1996-2000, The WB 2000-2003) - He may be a witch punished to live in cat form, but Salem frequently embraces his newfound feline physique, with an unquenchable thirst for balls of yarn. Fun fact: Sabrina (my cat sister) got her name from this series because of her resemblance to Salem, when he's not a puppet, that is!
Sabrina, the Audrey Hepburn of The Film Rewind.
2. Garfield from, among other things, A Garfield Christmas (1987, dir. Phil Roman) - Yes, I know. Garfield's appearances in print, film, and television extend far beyond this holiday special, but this is my favorite iteration of our favorite lasagna-gorging, Monday-hating feline. Everyone else's holiday cheer accentuates his dry cynicism, and he gets to eat a ton, because it's the holidays. Everyone wins!
1. Figaro from Pinocchio (1940, dir. Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson, Norm Ferguson, T. Hee, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts) - Of all of the cats in all of media, Figaro is the most accurately-depicted cat I have ever seen. Equal parts adorable, irritated, and jealous, this cute kitty went on to star in animated shorts (as he so rightly deserved). He's a charming, attention-seeking little trouble maker, just like another cat currently climbing on my chest... And now I can't see what I'm typing. “Sabrina, up is no! Up is no!!” fskdf sdjijgjwgjjkd...
Who are your favorite fictional cats? Does your cat also demand attention by rubbing their head all over your face all day long? Let me know in the comments below, and (purr-ty please) send help!
Copyright © 2020 Bailey Lizotte
