Publication Date: 03-03-2026

Cats Don’t Dance (1997) review

Dir. Mark Dindal

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Cats Don’t Dance has gone down in history as one of the biggest risks in animation yet. It is one of the few full length animated features not to bare the Disney name, yet comes off as one just as cheerful and safe for kids. Clearly, parents didn’t believe so, or possibly they didn’t hear about the film due to Turner Feature Animation‘s lack of marketing, not to mention the competition of the re-release of a Star Wars movie and Disney’s film Hercules during its theatrical run.

Because of all those factors, Cats Don’t Dance was a monstrous bomb, all the more considering it was an animated film, which are always expected to gross at least double their budget, and it remains as a curious piece of history and nostalgia. It’s in a league of its own, where pitch-perfect realism doesn’t always come first, and spiritedness leads the way.

The story concerns Danny (voiced by Scott Bakula), a plucky and anxious cat who leaves his humble roots in Kokomo, Indiana to travel to Hollywood, where he can hopefully make it big as an actor. One roadblock, he’s a cat, and Hollywood’s places for cats are few and far between. He manages to get cast in a movie with Darla Dimple (Ashley Peldon), a spoiled, heavily-pampered child actress who turns maniacal and practically evil as soon as the cameras stop rolling.

Along the way, the naïve soul runs into Sawyer (Jasmine Guy), a beautiful, yet heavily pessimistic female cat, who Danny is immediately smitten with. Sawyer explains how Hollywood’s attitude towards animals would seem inviting, when it is just morose and neglectful towards the idea of stepping outside the box. This sort of makes Cats Don’t Dance‘s life come full circle. Think of it as Danny. He steps out of his natural roots to find fame in Hollywood, winds up getting the cold shoulder, until the inevitable happens and he is looked on with great satisfaction. Now think of the film’s life. It stepped out of the cliché Disney light, was brought to life by a studio no one knew, was ignored pretty much by everyone during its initial release, yet is looked on as a gem by many in the present. If serendipity could talk…

The animation is beautiful; rambunctious and eye-catching. Not to continue to rain on the film’s parade, but at this point in time (1997), we were already met with the genius of Pixar and their groundbreaking film Toy Story. We knew all of what animation can do, and once you see what seems to be the best, do you have much interest in the rest? Regardless, this is sort of what I adore about Cats Don’t Dance; it plays by its own rules. It’s so lightweight and non-intrusive that it doesn’t seem to care it’s not on par with other pictures of its own league. It isn’t heavy-handed or on a moral rush. It’s just looking for a good time.

One thing I enjoyed were the musical numbers, which are delightfully sung, wonderfully crafted, and beautifully choreographed with such kinetic energy. I believe the more exposure or knowledge you have with Hollywood, cinema, and how the big guys manipulate the little ones, the more you’ll be inclined to enjoy Cats Don’t Dance. It’s one of the cheeriest films I’ve seen all year.

Voiced by: Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Natalie Cole, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Kathy Najimy, and Don Knotts. Directed by: Mark Dindal.