Cats Don't Dance

Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 American animated musical comedy film, distributed by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment and notable as the only fully animated feature produced by Turner Feature Animation. This studio was merged during the post-production of Cats Don't Dance into Warner Bros. Animation after the merger of Time Warner with Turner Broadcasting in 1996. Turner Feature Animation had also produced the animated portions of Turner's The Pagemaster (1994).

Plot
Set in 1938, Danny, an optimistic cat, dreams of becoming a film star, so he travels from Kokomo, Indiana to Hollywood, California in hopes of starting a career there ("Danny's Arrival Song"). Danny is selected to feature in a film that is currently in production alongside a female cat named Sawyer, but is dismayed upon learning how minor his role is and tries to weasel his way into more time in the limelight ("Little Boat on the Sea"). However, Danny winds up angering the star of the film, Darla Dimple, a popular, but spoiled child actress, so, she assigns her valet, Max, to intimidate Danny into no longer trying to enlarge his part in the film.

Later, Danny learns from his fellow animal film extras that human actors are normally given more important roles than animals, a fact that none of them are very happy with but know they must accept. Danny, however, longs for the spotlight and tries to come up with a plan that will encourage humans to provide animal actors with better parts, such as by assembling a massive cluster of animals and trying to put on a musical performance for the humans to see ("Animal Jam"). Later, he is given advice by Darla Dimple (while masking her true heartless personality with a sweet one, as she always does) through song on how to interest and satisfy audiences ("Big and Loud"), and Danny takes this information to heart and groups together the animals for yet another performance in hopes of attracting the attention of the humans. However, Darla, fearing that her spotlight is in jeopardy with the animals around, has Max assist her in flooding Mammoth Studios while the director is giving an interview on her latest film and getting the animals blamed and fired. Everybody is depressed by being barred from acting in Mammoth Studios (especially Danny, who was convinced by Darla that she was trying to help the animals), Danny comes up with a plan for attracting the humans' attention yet again.

On the night of the premiere of the Darla Dimple film that was being shot, "Lil' Ark Angel", after the screening, Danny calls the audience's attention and the animals put on a musical performance for everyone that entertains and impresses its viewers ("Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"). Meanwhile, Darla attempts to sabotage the show, but finds herself to her horror inadvertently enhancing it instead. Finally, Darla, maddened with frustration, shouts at Danny for trying to attract all of the focus away from her, and confesses to flooding Mammoth Studios. Darla's screaming is inadvertently picked up and amplified by a nearby microphone, unveiling the truth much to the dismay of the audience, Mr. Mammoth, and Flanigan, and having her fired. So, the animals are rewarded with larger parts from then onward, their dreams coming true. The film then ends with a selection of film poster parodies, putting the animals in certain roles, before Darla as a grumpy janitor puts "The End" poster on a wall.

Cast

 * Scott Bakula - Danny
 * Jasmine Guy - Sawyer (speaking)
 * Natalie Cole - Sawyer (singing)
 * Ashley Peldon - Darla Dimple (speaking)
 * Lindsay Ridgeway - Darla Dimple (singing)
 * Kathy Najimy - Tillie
 * John Rhys-Davies - Woolie
 * George Kennedy - L. B. Mammoth
 * Rene Auberjonois - Flanagan
 * Hal Holbrook - Cranston
 * Don Knotts - T. W.
 * Betty Lou Gerson - Frances
 * Matthew Herried - Pudge
 * Frank Welker - Farley Winks
 * David Johansen - Bus Driver
 * Mark Dindal - Max

Additional Voices

 * Barbara Goodson
 * Bill Farmer
 * Bob Bergen
 * Catherine Battistone
 * Dave Thomson
 * Debi Derryberry
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Doug Stone
 * Gary Matanky
 * Mona Marshall
 * Patty Lund
 * Patty Parris
 * Peter Renaday
 * Shelby Daniel
 * Tony Pope
 * Torri Whitehead-Winn
 * Vanessa Theme Ament