Felidae [VHS]

This has got to be one of my favorite cult films i've ever found. Just think Disney's Aristocats meets murder mystery, only DON'T share this one with your kids! Pure rated R+! Blood, gore, cat cults, and even a bit of bad sex. A definite recommendation for anyone who believes cats are hiding something from us humans in their lives, and is a fan of classic disney-esk animation, suspense, adult comedy, mystery, violence, action, and cult films.

Wrong region - but used the laptop to watch, so lucky there! Great movie, wish could get it in correct region for New Zealand. Thanks

In the childhood-scarring tradition of films like "Watership Down" and "Plague Dogs" comes "Felidae," which probably hasn't gained the reputation the other two films have for traumatizing young viewers simply because it's far less known -- it never saw an official release in the United States. Like the previous two films, this German-made animated film features the deceptively child-oriented premise of talking animals, only to include shockingly dark subject matter -- violence, gore, strong language, sexual content, and some of the most disturbing nightmare sequences committed to animation. Do not be fooled by the cute cat on the cover -- this is NOT for children! However, for those who can get past the more gruesome content and the fact that its cast is mostly talking cats, this is actually a well-done film noir, with an engrossing story and excellent traditional animation."Felidae" stars Francis, a cat belonging to an archaeologist-turned-pulp-writer who has just moved into a new neighborhood. Almost immediately he's greeted with a terrible sight -- a dead cat, its throat brutally cut. When other victims continue to crop up, Francis sets out to investigate, aided by a grouchy and food-obsessed stray named Bluebeard. His investigation will lead him to encounters with a grotesque bully named Kong, a macabre cat-cult led by the maniacal Joker, and a laboratory run by a cruel madman who experimented on cats. But when the killer begins striking far too close to home for Francis' comfort, he realizes that a larger plot is underfoot -- or underpaw -- than he realizes, and that said plot could spell the doom for cats everywhere...The animation in this film is quite good -- perhaps not as magnificent as Disney's best, but certainly on par with Don Bluth's work or animation from Disney's dark age in the '70s and early '80s. Speaking of Bluth, the film seems eerily reminiscent of his work at points, in the mannerisms and facial expressions of characters, certain character designs (especially Pascal and Isaiah), and the trippy and nightmarish animation of the nightmare sequences. I'm not sure if this was intentional on the part of the animators or not, but it does capture some of the style of Bluth without falling into some of his pitfalls (such as exaggerated facial movements).The plot itself is a fairly generic film noir story, but given some novelty with its all-feline cast. Indeed, having animals as characters opens up some intriguing plot possibilities, as the cats are able to go places and pick up clues that humans can't (such as scents). There are times when the cats behave a little unrealistically (at least two of them are capable of reading and using computers), but given that we're already watching cats that can talk, form a religion, and solve mysteries, some breaks from reality are acceptable.I watched the English dub of this film, and I found it to be merely passable. Some of the actors seem to be phoning in their lines, while others didn't seem to get the memo that they were doing an adult film rather than a kid's cartoon. I'm tempted to rewatch this in the original German with subtitles, and see if the German is any better...And yes, the Internet rumors are true -- this film contains plenty of violence, blood and guts, and even sex scenes (one with cats, and a few graphic Kama Sutra pictures at other points). Parents, this film isn't for kids...While graphic and dark, "Felidae" is a surprisingly well-made film, and if you can get past the bloody and sexual content it's actually an interesting mystery story with an unconventional animal cast. And it's well-animated as well. Probably best for ages 15 and up due to violence, sexual content, and language.

Great Movie, though rare

Great!

It's great.

OMG! The animation in this movie is so detailed! I love messed up animal cartoons like this one. If your into sex and vilonce its a must see!

1994's "Felidae" is another animation in the top 3 most disturbing 'kids' movies ever made. This one unlike Watership Down and Plague Dogs, is a German animation and it just has a no holds barred approach to the material. Nothing is restrained, the language is obscene, the violence is prominent and bloody, there is a serial killer, and worst of all the sexual undertones are horrendous. So in other words a night of wholesome family entertainment.When one looks at the origin of the movie it is easy to see how this became the most misunderstood movie in the unholy trilogy of disturbing kids films. Like the others this was never meant for kids to consume, it is a humorous adults film with dark satire and crime fiction parody. The fact that it is animated was its Achilles heel, but it is really an allegory of Nazi atrocities, racial purity and a Film Noir detective genre pastiche. The animation is not even cute but the characters are ragged and scrawny with the foulest mouths surely in an animated flick (though I refuse to watch pseudo porn-animation `Fritz the Cat').There are famous scenes in this that made youtubers conversing for pages such as the nightmare scene, so chilling and yet so compelling, and the rape sequence with the femme fatale, quite hard to watch. The feline cat offers herself a couple of times willingly though they have just met, so no more than a prostitute. The first nightmare scene is an evil scientist dragging Francis into hell by chain. In a house we see on the wall over and over again, paintings of 2 humans in a karma sutra position uncensored! The second nightmare is a pit of thousands of rotting cat corpses and the ground erupts and morphs into a Catholic priest. With a maniacal grin he uses his hands as marionette handles and the strings lift up the decaying corpses and they are torn in two in a putrescent shower of dark blood. Later we see a mutilated cat victim who is decapitated and another scene features a mad scientist human experimenting on many cats, cutting them open and inserting liquids. After the first few are turned to gory mulch he continues to drink alcohol to numb the feelings and even cuts one up and removes its bowels. Then there is the final cat fight that rivals even "Watership Down" for a scratching biting gore feast, complete with full disembowelment. I am not making this stuff up.The story entails Francis the main cat detective who checks out the grisly murders in his neighbourhood, thinks it may be a "can-opener", that's human, and conducts an investigation. His findings show that each victim was sexually aroused at the time of their death; "the killer is obviously a sex machine that doesn't like the competition of others so decided to wipe them out, or else he has a general exception to fornication." Other cats aid him in the investigation and they come Felicity, who sees hellish visions, and they encounter a suicidal cult the Claundandus sect, and a psychotic gang leader bully Kong. They also come across nut job scientist who conducts evil experiments and other unsavoury types. Kong says when he meets Bluebeard and Francis and accusing them of being gay; "He sure is a juicy number, you gonna show us some of the tricks he taught you?" I like the dark humour in this such as when Francis sees the sect members willingly walking into a plasma electric bolt suiciding in the name of their false deity. Francis quips; "what I was watching was not exactly a scene out of The Aristocats!" The dialogue is as intelligent as any Film Noir, and it has some very innovative creative animation.The overall vision is a labyrinthine puzzle that often comes across as a gorefest with ominous atmospheres and some unforgettable traumatic scenes. The nightmare scenes in particular will stay with some viewers. It has some endearing characters and is nothing short of intriguing but for adults. There are some extraordinary references to Nazi experimental butchery like Auschwitz angel of death. The references to cult worship are also heavy handed even down to Jim Jones references and a vision of a deity who offers retribution by suicide; "one little journey, what will we find when we arrive?" The spectres utter "everything that we've lost Francis." After the first scene I had already made up my mind on that matter. However, I can recommend this if you are after a dark animation because it doesn't get much darker than this.