One of the most tragic downfalls of a beloved animation studio traces all the way back to 1962, when the innovative production company UPA was in such financial turmoil that they produced a talking animals musical about cats in Paris, France. This little movie, known as Gay Purr-ee, would be the complete opposite of what the studio stood for in terms of competing with the Mouse House and other places, both in terms of artistry and content. Despite being a vehicle for Judy Garland and boasting critical appraisal, the film went unnoticed upon its release and is only now deemed a minor cult classic, and for notable reasons.
Set in 1890s France, the film centers on a starry eyed farm feline named Mewsette (Judy Garland), who heads off to the more exciting Paris, but gets manipulated by a cat modeler named Madame Rubens-Chatte (Hermione Gingold) and her slimy assistant, Meowrice (Paul Frees). Meanwhile, Mewsette's tomcat suitor, Jaune-Tom (Robert Goulet), and his furry cohort, Robespierre (Red Buttons), set forth to find her, but get caught up in all sorts of antics along the way. While seeming like an intriguing premise on paper, the movie's biggest dilemma is how weak the execution is. What's interesting to note is that the film was written by Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones and his first wife Dorothy, and the whole movie feels like a stretched out Warners cartoon, down to a basic premise with more padding than substance to fill out the runtime. The movie tries to liven the story up with the soundtrack written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg (the same Wizard of Oz songwriting duo), but even the musical numbers feel more like add ons to the otherwise slogged out story beats.
What doesn't help matters either is that the movie flip flops between Musette, Meowrice and Jean-Tom's stories so much that it becomes hard to know who to focus on the most. Considering that the movie barely develops Musette or Jean-Tom beyond their basic statuses and paper thin personalities (even Robespierre is more amusingly charismatic than either of them), they're so hard to even care for that Madame and Meowrice become far more fascinating by contrast. At least when they're on screen, you can just feel the uneasiness bleed into their sly and cunning mannerisms. On the plus side, the film does boast a very talented cast; not just Judy Garland and the aforementioned cast above, but even Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray and Mel Blanc got some decent cameos. With all of these wonderful singers and actors lending their talents to pretty weak characters, there's no denying that the most memorable aspect of this movie are the boastful performances alone. However, you know paper thin characters are in trouble when their actors are more fascinating than themselves.
Now from a technical standpoint, the film does look very gorgeous, especially in terms of the production design from Corny Cole. The luscious retro artisque tribute to France at the turn of the century lends itself so well in the movie, and the fine arts background from the UPA crew really paid off in that department alone. Even some of the lighting, effects and shot compositions can get very experimental, especially in jazzy surreal musical numbers like Money Cat and Bubbles. As for the character animation, the design work is very similar to Chuck Jones' overly cutesy drawing style back then, and it unfortunately makes the cast range from appealing enough to grossly exaggerated. Also, the more limited and stylized animation UPA was known for does not lend itself well to characters that should almost feel fit to move in a more free flowing aesthetic, and let's just say the motion leaves a lot to be desired. At least the movie knows when to let the characters stick out from acting the most, reserved for the musical numbers and them alone.
So in the end, while somewhat ambitious and boasting a talented cast, Gay Purr-ee stands more as the final nail in the coffin to UPA's creative downfall. It's a shame that a studio known for creating a legacy consisting of artistic achievements in graphically oriented films and daring narratives ended up becoming everything they never wanted to become: a Disney-like talking animals musical. I would say the film is best to be checked out as a curious watch than an overall worth while viewing. Either that, or maybe you could just compare and contrast this movie to The Aristocats and see which one is the best.
Set in 1890s France, the film centers on a starry eyed farm feline named Mewsette (Judy Garland), who heads off to the more exciting Paris, but gets manipulated by a cat modeler named Madame Rubens-Chatte (Hermione Gingold) and her slimy assistant, Meowrice (Paul Frees). Meanwhile, Mewsette's tomcat suitor, Jaune-Tom (Robert Goulet), and his furry cohort, Robespierre (Red Buttons), set forth to find her, but get caught up in all sorts of antics along the way. While seeming like an intriguing premise on paper, the movie's biggest dilemma is how weak the execution is. What's interesting to note is that the film was written by Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones and his first wife Dorothy, and the whole movie feels like a stretched out Warners cartoon, down to a basic premise with more padding than substance to fill out the runtime. The movie tries to liven the story up with the soundtrack written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg (the same Wizard of Oz songwriting duo), but even the musical numbers feel more like add ons to the otherwise slogged out story beats.
What doesn't help matters either is that the movie flip flops between Musette, Meowrice and Jean-Tom's stories so much that it becomes hard to know who to focus on the most. Considering that the movie barely develops Musette or Jean-Tom beyond their basic statuses and paper thin personalities (even Robespierre is more amusingly charismatic than either of them), they're so hard to even care for that Madame and Meowrice become far more fascinating by contrast. At least when they're on screen, you can just feel the uneasiness bleed into their sly and cunning mannerisms. On the plus side, the film does boast a very talented cast; not just Judy Garland and the aforementioned cast above, but even Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray and Mel Blanc got some decent cameos. With all of these wonderful singers and actors lending their talents to pretty weak characters, there's no denying that the most memorable aspect of this movie are the boastful performances alone. However, you know paper thin characters are in trouble when their actors are more fascinating than themselves.
Now from a technical standpoint, the film does look very gorgeous, especially in terms of the production design from Corny Cole. The luscious retro artisque tribute to France at the turn of the century lends itself so well in the movie, and the fine arts background from the UPA crew really paid off in that department alone. Even some of the lighting, effects and shot compositions can get very experimental, especially in jazzy surreal musical numbers like Money Cat and Bubbles. As for the character animation, the design work is very similar to Chuck Jones' overly cutesy drawing style back then, and it unfortunately makes the cast range from appealing enough to grossly exaggerated. Also, the more limited and stylized animation UPA was known for does not lend itself well to characters that should almost feel fit to move in a more free flowing aesthetic, and let's just say the motion leaves a lot to be desired. At least the movie knows when to let the characters stick out from acting the most, reserved for the musical numbers and them alone.
So in the end, while somewhat ambitious and boasting a talented cast, Gay Purr-ee stands more as the final nail in the coffin to UPA's creative downfall. It's a shame that a studio known for creating a legacy consisting of artistic achievements in graphically oriented films and daring narratives ended up becoming everything they never wanted to become: a Disney-like talking animals musical. I would say the film is best to be checked out as a curious watch than an overall worth while viewing. Either that, or maybe you could just compare and contrast this movie to The Aristocats and see which one is the best.