Cat City (1986) User Reviews

Surprisingly Fresh!!!!!!

[oscarfanatic · 8/10 · 28 December 2008]

Movies like this are not very available to the American public. American films are available around the world because we apparently have a corner on the entertainment market, and if a film wants to find real widespread love and recognition, it must, more often than not, make a transition into the American market.

And I think that is sad.

Naturally, our language barriers keep us from appreciating this wonderful "Cat City" as do the Hungarians who so finely produced it, but still, this movie is a witty satire, a spoof of great film genres, and surprisingly political in how it deals with names and the skin color of the rats. It's a film about your place in the big picture, about who's in control and why.

A great film find, one of animated brilliance. This animated film was thousands of times better than many animated American films I have grogged my way through over the years. I just really really hate that more people cannot see films like this and appreciate them for what they are: true pieces of art in the highest form.

Not your average cartoon kitties...

[vertigo_14 · 9/10 · 29 February 2004]

Cat City was my first non-childrens cartoon. And I absolutely loved it. It was not a giant cornball cliche at all and it was funny as hell. The animation was super in that "A Wrinkle In Time" style and the story was terrific: The Evil Cats of Cat City hypnotize mice to service the evil deeds of the cats. Gumshoe, a Rat, is hired to stop them before it's too late.

My favorite part is at the end when the little fat patrol mouse is caught in the jungle with the bats. And, instead of them feasting on him for dinner (or whatever designated mealtime it should happen to be), he serenades them with a swinging trumpet solo, to which the Mexican bats contribute to. It is most excellent.

I highly recommend Macskafogo (aka. Cat City) for anyone looking for a good 'cartoonie' cartoon.

Best Movie to come out of Hungary

[keesthest · 9/10 · 13 November 2021]

For the past 7 months, I been obsessing over this movie. This film succedes at everything it does; the animation, the writing, the characters, all of it is memorable. Try to get a copy, if you can. But, only get the original Hungarian version, any other version won't cut.

I really wish this gets a proper release outside of Europe; I'm sure people would love it... and furries.

If this movie isn't worth watching, I don't know what is!

[spectrum-2 · 10/10 · 28 February 2000]

One of the best movies I've ever seen. The interesting thing about it is that you can watch it again and again (I've seen it at least 50 times) and never get bored with it. The reason for it is probably the complexity of the theme: adventure in a James Bond style combined with romance, comedy, philosophical issues and more.

The action takes place on an imaginary Planet X, about "100 years from the birth of the emperor Micky Mouse I" and yet the city of Pokyo is clearly identified as Tokyo, the "Alpha-Julia" car model needs no explanations, the vampire bats resemble the Mexican bandits and so on.

Clearly it brings up a lot of political as well as moral issues of the modern world, but, despite that, it doesn't get less fun: rich with first class action, hi-tech car chases, massive battles and in the same time - incredible humor, combined with excellent animation and music makes it a perfect entertainment for both children and adults from all around the world.

an instant classic

[trianonstorno · 10/10 · 26 March 2004]

I haven't seen the english version yet but i am sure that it will never reach the hungarian level of humor or the use of the tone of voice, simply because it was written in hungarian for hungarians who are able understand the password to the mouse base for that matter and appreciate the cleverness behind it, which goes like this: egy aprocska kalapocska, benne csacska macska mocska. roughly means: a tiny hat, in it the filth of a silly cat. See the difference?

There are lots of games with words in the original, like the password at the mouse hq, or almost every characters name... the names are playing with words in hungarian, english, and german, but you must know hungarian to understand those.... like the evil cat "Teufel", witch means 'devil' in german, but sounds almost like "sour cream" in hungarian... and everyone knows, cats like sour cream ;)

Probably the best hand made cartoon on earth

[tobiasnan · 10/10 · 21 November 2005]

So this was my favorite cartoon movie for years. In this world the cats are the top predators, but they live side by side with the terrorized mice. When the Internouse have no more chance to stop the robberies of the Mafia like cats, they call their forgotten agent: Grabovski.

The speeches are very ironic, and funny. Some could be translated: -Remember what Julius Caesar said? -The guy who smuggled heroine in his wooden leg?? -Sure......

I don't want to involve politics, but it was visible that the cats looked like the west: tweeds, smoking Cuban like smoke, champagne etc. The good boy mice: presented the eastern block: uniforms, cigarettes....

I can only recommend for all family who want to have a good day. No blood, violence sometimes funny, but never aggressive as a Tom and Jerry.

You just can't dislike it

[coolkoon · 10/10 · 8 December 2005]

I've seen this movie as a small kid, yet I just can't believe it has been made in the 80's at the time of Hungarian Goulash communism. At this time communism was still present, but it was the most liberal regime of them all, thus movies/cartoons like this one were created. Because of this you can feel the atmosphere of that era throughout the movie.

The story is quite a grotesque one: On Planet X, occupied by mice and cats, there is year 100 A.M.M. (after Mickey Mouse), and the conflicts between the cats and mice are rising. However, there is one last hope in Pokyo, the success of which lies in the hands of an Intermouse secret agent Grabovsky...

One of the funniest cartoons in history

[ktibo-2 · 10/10 · 24 July 2000]

Hungarian cartoons are worldwide famous, but this is a special one. First of all, I have to mention that not everyone will understand this humorous masterpiece, but everyone should watch it at least once! The characters are very funny, the story is for all ages, but you have to be at least 16 to understand all the jokes. This is the film of my childhood, but I saw it again a few days ago (I'm 19), and it was a real fun to see it again! If you are Hungarian, this movie is compulsory for you, if you are not, for you, too!

The best cartoon ever

[srobi280 · 10/10 · 7 April 2006]

This movie is my favorite cartoon of my childhood. It is still my favorite, and is best viewed in it's original Hungarian version (if you speak the language, or course). It is basically a James Bond style cartoon, where the cats and mice are at war. It is up to Grabovszky and the help of his friends to stop the cats. This cartoon has many memorable characters, such as the musical Mexican bats, led by Maxipocak, the meddling gangster rats Pissy, Cookie, Buddy, and Billy, the bumbling police officer Lusta Dick, the evil Mr. Teufel and his meek assistant Safranek, and the "don" of the gangster cats, Mr. Gato. This cartoon is a classic. It should be on the Top 250. I have seen the English translation, and it isn't nearly as good as the original, but it is still great.

G is for Grabovksy

[nagyedina · 17 May 2017]

***Spoiler Alert***

A plot is so funny and clever at the same time: It is started with a star wars-like way. On planet X, after Mickey Mouse the cats want to enslave the mice. Their only hope is the retired Intermouse agent, named Grabovsky. He is a James Bond-kinda secret agent character. Grabovsky is sent to Pokyo to get the secret plan of a machine, made by professor Fushimisi. Mr Fritz Teufel, the malignant cat hires four gangster rats to prevent Grabovsky's mission. Furtunatelly, Grabovksy succeeds the action and get the secret plan owing to his friend, Lusta Dick and the Mexican bats. The secret machine is a Cat Trapper, that transforms evil cats into lovely and tamed kittens. And the world became a better place. In my opinion, CatCity is the last valuable Hungarian production for years. This cartoon is cannot be watched enough times even if you are a child or an adult. As for me, I did not expect this kind of experience! It contains all the necessary details for a good movie: action, good sense of humour, character developments, intelligent dialogues, interesting happenings and a clever end game. It is a must-to-watch cartoon. :)

Just a light film

[GSmith9072 · 7/10 · 18 May 2007]

This film took me a while to watch I must admit. Despite its Hungarian roots, I felt like I 've seen this film before...when I was about 8. Aside from the proficient spoofs of Bond movies, which I admit I don't have a serious interest in, the film doesn't seem to appear to aim for anything more then comedy aimed at those who do. The animation was very reminiscent of the animation from the 60's, in which I wouldn't place to much blame on a small budget film like this. But the movie doesn't survive in any advanced cleverness, at least from my American point of view. There were some moments when I chuckled. The film isn't completely devoid of intelligence, and the characterization, mostly with the antagonists, is strong. In fact, they earned the most laughs, specifically the troop of rats hired to take out the James Bond-like mouse hero and the bumbling cats who hired them. Many of the character designs and situations are imaginative. I also like the scene with the bats and the smooth saxophone music. There is a chance the English dub (no other choice on the DVD) is of lesser quality, but I think it's obvious that the film isn't easily accessible outside its intended audience. All in all, not really a must see for animation fans. It just doesn't stand up well on its own.

"Brilliant!"

[karen-194 · 10/10 · 17 December 2003]

This was an amazing film that took me ages to remember the name of, but this comedic spoof of James Bond made me laugh all the way through. With the evil plot of the cats and the "Mr Burns" like assistant, it's definitley a great film for all ages!

No, This Animated Film is Still Eastern Block crap

[vortexrider · 6/10 · 5 January 2020]

I am fully aware that this film holds a special place in people's hearts. It is a very unusually cool cartoon for the 80s era soviet block. But that pretty much sums up the virtues of this animation.

What you see in this film probably does need describing since you most likely watched it already. It is a parody spy film in a world where cats control the world and mice are oppressed. The plot is just ok. Why this film still sucks is that it obviously shows a very strange, distorted, often cringe-worthy interpretation eastern europeans had of capitalist west film and animation. The result is not good at all. The animation is entirely consisting of character tropes, and parodies to American and European films of 80s and prior decades. On top of that it is also filled with generic stereotypes, some of them are very disturbing ethnic stereotypes also.

The quality of animation is probably better than most stuff you could see coming out of USSR influenced animation studios. Not best "of all time" but just one of the better ones of a decade at the time.

Despite the homages and references to western world media, the story and characters in this game still pick a stereotypical "greedy criminal capitalists" as the archetypal villains of the film. It may be presented in a cooler way, but it is still noticeable, even in ineffective, propaganda. It shows what the writers and animators of the cartoon thought "consumerism" and "capitalism" were and presents a caricature of because the "bad guys" of the film are basically greedy, they want to buy stuff, and the bad guys are also culturally perverse (at least supposed to be)

Visually it is a hit and miss animation and art. In some scenes it looks great and even cute. Other parts of the film show ugly disturbing things that do not match other scenes.

I think the only reason people would be giving this film many stars is they probably watched it in their childhood and have fond memories of loving it. I do not blame them, but you have to stay objective and not rate a film based on nostalgia. It is crap.

Does not translate well

[oliver_margetts · 5/10 · 6 September 2009]

This film is highly rated as one of the best animations ever. It is also lauded as possibly the best Hungarian film of all time. If, however, you are not Hungarian, you might disagree.

Looking at stills of the movie, I did not expect the animation to be particularly good; hence concluded that some other element of the film must be worth rating so highly. Unfortunately the plot is rather monotone and whilst fine for a kids' film, it does not include the originality or drama to keep you gripped. It is noteworthy that this is after all a parody of some Hollywood films - principally the James Bond series. But if you are an English speaker there are others which do this so much better! (Austin Powers for instance).

Many Hungarian writers assert that English speakers cannot understand the many puns and complexities of the language which do not translate. This is fine, and I will admit that as an English viewer any comedic effect was lost on me. =But as a film for a non-Hungarian audience I can only give it 5 stars, irregardless of its virtue in Hungary.=

Macskafogó rules 4ever!

[original_smorgas · 10/10 · 6 October 2007]

It's one of the best production I've ever seen! ( or is the best :) ) It's a forever classic! I've seen it approx. 20-30 times :), last seen many years ago, so it's time to see it again :)

Unfortunately, this film can not be translated to any other languages, because there's a lots of word based jokes and typical Hungarian funny things in it.

I think, You could not understand the most funny things in this film if You are not Hungarian and/or You are under 18.

But I Guess, it's even enough funny for non Hungarians.

Is there any good English translation of this? If it's not, We should try to make it. That seems to be very difficult or may be impossible. My English knowledge is very poor to try to translate this film, but a much experienced fan can make a good English sub. Maybe.

Greetings to All!

One of its kind

[wunzil · 10/10 · 7 January 2016]

This movie is a true masterpiece of the 80's, and it still holds its ground today in its genre. Like it or not its uniqueness roots in the place and time it came from, which is the eastern bloc in the soft-communist era. I'm absolutely not a nationalist but I'm really proud that it was made in Hungary. Its "pseudo-americanity" was part of the joke, because when it was made, Hungary was still isolated from the rest of the developed world. In light of this it is even more amazing how the movie made it to world fame, it is a great achievement. I never watched it with English dub, but in the original version Hungary's best actors of that time gave the voices of the characters which made the movie truly memorable.

Don't let this movie fall into oblivion, I'm really happy that it was part of my childhood and I can still sit down and watch it anytime without regret. I hope it would give future generations the same amount of fun it gave me in my entire life.

The absolute BEST

[rosseb · 10/10 · 25 February 2009]

This is a cartoon that you just can't watch enough times. Even if you know all the dialogues by heart and have watched it 100 times, you can't help watching it once more... or twice... Contains everything that a good action movie should: entertaining plot, humor, straight and well developed characters, excellent music (it's a pity that a soundtrack album hasn't been released) and many-many memorable quotes (many of which have become common expressions in everyday Hungarian speech). What adds to its excellence is that it was drawn entirely by hand (no CGI and that kind of stuff which I think to be the worst that can happen to a cartoon), by really great creators. In my opinion this is the best in the entire history of cartoons of all time, never was and never will be anything better than this. The sequel tries to achieve the same but I think that one was a shameful failure, should never have been done at all...

Incredibly good.

[madage-601-303777 · 9/10 · 12 February 2013]

A good plot, exciting, and very imaginative, strong characters with the voices of the bests of the hungarian actors, and with very imaginative puns.

It's not like an anime, or an animated movie like today's ones. The filmmakers were put their hearts to the cartoon, and made it living. It's like a James Bond, or Die Hard or some action hero movie, when The Guy survives the most dangerous attacks, and at the end of the film he gets the lady. However, everything is implanted to a very exciting cartoon movie, with a good selection of film music composers.

I was about 8 when I saw it first, I went absolutely bananas :D Great movie! Watch it! :)

Detective drama wrapped in a comedy wrapped in 80's nostalgia wrapped in memes. And cats.

[anton-kaplenko · 10/10 · 4 June 2014]

Short version: if you grew up in the 80's in Eastern Europe, you owe it to yourself to watch "Cat City". You'll see why.

Long version: a full-length animated film set in a universe populated by cats, rats, and mice. It's a detective story/action-flick, with all the trimmings - gangsters, secret science projects, mafia bosses, hot girls, and rocket-launcher-equipped cars (hello, Mr. Bond). There are a LOT of 80's references, excellent humor, and incredible quality of animation. It's "James Bond" for kids.

But there's more to "Cat City" than just action. It's one of those films that you see as a kid, and decades later, come back to it and rediscover it all over again - and more, since now you get the jokes and memes that you didn't have a frame of reference for as a kid. It's "Cinema Paradiso" with fur. A (nearly-)forgotten treasure from 3 decades ago.

In terms of historical significance, it's a time-capsule of subtle mockery of Communism, done with more honesty and attention to detail than any Disney animation could ever hope to be. The creators of "Cat City" weren't doing it for money or fame (which would have made it hopelessly cliché). It's one of those rare works of fiction that makes it past the censors because the censors could never begin to understand the hidden layers of meaning behind the animation frames. Just like Bulgakov and Brodsky's writing is infused with hints that only Soviet Russians could understand, "Cat City" is filled with commentary on the Communist reality of 1980's Hungary, and by extension, the entire Eastern Bloc.

In terms of animation quality, "Cat City" is on par with "Grave of the Fireflies" and "Barefoot Gen". In terms of adorableness, it's not quite "My Neighbor Totoro", but close.

Overall, a very well-made work of animation, from an era that's long gone, but has affected millions of lives. 8/10 for the quality, +1 for nostalgia, +1 for the memes & jokes = 10/10.

One of a kind

[lordshen-85571 · 10/10 · 3 October 2017]

It is really sad how many people, even so called critics don't understand this movie. It isn't about fast paced actions or plot twists, It is a strong social criticism with brilliant conversions. I bet most of those people think that marvel superhero movies are some good films.

Simply the Best!!

[bal005 · 10/10 · 24 October 2017]

Its a masterpiece. Maybe the Pulpfiction of the cartoons.

I don't want to write a long story about this. You must watch and rate this and i promise you will rate this movie minimum 9/10. Yeah its old, but more fresher, than some new movie. This cartoon a little bit James Bond, a little bit everything that's 80's. This movie has only one mistake, English sync is terrible, but the Hungarian sync and text are phenomenal and perfect.

Enjoyable, unrealistic cartoon

[nyulikitti · 15 March 2017]

Macskafogó is a Hungarian animated film, a James Bond style cartoon directed by Béla Ternovszky and written by József Nepp. The story is about a spy, Grabovszky, who is sent to Pokio in order to get the secret plan of a machine. This machine could save the mouse civilization. At the same time, the cats try to do their best to prevent this secret action. Four gangster rats wanted to stop Grabovszky, but they fail the mission. Lusta Dick and the Mexican bats add a lot to the cartoon, they create a special mood. Their performance is exceptional. As for Grabovsky, he does a very good job as a spy his adventures through his way to Pokio develop the story. The most complex character is Mr. Teufel, who is hungry for success, but very cruel. The music of the cartoon conveys a happy atmosphere and underlines a mood. Cat City is far from reality, it causes a special feeling while watching the cartoon. It helps us escaping from reality in a nice manner. I certainly recommend this cartoon for those who are open – minded and enthusiastic about entertaining programmes. If you like laughing and you are interested in the contrast of „mouse – cat" comparison, this cartoon is for you. On a scale from zero to 10, I give this cartoon a 10.

Lackluster James Bond-wannabe. Better avoid

[glottiehc · 4/10 · 3 May 2017]

Béla Ternovszky's 1986 feature-length cartoon has for good or ill attained cult status in his native Hungary. The question remains however, if it has stood the test of time.

The plot is fairly straightforward: In a world of intelligent, anthropomorphized cats and mice, the fragile peace between the two has recently shattered. The mice's only hope of defeating the physically and economically superior cats lie in the plans of a radical new anti-cat superweapon located across the world, in Pokyo. Grabowsky, a retired InterMouse agent is called on once again to save the day. Which he does.

There's precious little actual conflict in the film. Despite knowing EXACTLY what the mice are planning, the corporate fatcats are content to outsource the work of neutralising him to a questionable troupe of would-be assassins with an extensive background in ballet. Needless to say, they fail to pose a threat. When cat pirates commandeer Grabowsky's ship en route to Pokyo, Grabowsky proceeds to SWIM the rest of the way. Any hostiles he encounters, he either outwits, overpowers, or both. He, and by extension the quest, is never in any real danger until the very end, and even then, a sudden deus ex machina takes care of everything. The scenes of wanton destruction and cat-on-mouse aggression are gratuitous filler: Since we know precious little of Mouse society, and named Mouse characters are never in danger during those scenes, we lack reasons to care.

The cast of characters is extremely limited: On the Cat side of things we have 2 interchangeable, greedy, shortsighted fatcats, Teufel and Gatto, Teufel's well-meaning, but unlucky assistant Safranek, his daughter, who has whopping minutes of screen time, then is forgotten, the troupe of 4 incompetent douchebags chasing Grabowsky, and various unnamed Cats only there to be beaten up On the Mouse side of things, we have Mouse Bond himself, Grabowsky, whose defining characteristic is that he's at the same time perfect and getting too old for all this, his boss, the InterMouse intern featuring in all of 2 scenes, and Lusta Dick ('Limp Dick') the Idiot.

The animation is surprisingly nice; although the matte backgrounds never move, this does serve to highlight the characters on screen. The art style is reminiscent of other classic Hungarian cartoons of the seventies and eighties, namely Mézga család ('The Family Mézga') and Kérem a következőt! ('Next please!')

All in all, it is a mediocre film with a weak plot, forgettable characters, and an inexplicable localized popularity. If you're Hungarian and haven't seen it yet, I advise you to do so, just to get it over with, but otherwise it's just not worth it.

Nice mice movie

[iker-beatrix · 8/10 · 16 March 2017]

***May contain spoilers***

Cat-city is a mouse vs. cat fable for adults with intelligent humor.

Many references to iconic films make it an enjoyable parody.

Though this action cartoon is a Hungarian production, it is set in an American-like ambiance and the soundtrack is also spot on.

If the English title reflected the Hungarian, it would have been translated as Cattrap, which would suggest, that this time the cats are the ones that needed to be caught, of course only from the rodents' point of view.

Though it was made in the '80s, it seems that its message still conveys the eternal laws of our society, that even bosses have bosses and there is always something bigger/greater than us, therefore we should always respect the other no matter how small and weak he/she seems.

All time favorite 😍

[erakiss-47089 · 10/10 · 13 July 2020]

Best full evening animation movie, although made on 1986 (drawed by real people) , but still enjoyable, full of fantastic jokes and phrases. And not the forget the superb characters and the quality music. I recommend it for kids and adults as well.