Main Cast: Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Natalie Cole, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Lindsay Rideway
Release Year: 1997
Country: US
Run Time: 75 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
This animated comedy for the family, which gently parodies the movie musicals of the '30s and '40s, follows Danny (voice of Scott Bakula), a cat from Kokomo, Indiana, who loves to sing and dance and longs to be in show business. One day, Danny decides to do something about his ambitions instead of just wishing, so he heads for Hollywood, convinced that he can become a star in a week. However, Danny quickly becomes aware of the species barrier in Tinseltown; the studios don't much care for animals, even ones with star quality, and the best Danny's agent can get for him is a tiny role in a movie with adorable child star Darla Dimple (voice of Ashley Peldon), who turns out to be a mean-spirited brat who loathes animals as soon as the camera is turned off. Danny soon makes the acquaintance of several other animal performers stuck in the same bind as himself, including Sawyer (voice of Jasmine Guy), a pretty but cynical cat; Woolie (voice of John Rhys-Davies), a piano-playing elephant; Tillie (voice of Kathy Najimy), a singing hippo; and Pudge (voice of Mathew Herried), a performing penguin. Together, the critters struggle for acceptance and a chance to show the world what they can do. Sawyer's singing voice for the musical numbers was provided by Natalie Cole; Randy Newman wrote several original songs for the film, and Gene Kelly was a consultant for the character's choreography. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Brian McEntee - Art Director, Jay Jackson - Animator, Bill Bloom - Associate Producer, Judy Taylor - Casting, Barry Weiss - Co-producer, Jim Katz - Co-producer, Michael Serrian - First Assistant Director, Dan Molina - Editor, David Steinberg - Executive Producer, Sandy Russell Gartin - Executive Producer, Charles L. Richardson - Executive Producer, Randy Newman - Composer (Music Score), Steve Goldstein - Composer (Music Score), David Kirschner - Producer, Paul Gertz - Producer, Mark Dindal - Screen Story, Brian McEntee - Screen Story, Rick Schneider - Screen Story, Robert Lence - Screen Story, David Womersley - Screen Story, Kelvin Yasuda - Screen Story, Elana Lesser - Screenwriter, Cliff Ruby - Screenwriter, Roberts Gannaway - Screenwriter, Theresa Pettengill - Screenwriter, David Womersley - Title Design
