Felidae is a 1994 German noir mystery animated film. It was directed by Michael Schaack[1] and released by the Trickompany animation studio[2] theatrically in Germany on November 3, 1994, Switzerland on January 20, 1995, and Spain on August 29, 1996.[3]. The famed nightmare sequence was directed, designed, and animated by Hayo Freitag. The screenplay, by Martin Kluger[4], is based on the 1989 novel by Akif Pirinçci, who co-wrote the script. The story centers around domestic house cat Francis and the grisly feline murders taking place in his new neighborhood.
Plot
A cat named Francis moves with his owner to a new neighborhood, and no sooner has he set paw into his new home than he is greeted by the slain body of another cat. Local street cat Bluebeard is convinced that this, and the other three recent killings, must have been committed by a "can-opener" - cat slang for a human.
Francis disagrees, and as he finds out more about the victims, is sure that not only is the murderer a cat, but that the killings are all connected by one common factor - each of the victims was sexually aroused at the time of death. He is aided in his investigations by fierce, gluttonous Bluebeard, blind but wise Felicity, and the computer-using cat Pascal. His sleep is haunted by terrifying and vivid nightmares, which offer insight into the mind of the murderer.
Francis soon runs afoul of the local bully Kong and the suicidal Claudandus Sect, and he discovers that his new home was once the site of a laboratory owned by Doctor Pretorius. Pretorius, in his search to create a bonding glue that would heal any flesh wound, performed painful and deadly experiments on countless cats, including the legendary Claudandus. After Pretorius' death, the lab became a meeting site for the Claudandus Sect, who believe that Claudandus was imbued with powers that could help the cat species evolve into something greater. It is eventually revealed that Pascal is actually the legendary Claudandus, and is responsible for the murders. Using his owner's computer to keep a listing of every cat in the city, Claudandus is systematically culling the cats he deems unworthy of breeding with his 'new breed.'
Discovering this, Francis destroys the computer containing the information on the listed murders, subsequently causing an electrical fire. Claudandus is killed in the ensuing battle, and Francis escapes the fire with the injured Bluebeard. Francis resumes his normal life while pursuing a relationship with Nhozemptekh, one of the "new" cats bred by Claudandus. He also muses that, perhaps, things would be better if mankind acted more like Felidae.
Production
Felidae was the most expensive animated film produced in Germany to date, reportedly costing 10 million marks.[5]
Release
Aside from being released on the VHS, it was also released on the Laserdisc format in the English dub.
It was released on PAL DVD region 2 with Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 surround sound for the original German audio and Dolby 2.0 for the English audio dub in Dolby 2.0. Extras (in German only) include DVD commentary, trailers in English and German, and a "making of" documentary.[6]
Characters
Main characters
- Francis
- The lead role and narrator, Francis is a black and gray tomcat whose natural curiosity leads him to become entangled in the string of murders.
- Bluebeard
- A mangled and streetwise Main Coon (sans one eye, tail and 2 toes) who helps Francis uncover clues, when he isn't trying to find his next meal. He is badly injured by Pascal towards the end of the film, but the dialogue in the epilogue implies he lived.
- Pascal
- An elderly, brilliant cat whose knowledge of the local cats proves vital in helping Francis solve the mystery. Unbeknownst to Francis, as well as all the other neighborhood cats, Pascal is actually Claudandus, one of Pretorius' favorite subjects. Claudandus was considered the "mascot" of the vivisection projects. After being subjected to many experiments, Claudandus killed Pretorius and reached a legendary status amongst the cats. Most believe him to be dead. He is later found to be the murderer and killed in combat with Francis towards the end of the film.
Supporting characters
- Felicity (Felicitas)
- A blind but insightful Russian Blue cat who befriends Francis, offering some vital clues before she, too, is murdered.
- Jesaja
- A mentally disturbed cat who lives in the sewer system, collecting the remains of murder victims in belief that it is the job willed to him by the prophet "Felidae."
- Joker
- Leader of the Claudandus Sect. He allows Claudandus to kill him in order to protect the secrecy of the Sect. His body is later found by Francis.
- Kong
- A huge, bullying cat who belongs to the Claudandus Sect. After the discovery of his mate Solitaire's murder, he begrudgingly helps Francis.
- Nhozemptekh
- A mysterious but beautiful female cat who seduces Francis as he tries to unravel the secret behind the murders. She is one of a new, wild breed of cat that Bluebeard claims are taking over the neighborhood. She later becomes Francis' mate.
- Pretorius
- A scientist striving to create a "tissue-bonding glue" that will heal cuts instantly. He performs many experiments on cats, which are recorded on a video diary. Francis stumbles across these videos and sees Pretorius' descent into a rambling alcoholic. Pretorius was killed by Claudandus.
Minor characters
- Gustav
- Francis' human owner. Blissfully unaware of the cat murders, "Gus" is a writer who, according to Francis, moves house every time he encounters writer's block
- Archie
- Gustav's friend, an interior decorator
- Gregor Mendel
- The "father of modern genetics," who haunts Francis' nightmares
- Hermann 1 and 2 (Known as Herman and Herman in the English dub)
- Two droopy-eyed cats who serve as Kong's henchmen
- Deep Purple
- The fifth murder victim, elderly Deep Purple is found with his throat ripped out in a garage
- Pepeline
- Joker's great-granddaughter, who believes that Claudandus is alive and will return to lead the Sect
- Sasha
- The fourth murder victim, found in Francis' new backyard
- Solitaire
- Kong's favored female friend and expected mother of his kittens. Francis discovers her body, her stomach ripped open and the unborn kittens strewn on the ground
- Zebold
- Pascal's wealthy owner, and former co-worker of Pretorius. He idolizes Gregor Mendel
German voice cast
- Ulrich Tukur as Francis
- Mario Adorf as Blaubart
- Helge Schneider as Jesaja
- Wolfgang Hess as Kong
- Gerhard Garbers as Pretorius
- Mona Seefried as Felicitas
- Ulrich Wildgruber as Joker
- Manfred Steffen as Gustav
- Uwe Ochsenknecht as Archie
- Michaela Amler as Nhozemphtekh
- Christian Schneller as Mendel
- Tobias Lelle as Hermann 1
- Frank Röth as Hermann 2
- Alexandra Mink as Pepeline (credited as Alexandra Ludwig-Hahn)
- Klaus Maria Brandauer as Pascal / Claudandus
- Michael Habeck as Deep Purple (uncredited)
Crew
- Director - Michael Schaack
- Assistant Director - Veit Vollmer
- Produced By - Hanno Huth
- Executive Producer - Michael Schaack
- Line Producer - Joe Hahn
- Co-Line Producer - Stefaan Schieder
- Character Designer - Paul Bolger
- Animation Director - Bernhard (Bernie) Denk
- Animator, Designer Nightmare Sequence - Hayo Freitag
- Animators - Doug Bennett, Alan Best, Panagiotis Rappas, Ando Tammik
- Animator (Uli Meyer Studios) - Niel Bushnell
- Computer Animators - Moritz Glaesle, Marius Mohnssen
- Special Effects Animator - Gary Sole
- Animation Assistant - Russell Ladewig
- Assistant Animator - Florian Wagner
- Screenwriters - Martin Kluger, Akif Pirincci, Stefaan Schieder
- Editor - Klaus Basler
- Composer (Music Score) - Anne Dudley, George O'Dowd (Boy George)
- Cinematographer - Werner Loos
- Art Director - Desmond Downes
- Production Managers - Sascha Wolff, Stefaan Schieder
- Unit Manager (Voice Dubbing) - Karla Fall
- Supervisor/Manager - Mark Marren
Soundtrack
Track listing
- "Felidae" — 04:44 (Boy George/John Themis)
- "Main Theme From Felidae" — 02:06
- "Bluebeard - And Archie" — 01:26
- "Kong And His Cronies" — 02:11
- "Celebrating The Black Mass" — 05:55
- "Felicitas" — 01:50
- "Pascal - The Enigma" — 01:37
- "Mendel's Waltz" — 02:39
- "Blood Sport" — 02:17
- "A Gruesome Encounter" — 04:03
- "Catacombs Of Doom" — 00:58
- "The Egyptian Dream" — 01:18
- "Seduction Nhozemptekh" 01:29
- "In The Snow" — 01:14
- "The Riddle Falls Into Place" — 05:04
- "I Am Claudandus" — 05:01
References
External links
