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The Three Lives of Thomasina

DVD Release

  • Release Date: 2004
  • Widescreen (1.66:1) - enhanced for 16x9 televisions
  • cc
  • Disney's Beautiful Witch
  • "Disney's Purrfect Cat Stars"
  • Theatrical trailer
  • French and Spanish subtitles
  • Dolby Digital Mono sound

  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Movie Type: Animal Picture
  • Director: Don Chaffey
  • Main Cast: Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, Karen Dotrice, Vincent Winter, Denis Gilmore
  • Release Year: 1963
  • Country: US/UK
  • Run Time: 95 minutes
  • MPAA Rating: PG

Plot

Based on a whimsical novel by Paul Gallico, Disney's Three Lives of Thomasina is an imaginative tale of a resourceful cat. Thomasina is the pet of Karen Dotrice, the daughter of taciturn Scottish veterinarian Patrick McGoohan. When Thomasina falls ill, McGoohan coldly diagnoses the cat as suffering from tetanus and declares that the pet must be put out of its misery. As Dotrice and her friends sadly prepare to bury the "dead" Thomasina, backwoods girl Susan Hampshire, who is said to be a witch, shows up and runs off with the kitty corpse. Using equal doses of intuition and love, Hampshire revives Thomasina, who of course wasn't dead at all. While in limbo, Thomasina ascends to Cat Heaven, where her case is heard by the Cat Goddess (this is a wonderful piece of special-effects wizardry, even if you don't like cats). Returned to life, Thomasina has no memory of her previous existence. Thus, the cat runs off in terror when Dotrice sees her again during a torrential downpour. Now it is Dotrice who becomes seriously ill, necessitating a collaboration between the cold, cut-and-dried ministrations of her father and the tender loving care of the "bewitched" Hampshire. As it turns out, Thomasina is the catalyst for both Dotrice's recovery and the film's happy ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

The Three Lives of Thomasina is a lovely and gentle but spirited children's tale that adults will also enjoy. Although it occasionally skirts with "cutesiness," it never really succumbs; more importantly, unlike many other children's films, it is not afraid to acknowledge the deep emotions of childhood, and how disturbing these can be. While never delving too deeply, it also addresses the problems that can arise when an adult does not take into consideration the gap between a child's emotional experience and her ability to understand and cope with that experience. This makes for some very powerful moments, such as Mary's feverish and heartbreaking calls for her missing pet. There's also a great deal of humor, much of it provided by Thomasina's wry comments upon the action. Karen Dotrice does extremely well as Mary, giving a believable and detailed performance that is impressive in one of her years. Patrick McGoohan is a powerful and formidable presence as her father; he is not afraid to show exactly how gruff and stern the character can be, making the audience experience some of the same conflicting feelings about him that his daughter does. Don Chaffey's direction is smooth and unobtrusive, letting the story tell itself without any unnecessary embellishments. Although some very young children may find Thomasina a little disturbing, most will thoroughly enjoy getting to know this delightful cat and her loving owner. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Cast


Laurence Naismith - Rev. Angus Peddie; Finlay Currie - Hughie's grandfather; Wilfrid Brambell - Willie Bannock; Jean Anderson - Mrs. MacKenzie; Francis de Wolff - Targu; Jack Stewart - Birnie; Ewan Roberts - Constable McQuarrie; Oliver Johnston - Mr. Dobbie; Matthew Garber - Geordie; Charles Carson - Doctor; Alex Mackenzie; Elspeth March - Thomasina; Gwen Nelson; Nora Nicholson - Old Lady; Ruth Dunning

Credit

Paul Beeson - Cinematographer; Don Chaffey - Director; Vernon Dixon - Set Designer; Margaret Furse - Costume Designer; Terry Gilkyson - Songwriter; David Harcourt - Camera Operator; Ub Iwerks - Special Effects; Eric Rogers - Musical Direction/Supervision; Michael Stringer - Art Director; Robert Westerby - Screenwriter; Harry Frampton - Makeup; Paul Gallico - Book Author; Paul J. Smith - Composer (Music Score); Gordon Stone - Editor; Jim Fetherolf - Special Effects; Maude Spector - Casting

Similar Movies

Oh, Heavenly Dog!; Bedknobs and Broomsticks; The Incredible Mr. Limpet; You Never Can Tell; That Darn Cat; The Cat from Outer Space; So Dear to My Heart
 
 
Wikipedia: The Three Lives of Thomasina
The Three Lives of Thomasina
Threelivesofthomasinamp.jpg
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by Don Chaffey
Written by Paul Gallico (book)
Robert Westerby
Starring Patrick McGoohan
Karen Dotrice
Distributed by Walt Disney (UK)
Buena Vista (USA)
Release date(s) 1964
Running time 97 min.
Country U.K. / U.S.A.
Language English / Gaelic
IMDb profile

The Three Lives of Thomasina is a 1964 film by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the Young Adult/Adult Novel "Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She was God" by Paul Gallico, published in 1957. Patrick McGoohan and Karen Dotrice star as an embittered veterinarian/father and daughter, whose strained relationship is repaired by the magical/coincidental reappearance of her presumed-dead cat, Thomasina. Susan Hampshire also stars as a turn of the century Scottish equivalent of an alternative medicine practitioner, (she is presumed to be a witch by the local people). The film deals simply and honestly with deeper themes than the average Disney film. Death, the grief process, and cruelty to animals are all represented in straightforward fashion. Performances are convincing and well-directed by Don Chaffey, a Disney regular who also worked with the adult leads in the television series Secret Agent aka Danger Man.

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