Felidae

(1994) Directed by Michael Schaack; Written by Martin Kluger and Akif Pirinçci; Based on the novel by Akif Pirinçci; Starring: Ulrich Tukur, Mario Adorf, Helge Schneider, Wolfgang Hess, Gerhard Garbers and Klaus Maria Brandauer; Available on Blu ray and DVD 

Rating: ****

“…the book gives you the answer, because it’s a dark mystery story, and of course we didn’t want to make a film like Aristocats, because Aristocats is great and fine, but this must be something different. And with our abilities and budget, we couldn’t compete with the big-budget movies, and so we are forced to be different, and if you’re different in style, this must have been our way, and all the artists were fascinated and loved to do this.” – Michael Schaack (excerpted from 2023 interview by Dennis Bartok)

In the United States, animation is unjustly regarded by many as a children’s medium. While dark themes certainly abound in Disney’s classic films (think Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, or Pinocchio), it’s always been clear whom the intended audience is. Meanwhile some independent American animators (Ralph Bakshi, Bill Plympton, etc…) have reinforced their more adult visions on the unsuspecting public. Although animators in Europe and Japan have also created fare suitable for all ages, it seems to be common knowledge there are many stories to tell that aren’t particularly family friendly. Falling into that latter category is Michael Schaack’s Felidae* (based on a novel by Akif Pirinçci). The most expensive German animated feature to date, at 15 DM ($9 million), may have seemed a drop in the inkwell for Disney, but a monumental undertaking for Senator films. Under Schaack’s direction, the collaborative effort employed 150 animators in Hamburg, Germany, Toronto, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland. 

* Fun Fact: #1 Despite the fact that an English dub was recorded for the film, Felidae never received an official release in the United States.

In the cat-centered world of Felidae, the feline characters exist in their own realm, parallel to but separate from the human world. The cats of Felidae refer to humans as “can openers,” which tells you all you need to know about how we rate with our companions (I think most fellow cat owners would back me up). Our protagonist, Francis, arrives in a new town with his layabout human companion Gustav, but unlike his sedentary two-legged friend, he roams the neighborhood as an amateur sleuth (like a feline Philip Marlowe). He befriends Bluebeard, a grizzled old cat missing an eye and a stump for a tail, who turns him on to a grisly mystery. Several cats have turned up dead, with their bodies horribly mutilated. He stumbles upon a cult dedicated to the martyr Claudandus (victim of experimentation by human scientists Preterius and Ziebald), led by the zealot Joker, who uses old lab equipment to shock his loyal followers. Haunted by the mystery of Claudandus and the ever-increasing cat deaths, he crosses paths with an assortment of friends, foes, and everything in-between, including the blind Felicity, ambivalent Kong, and enigmatic Pascal, who’s somehow linked to all the strange goings-on. As he gets closer to the sinister truth, he unravels a twisted web of sex, deception, and murder.

Michael Schaack created a library of moving cats as a guide, so the characters in the film moved like real cats (not “cartoony”). Indeed, their movement looks so fluid, one might easily confuse the film for something from Don Bluth or Disney (adult content aside). Of course, Felidae goes in a much darker direction* than either of those studios would dare. The animators also took pains to give each of the primary players distinct appearances and personalities, as befitting a mystery filled with a colorful cast of characters. The few humans depicted in the film occupy the background, while low and high-angle shots simulate the cats’ perspectives. Felidae also features an excellent score by Anne Dudley (one of the principal members of the ‘80s pop group, The Art of Noise), which contributes greatly to the films 

* Fun Fact #2: According to Schaack, the visual style was influenced by classic horror movies, particularly those from Universal.

At its heart Felidae is a noir-tinged detective story (“Cat Noir”?), filled with labyrinthine twists and turns, red herrings a-plenty, and a femme fatale. The rest might be a hard sell for some. Even those accustomed to more adult subject matter might be taken aback by the graphic depictions of feline sex, torture, vivisection and eviscerated cat corpses – all in service to the story, but it may give some viewers pause. It’s not a big surprise that Felidae underperformed at the box office in its native Germany – audiences looking for a cute escapist movie about cats likely weren’t prepared for its themes of animal experimentation and eugenics. While the film has enjoyed a second wind with an ardent cult following, the recent controversy from author Pirinçci* probably only hastened its descent into relative obscurity. Thanks to the good folks at distributor Deaf Crocodile, Felidae may yet receive its due (just a year or two ago, I never thought I’d have a UHD Blu-ray in my eager hands, but here we are), with its stunning restoration.** Superficially, it begs comparison with Watership Down (1978) or The Plague Dogs (1982), but unlike those relentlessly grim films Felidae softens the blows with a keen sense of humor (thanks to Francis’ droll observations). If you can stomach some of the more sordid aspects, it rewards upon repeat viewing, with its timeless story, relevant themes, and affable characters. 

* Not-So-Fun Fact: Despite the story’s dark themes, not-so-subtly evoking the atrocities of Nazi Germany, Akif Pirinçci irreparably undermined his career, speaking out at a 2015 far-right assembly in Dresden, with xenophobic and Islamophobic statements. 

** Fun Fact #3: According to Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok, the 4K scan of the 30-year-old original negative couldn’t have come at a better time, since it was showing signs of wear and tear, including the dreaded “vinegar syndrome.” 

 

Sources for this article: Interview with director Michael Schaack (by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile); “Teuton Fine-Tooning,” by David Molner, Variety (December 4, 1994);

 

 

 

Wizards

 

(1977) Written and directed by Ralph Bakshi; Starring: Bob Holt, Jesse Welles, Richard Romanus, David Proval, Jim Connell, and Steve Gravers; Available on Blu-ray and DVD 

Rating: ***½

“…Unless democracies keep their eyes open, fascism is always ready to come back, in any generation… Dictatorships rise when democracies get weak.” – Ralph Bakshi (from DVD commentary) 

Maverick animator Ralph Bakshi, best known for his X-rated Fritz the Cat (1972), along with the controversial satirical urban comedy/dramas Heavy Traffic (1973) and Streetfight (1974), isn’t exactly the first name you would associate with family entertainment. Nevertheless, he’s been no stranger to more family-oriented fare throughout the years, having directed multiple episodes of Spider-Man (1968-1970) and several other notable TV projects. If we’re only considering his theatrical output, however, Wizards represented a significant departure from Bakshi’s previous work.

The movie starts with a brief prologue* to get the audience up to speed. Set in the far distant future, millions of years after a worldwide nuclear apocalypse wiped out life as we knew it, the Earth is healing. Although parts remain uninhabitable, new species have emerged, while society has banned science and technology for fear of repeating history. Magic is effectively the new science. Powerful wizard twins Avatar and Blackwolf, one good, one evil, represent opposing forces on the revitalized planet. Their differences lead to an inevitable clash resulting in Blackwolf’s defeat, but 3,000 years later, Blackwolf is up for a rematch. From his castle in the dark land of Scortch (think Mordor),** he orders his minions to scavenge for any remnants from Earth’s ancient, technological past, adopting the iconography and ruthless ideology of the Nazis as a template for his own campaign of shock and awe. Blackwolf sends a robot assassin to eliminate his brother, which doesn’t go as planned when it’s captured by Avatar and re-named “Peace.” Against incalculable odds, Avatar sets out with the half-fairy princess Elinore, elf warrior Weehawk, and Peace, to confront Blackwolf and his formidable army. 

* Fun Fact #1: Susan Tyrell, who provided the film’s narration (and also narrated the first trailer) requested to have her name removed from the credits. She later regretted the decision after seeing how the film helped, rather than hindered her career. 

** Fun Fact #2: J.R.R. Tolkien’s daughter, Priscilla, enjoyed Bakshi’s film, proving in her mind that he was capable of successfully animating a fantasy story, thus opening the door for his adaptation The Lord of the Rings.

 

While his brother Blackwolf ticks all the usual boxes for a villain, Avatar (voiced by Bob Holt, who modeled his characterization after Peter Falk’s Columbo) isn’t your typical stereotype of a “good” wizard. He’s depicted as a cuddly, cigar-chomping, absent-minded little man, with a bit of a lecherous streak. Unlike his brother, he’s a lover, not a fighter. In contrast, Blackwolf, with his skeletal arms, harsh facial features and piercing eyes, creates no doubt about his malevolent intent. The curvaceous half-fairy Elinore (voiced by Jesse Welles, and named after Bakshi’s ex-girlfriend) who looks like a cross between Betty Boop and Mae West, spends most of the film running around in a skimpy bikini – not the most practical clothing if you’re planning to fight evil, but she provides some much-needed moments of levity. Most of the vocal performances are fine,*/** except for the elf warrior Weehawk (Richard Romanus), who sounds more like he belongs in the cast of Warriors (1979) or West Side Story (1961) than a fantasy film. In his commentary, Bakshi confided that he wasn’t entirely happy with Weehawk’s design as it appeared in the film, and would probably cast a different actor in the sequel (which remains unmade). 

* Fun Fact #3: At about the halfway point, watch out for the fairy character Sean, voiced by Mark Hamill, fresh from filming Star Wars (1977). 

** Fun Fact #4: Bakshi himself voiced two characters, the hapless soldier Fritz, and a peace-loving (albeit dimwitted) stormtrooper. Bakshi’s wife and daughter, Liz and Victoria, lent their vocal talent as a Fairy Mother and child, respectively.

Wizards utilized traditional cell animation, augmented by different styles, for artistic as well as budgetary reasons. Artist Michael G. Ploog illustrated the stills in the prologue and ending, which otherwise would have been too expensive to animate, while British illustrator Ian Miller created the highly detailed industrial nightmare backgrounds of Scortch. Bakshi incorporated clips from live-action Nazi propaganda films, including Leni Riefenstahl’s notorious Triumph of the Will (1935), providing an instantly recognizable link to humanity’s sordid past. To depict Blackwolf’s marching hordes, Bakshi employed rotoscoping of live-action stock footage from other films. The blending of disparate visual styles makes every scene look fresh, rather than something that was churned out by a committee.

Bakshi pushed the envelope of what could be considered a “family” film in 1977 with the PG-rated Wizards. As he noted in his commentary, he wasn’t aiming for something that resembled a Disney production. The house that Walt built would never have allowed characters with overt sexuality, revealing outfits, or graphic depictions of violence. While Disney’s animated films routinely receive a PG rating nowadays, they seem sanitized by comparison, lacking the street smarts, anatomically-endowed characters, and innuendos of Baskshi’s film. Many of these elements wouldn’t seem out of place in a Japanese or European-animated production, but it might raise an eyebrow or two with audiences primarily accustomed to Disney’s way of doing things. Beyond the stylistic choices, Wizards dares to go where few other films intended for a broader audience dare to tread. Its themes about authoritarianism and absolute power corrupting everything it touches are ideal launching points for a family discussion.

Despite the challenges of creating a low-budget fantasy epic within a scant 80-minute running time, Ralph Bakshi convincingly depicts a world that’s far removed from our own, yet oddly relatable. It’s at once an amusing speculative glimpse at the far-flung future, as well as a grim reminder that the sins of the past only remain in the past if we choose not to repeat them. Although it was released nearly a half-century ago, Wizards continues to evoke parallels to recent political developments – war and fascism never seem to go out of style.

 

Sources for this article: DVD commentary by Ralph Bakshi