9 fabulous feline film stars
Who is your all-time favourite on-screen cat? Is it the lazy but lovable Garfield? Perhaps you’re a sucker for Marie and her bright pink bow in The Aristocats?
As our feline friends have nine lives, this International Cat Day we’ve rounded up nine of the most iconic cats in film history. We’ve even included the age rating and information about what’s in each film so that you can choose which one is right for you and your family.
The Aristocats
very mild threat, dangerous behaviour, innuendo, discriminatory stereotypes
The Aristocats is an animated adventure in which the cats belonging to a wealthy opera singer must find their way home after they are kidnapped.
There are plenty of feline faces in The Aristocats, as Duchess and her three pampered kittens, Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse, befriend Thomas O'Malley, a streetwise alley cat.
There is a scene in which the antagonist places sleeping pills in milk to render the cats unconscious, and in another scene he places them in a sack and puts them in an oven, although it is not switched on.
The cats also walk along a railway line at one point, but are scared away when a train approaches.
A very mild sex reference occurs in the lyrics of a song in which a woman sings 'If you want to turn me on...'
Kiki's Delivery Service
mild threat
Kiki's Delivery Service is an animated fantasy adventure, from 1989, in which a young witch runs an air courier service.
Kiki's best friend is Jiji, a talking black cat who helps her with her deliveries.
Threat and horror
Mildly threatening scenes include Kiki getting caught in a thunderstorm, being almost hit on her broomstick by various vehicles and scenes in which she attempts to thwart off a menacing airship.
The Secret Life Of Pets
mild action, rude humour
The Secret Life Of Pets is an animated comedy about two pet dogs who embark on an adventure through New York when they find out that an angry bunny is scheming against humans.
Chloe is a sarcastic grey tabby cat who lives next door to Max and Duke. She is very clumsy, and a video of her smashing into a fruit bowl even appears on a billboard in Times Square!
Threat
Mild action sequences show characters running away from various baddies, such as dog catchers and cats.
A fluffy bunny beats up a person. There are a couple of comic fight scenes between animals. There is mild threat from snakes.
There is a scene in which characters are trapped in a van which is sinking into the water, but they are quickly saved.
Theme
Rude humour includes a few jokes about poo.
Shrek 2
contains very mild language and comic fight scenes
Shrek 2 is the 2004 sequel to the animated comedy adventure. Following on from the previous instalment, Shrek and Princess Fiona have married. However, the King is not happy about this and decides to find a way to get rid of Shrek.
In this film, we’re introduced to Puss In Boots, who despite meeting Shrek and Donkey as an assassin, soon becomes their new sidekick and friend.
Language
Bad language includes comic uses of 'ass' and 'bloody'.
Violence
There are some comic fight scenes, which are slapstick in nature. There is no sight of injury detail and no characters are actually harmed.
The film also includes some moments of mild innuendo, which are likely to go over the heads of young children. For example, at one point the Big Bad Wolf looks at a magazine called 'Pork Illustrated' featuring a pig in a bikini on the cover. At other points in the film, there is some humour made out of cross dressing. There is also some mild rude humour, including the sound of breaking wind and belching.
Garfield
contains very mild language and slapstick violence
Garfield’s owner Jon Arbuckle buys a second pet, a dog named Odie. However, when Odie is abducted, it is up to Garfield to find and rescue the canine.
Kedi
infrequent very mild bad language
Kedi is a Turkish documentary about the thousands of feral cats living on the streets of Istanbul and some of the inhabitants who care for them.
In this film, we meet Sari, a yellow tabby who lives at the base of Galata Tower, one of the oldest and best known landmarks in Istanbul.
Language
A woman suggests that a cat has 'a hole in its butt' from fighting other cats.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone
mild threat, violence, language
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy film which follows the adventures of a young boy and his two friends as they attend their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Mrs Norris is Filch’s cat, who Harry, Ron and Hermione often narrowly escape on their nightly trips through the school.
threat and horror
There are moments of mild threat, including a scene in which a boy falls into a snake pit, a scene in which three friends defeat a troll and another in which a character is chased through a spooky forest. The scary scenes are resolved quickly and moments of tension are balanced by periods of relief or humour.
violence
There are scenes of mild violence after a boy is threatened by an evil wizard. The young boy presses his hands on the wizard's head and it starts to burn, causing his body to disintegrate. There is also a fantastical chess match, where one of the main characters is attacked with a sword. However, no blows make contact and the character emerges uninjured.
language
There is use of mild bad language ('arse', 'bugger', 'bloody') and milder terms ('God', 'damn').
It is suggested that a young boy doesn't have a particularly enjoyable home life, but none of these scenes are upsetting.
Tom & Jerry: The Movie
mild bad language, comic violence
Tom & Jerry: The Movie is a US family comedy in which a hotelier hires a cat to get rid of a bothersome mouse.
Tom the cat has been chasing Jerry around for generations but did you know this was their first return to the big screen for 25 years!
Language
Language includes use of 'fricking', 'God' and 'screw up'.
Violence
There are regular scenes of comic violence, in which cartoon animals fight with a variety of weapons, including baseball bats, clothes irons, axes and chainsaws. Injuries are bloodless, comically stylised and fantastically transient.
There is rude humour: a dog fouls a pedestrian crossing, and causes humans to gag with its flatulence; a mouse makes photocopies of its bottom. There are very mild scary scenes when then cat and mouse are taken to an animal pound, where other animals menace them. There is a reference to animals mating. The cartoon characters drink alcohol.
A Whisker Away
sex references, threat, bullying, violence
In A Whisker Away, a peculiar girl transforms into a cat to catch her crush's attention. But before she realises it, the line between human and animal starts to blur.
In this film, Miyo receives a magical mask that turns her into a cat. What would you do if you could turn into a cat for the day?
