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Cats Don't Dance

Play trailer Poster for Cats Don't Dance G 1997 1h 15m Kids & Family Musical Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A world of cats and Danny is trying to break into '30s Hollywood. His only problem is that he's a cat, and he can't understand why he's only getting parts playing an animal. He gets into trouble with a human star and almost sees his chance at a movie career disappear.
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Cats Don't Dance

Cats Don't Dance

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Critics Consensus

Cats Don't Dance, but they should easily entertain all-ages audiences thanks to some colorful animation, sharp humor, and a catchy soundtrack.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Tatara CNN.com Aug 15, 2018
Cats Don't Dance is a blast... There's a pleasing luminescence to the animation, with colors that glow like neon throughout. Go to Full Review John Petrakis Chicago Tribune Aug 15, 2018
Cats Don't Dance has some of the sharp irreverence of the brilliant Who Framed Roger Rabbit. There are plenty of clever asides and witty one-liners, not to mention a few terrific supporting characters. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 22, 2010
3/5
Very cute animation with Randy Newman music. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Oct 14, 2023
2/4
The characters are dull in both form and content. Go to Full Review Cory Woodroof 615 Film Jan 15, 2023
I refuse to believe anything else but that a young Damien Chazelle walked into a movie theater, watched this and left thinking, “I’m going to make this movie, but it’ll be a 3-hour bacchanal with Brad Pitt.” (Mark Dindal kicked ass with this one) Go to Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) Feb 12, 2019
9/10
We rarely get movies like this that have so much heart. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Don C @videoactiv Jan 30, 2026 A delectable comic love song to movie musicals! I never heard of "Cats Don't Dance" when it first came out, but when our boys were young, my wife's sister sent us a VHS copy of this film that "someone said was worth watching..." Worth watching?! I'll say! Ever since our first screening "How does the kitty-cat go...?" has been a family catch phrase. If you love Singing In The Rain, Mary Poppins, Roger Rabbit, or any such elevated tomfoolery, treat yourself to this pitch-perfect send up of the old studio system and the way they ground out musicals and ground down players, re-imagined for a cast of anthropomorphic animals and misanthropic humans. A joy from start to finish -- but watch out for Darla and Max! "How does the kitty-cat go...?" "Mee-ow?" See more Bookies B @BookiesBeat Jan 28, 2026 Excellent storytelling and much more captivating than the supposed "classics" Disney has been churning out since its inception. See more Trafalgar L @TDWaterLaw93 Jan 16, 2026 Great movie, terrible execution. Warner Bros. absorbed the production company and let this flop. No marketing, zero fanfare and a crowded Easter weekend. But, it became an acclaimed flop. See more the S. @theelijahstantonshow Nov 18, 2025 The most greatest cartoon ever See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jun 20, 2025 The worldwide gross is $3,500,000.00, less than the $32,000,000.00 production budget. Difference of $28,500,000.00. See more Noe G @RT06896914 Apr 6, 2024 Cats don't dance is my most favorite Warner Bros., animated film I give this film a 10/10 See more Read all reviews
Cats Don't Dance

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Cast & Crew

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Mark Dindal

Director

Scott Bakula

Danny

Jasmine Guy

(speaking)

Ashley Peldon

Darla Dimple (speaking)

Natalie Cole

Voice

Kathy Najimy

Voice

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Cats Don't Dance

Cats Don't Dance (1997) Cats Don't Dance (1997) Cats Don't Dance (1997) A scene from Cats Don't Dance. A scene from Cats Don't Dance. A scene from Cats Don't Dance. A scene from Cats Don't Dance. A scene from Cats Don't Dance. A scene from Cats Don't Dance. A scene from Cats Don't Dance. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A world of cats and Danny is trying to break into '30s Hollywood. His only problem is that he's a cat, and he can't understand why he's only getting parts playing an animal. He gets into trouble with a human star and almost sees his chance at a movie career disappear.
Director
Mark Dindal
Screenwriter
Robert Lence, Rick Schneider, David Womersley, Kelvin Yasuda, Bobs Gannaway, Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser, Theresa Pettengill
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Turner Pictures, David Kirschner Productions, Turner Feature Animation
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Musical, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 26, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.6M
Runtime
1h 15m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround
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