Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Cat City Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 7, 2023

1986’s “Cat City” is a Hungarian production, with director Bela Ternovszky overseeing a study of feline crime and rodent adventuring, playing up a Ralph Bakshi-ish vibe with the picture. It’s an animated exploration of heroes and villains, only Ternovszky isn’t quite sure what side of the saga he wants to remain on, presenting a feature with charming visuals but limited storytelling power, with the main character becoming a supporting player, while the bad cats prove to be far more interesting to the helmer than anything else in this riff on superspy cinema, which enjoys plenty of cartoon energy.

The mice of Planet X have a major problem with invading cats, finding crime boss Teufel tasked with stopping the team at Intermouse, who’ve turned to their best agent, Grabovszky, to retrieve plans for a special superweapon meant to rid the world of cats. Such heroism comes easy to the secret agent, but the path to victory is blocked by various survival challenges, with Teufel escalating his attacks, dealing with his incompetent enforcers and assistants as he tries to conquer the mouse planet once and for all.

“Cat City” opens with a “Star Wars”-style crawl explaining the world viewers are about to visit, providing information about the mice and cats, and “a new hope” emerging to defeat the organized felines in the universe, with the story dated 80 years after the birth of Mickey Mouse. “Cat City” explores the violent ways of this society, with Teufel a gangster tasked with eliminating the rodents, monitoring their every move and handling the development of killing machines. He’s the villain of the picture, and Grabovszky is meant to be the hero, with the secret agent out to acquire a special microfilm that could change the course of the conflict.

What’s odd about “Cat City” is how little it pays attention to Grabovszky, who’s introduced as a major player in the story, only to go missing for extended stretches of the run time. The production is more interested in Teufel and his intimidating ways, making life miserable for right-hand man Safranek. And there’s extended time with Colonel Dick, a political rep who experiences violence from all sides while trying to enjoy a simple flight, ending up crash landing in the jungle and meeting a community of Mexican bats, winning them over with his trumpet skills.

Cat City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.43:1 aspect ratio) presentation (Blu-ray authoring is credited to David Mackenzie of Fidelity in Motion) delivers a pleasant appreciation of animation effort, with a good feel for artful textures and clarity with frame events. Colors are inviting, securing vivid primaries with the strange worlds of mice and cats, doing especially well with background art and signage. Character hues remain strong. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is nicely resolved. Source is in good condition.

Cat City Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a clear understanding of dialogue exchanges, with defined performance choices and voicework. Scoring supports with sharp instrumentation, and musical numbers carry fullness, along with defined vocals. Cartoon sound effects are appreciable. A new 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is also available.

Cat City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (18 pages) contains an essay by Walter Chaw.

• Commentary features film historian Samm Deighan.

• "We Just Made It for the Fun of It" (30:39, HD) is an interview with director Bela Ternovszky.

• "The Director Answers" (23:14, HD) is a video essay from director Yvonne Kerekgyarto, featuring an interview with director Bela Ternovszky.

• Interview (45:02, HD) is a video conference discussion of the "Cat City" restoration with Film Archive of Hungary director Gyorgy Raduly.

• Animated Shorts (HD) from director Bela Ternovszky include 1970's "Modern Training Methods" (6:24), 1974's "Let Us Keep a Dog" (6:00), and 1975's "Where Is the Limit?" (7:03).

• "Ahead of its Time" (26:53) is a video essay from director Peter Szalay.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Cat City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Cat City" doesn't hold attention with dramatic and comedic events, but it does reach some enjoyable Chuck Jones-esque slapstick at times. Animation is stellar, with delightful character work and world-building, offering a spirited examination of community tours and survival situations, which increase in silliness as the movie carries on. "Cat City" remains interesting with technical achievements and cartoon activity, which helps to endure a somewhat forgettable story of wartime espionage.