The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1974)

Director:

Robert Taylor

Writers:

Fred Halliday (writer)
Eric Monte (writer)

Release Date:

18 September 1974 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Tagline:

I've come a long way, Baby!

Plot:

Fritz the Cat may have lost one of his lives in the comics, but in his new movie, he has eight more lives left to go! While his wife screams at him, Fritz lights up a joint and reminiscences about what could have been.

Plot Keywords:

Joint | Cat | Hell | Drug Pusher | Cartoon Animal Using Drugs

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Skip Hinnant	...	Fritz (voice)
Reva Rose	...	Fritz' Old Lady (voice)
Bob Holt	...	Many voices (voice)
Robert Ridgely	...	(voice)
Fred Smoot	...	(voice)
'Sweet' Dick Whittington	...	(voice)
Luke Walker	...	(voice)
Peter Leeds	...	Juan / Various Characters (voice)
Louisa Moritz	...	Chita (Juan's Sister) (voice)
Larry Moss	...	(voice)
Joan Gerber	...	(voice)
Jim Johnson	...	(voice)
Jay Lawrence	...	(voice)
Stanley Adams	...	(voice)
Pat Harrington Jr.	...	(voice)

Runtime:

77 min | Argentina:79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Italy:T (re-rating) (2004) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | West Germany:18 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | Singapore:(Banned) | Argentina:18

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

This was the first animated feature in Cannes history to compete as part of the official competition.

Quotes:

Fritz's manager: [when he and Fritz first see the crow reporter; Fritz is going off into space] Hot damn. That chick wouldn't look bad holding up a Hershey's bar, would she? With nuts.

Movie Connections:

References Puttin' on the Ritz (1930)

Animated Mindwarp- 101

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat is a movie, or something like it, that I got to see on night late on a Showtime channel, and when I started watching, it had the material that made me want to change the channel, and maybe not. There are many weird and surreal scenes, most involving sex and marijuana, some with racism (Hitler cat), some with unique and bizarre characters, and it connected as that while Fritz the cat tries to cash a welfare check he goes over the different deaths in his life, getting blown up, getting blown up in space, getting shot in the batoot, etc. At times it's too patched together, and makes no sense in the scene where funky 70's music plays while images from the days of black and white flash by and then images pass by like an amateur Kubrick ala 2001, but it oddly works for a mature audience (kids will be freaked out if they should for some chance watch this) on the levels on comedy and of being a all out stoner/druggie flick (most of you out there who watch this will eithe rgo wow or uggh). Very satirical, very strange. B+