The Cat's Out (1931)

Fantastic!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is a weird one from Disney, a Silly Symphony about a black cat who encounters some very strange stuff, from running into a bird that changes in size to a walking scarecrow to oversized spiders. The poor cat been through a lot everything in this Halloween-theme scary. And, scary that it is more on the weird side, definitely one that might scare the kids away. Grade C+

This is an early short in the Silly Symphonies series produced by Disney. There will be spoilers ahead:This is an atmospheric short with something of a plot, which wasn't typical for the early Silly Symphonies. The cat is put out (along with the milk bottle) and the short starts out slowly, in a most conventional manner, with the cat meowing on a fence and shoes being thrown.But the short turns on a dime when the cat stalks a bird on a weather vane, falls, hits the ground and nine cat ghosts begin to float skyward. The cat manages to wrestle the ninth soul back. That's when things go *BANG*! The cat is accosted by the bird, grown much larger, which then multiplies.Things simply get stranger from here, with scarecrows, bats, spiders and dead trees all in a competition to see which can make the cat's night the most disturbing. Finally, with dawn, things settle down, the cat wakes up and all ends mostly well. The end is very good.This short is available on the Disney Treasures More Silly Symphonies DVD set and both the short and the set are worth getting. Recommended.

"The Cat's Out" is a black & white Silly Symphony--a short from Disney that featured lots of music to accompany the otherwise silent film. This particular example is different from most of the films in this series up until this time because that is a much greater emphasis on story. Most of the other films just feature characters mostly dancing about doing nothing in particular. In this case, however, it's about the adventures the cat has when he's outside--and some of them are a bit scary for the creature. In fact, one even includes the poor thing losing one of his 9 lives! There also is a scene that looks like a homage to the much-heralded "Skeleton Dance" (also a Silly Symphony and one of the very best they made). Overall, one of the best shorts on the second volume of the Silly Symphonies from the Walt Disney Treasures Collection--it has a better story and a lot of nice laughs (as well as animal torment--though it all turns out well in the end). Sweet and clever.

I do agree, it isn't quite as eerie as The Skeleton Dance, which is understandable, seeing how wonderfully creepy that was. But it is a noteworthy little cartoon, without being an absolute classic. The black and white animation is excellent, with atmospheric shades. If you ask me, I do think it's better black and white, it is more atmospheric you see. Also the music is wonderful, really fitting with the story and the action. The story is a simple one at that, but effective. You do feel sorry for the Cat at the end, I certainly wouldn't want to mess with those birds, and the spiders were somewhat cute. Overall, this is a noteworthy and very atmospheric cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox