The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963)

I love this movie so much

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Mary McDuie (Karen Dotrice) is a young, motherless girl living in Scotland at the turn of the 20th century. Of course, she does have her father, veterinarian Dr. Andrew McDuie (Patrick McGoohan) but he's been cold and distant since her mother died. Therefore, her only real solace is her cat Thomasina, a beautiful orange tabby with personality. It does help that her housekeeper is quite nice and the children of the neighborhood are her dear friends. On the outskirts of the village lives a lady, Lori (Susan Hampshire) who the children think is a WITCH. She does have a yard full of rescued animals and a magic way about healing the creatures. Thomasina goes in and out Mary's bedroom window by the help of a tall tree and often goes out at night. Unhappily, Thomasina eats the wrong food, becomes sick and appears dead, even though Dr. Mac promised to save her. Mary is so upset she ignores everything her father says, hinting that he is "dead" to her. But, when the children take the box with Thomasina to the town's edge, planning to bury her and hold a funeral, the "witch" appears and scares them away. Only she notices that Thomasina is still alive and takes her home to nurse her. Will Thomasina survive? Will the village drive the "witch" away? This lovely story has the rarity of being about a cat, not a dog, and a clever, patient one at that. Dotrice is winning as the young girl who dresses her cat in clothes and takes him on buggy adventures. McGoohan is also fine as the stern father and Hampshire is sweet and lovely as Lori. Other cast members, scenery, costumes, script and direction are all nicely fitting. Beware, parents, that Thomasina appears to die and there are many tears that may fall. However, cat lovers, Disney fans, and family film friends will welcome this title as an oldie but goodie.

I love Disney, and I am very fond of this film. It isn't my absolute favourite of the live-action Disney movies, but it is one of the more poignant ones and one of the most undervalued too. The film looks gorgeous, with beautiful costumes, scenery and cinematography. The score is very charming and quaint yet kept at minimum, while the story with its poignant ending is heart-warming and the dialogue is credible. Also credible is the direction, and the pacing is brisk enough to ensure The Three Lives of Thomasina never fails to engage. The cast are wonderful too. Patrick McGoohan is superb, and Finlay Currie and Jean Anderson give fine supporting performances but it is delightful Karen Dotrice and her adorable feline companion who steal the show. Overall, it is a lovely and underrated little film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

"The Three Lives of Thomasina" is a Disney movie, so you know what that means. One of the surprising things is that the dad is played by Patrick McGoohan, who more recently played King Edward in "Braveheart". How do ya like that: in one movie, he lived in Scotland; in the other, he invaded it! Overall, I think that the movie goes a little too far in trying to tug at your emotions. My favorite cat-themed movie is "Cat's Eye", based on a Stephen King novel. As for movies with "three" in the title, I most recommend "Three Days of the Condor".So, there are better movies out there, especially considering that this came out the same year as "Dr. Strangelove", "A Fistful of Dollars" and "Zorba the Greek". And I thought that the portrayals of the gypsies was kinda racist. The only other cast member whom I recognized was Wilfrid Brambell, better known as Paul's grandfather in "A Hard Day's Night".I know that it's a little weird that in a review of a movie about a magical cat, I mentioned "Braveheart", "Three Days of the Condor", "Dr. Strangelove", "A Fistful of Dollars", "Zorba the Greek", the Beatles and Stephen King, but that's just the kind of person that I am.

A film with a lovely story that appeals to both adults and children. There are few cat films of note and Disney's "Thomasina" can take its place as one of the best in content and performance. The principals are excellent with Susan Hampshire as the kindhearted, pretty "witch of the glen" taking top honors with one of her finest performances. The secondary performers are sterling with the village clergyman and the family's housekeeper especially engaging. Juvenile actress Karen Dotrice as Mary McDhui is superb with her co-worker Matthew Garber turning in an excellent performance as her playmate. (Dotrice and Garber would one day appear as the Banks siblings in Disney's masterpiece "Mary Poppins.") A word of warning! Many film viewers today are sensitive to the treatment animals receive during production and sadly "Thomasina" is marred with the evident abuse its performing feline star receives: the poor cat is soaked with water for several rainy scenes and in the dream sequence she appears to have been dropped from a height, twisting and turning to regain her balance. Additionally, the cat was likely anesthetized for the funeral scene (anesthetization during film production is forbidden by today's ASPCA) and there are other scenes in which the viewer may wonder not only about the cat's treatment during production but the treatment of other animals as well. The film was made at a time when ASPCA regulations regarding animal abuse during film production were less stringent than today's regulations. A fine film in content and performance but some viewers will have issues with the treatment of the cat during production.