The Cat from Outer Space

1978 "A close encounter of the 'furred' kind!"
6| 1h44m| G| en| More Info
Released: 09 June 1978 Released
Producted By: Walt Disney Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A UFO is stranded on earth and impounded by the US government. Its pilot, a cat with a collar that gives it special powers, including the ability to communicate with humans, has eluded the authorities and seeks the help of a scientist in order to reclaim and repair his ship and get back home.

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wrightiswright Films lauding cats come around about as often as Halley's Comet, so whenever one does arrive it should be shouted about from the rooftops. Yeah, sure... Dogs save peoples lives, look cute and are a reliable source of defecation jokes, but can anything compare to the grace and mystique of a feline? I say no. And if you disagree, you're wrong. 'Nuff said.It's a pretty unusual plot... A cat from another planet crashlands on our shores in his spaceship, and needs 120k dollars worth of gold for repairs (Don't ask). He enlists the help of a maverick scientist, a ditzy blonde and a sleazy gambler to these ends, all the while pursued by the military and an evil criminal mastermind, who would LOVE to possess the pussy's magical collar (which has levitation and telepathic powers).What did I tell ya? I said it was an odd story... And yet, despite the sheer inanity of what's on display, it somehow all holds together. The mystical capabilities of the collar provide much of the humour, including freezing people in mid-movement, and helping to rig a very one-sided game of pool.The special effects are about as good as you'd expect from the 70's (e.g not very) but the adorable cat is so well trained you'd almost think it WAS an intelligent extra-terrestrial lifeform, and with the exception of an over-elongated climax in the sky, there's little padding here to make young minds impatient.So, not quite the cat's whiskers, but far from worthy of the litter box. Did'ja see what I did there?! 6/10
Byron Holmes I had originally written this review for my school's newspaper, so please excuse the quality.The Cat From Outer Space is a somewhat obscure Disney movie released in 1978 starring Ken Berry (Mayberry R.F.D.), Sandy Duncan, Roddy McDowell (Planet of the Apes), Ronnie Schell (Gomer Pyle) and McLean Stevenson (M*A*S*H).The plot revolves around a cat-like alien named Jake (voiced by Schell) who crash-lands on Earth and must recover his spacecraft from the government with the help of Frank (Berry) and Liz (Duncan), scientists working at the army base holding the UFO. Along the way, there's the typical love-plot between Frank and Liz, a bumbling spy trying to steal a spaceship and an incident in which the scientists must win a game of pool to buy enough gold to fuel Jake's ride home.Like most live-action Disney movies before and during this time, The Cat From Outer Space is relatively benign – after all, it is a Disney movie, but with all fairness, the idea is certainly unique; the characters aren't terrible (though certainly archetypal), and there's plenty of moments worth the raising of at least one eyebrow.Probably the best part of the movie is Jake himself, who, despite just being a cat who probably had no idea what he was doing, manages to be the best character in the movie; not being from this planet and all, he communicates with the cast with a specialized collar that grants him psychic powers, telepathy (which explains how he can talk to humans), and whenever the powers that be demand it, the ability to place people and animals in suspended animation for several minutes.Although a rather uncommon entry in the Disney canon, The Cat from Outer Space shouldn't be overlooked. If you're a fan of old live-action Disney movies, go ahead and pick it up wherever you can find it, be it in a physical or digital format.
rebeljenn The Cat From Outer Space was one of my favourite children's' programs at one time in my life. I watched it over and over again. I don't really know what I found so great about the film. Maybe it was because of the action, the humor, and the fact that a cat was a star of the film...and this was no ordinary cat! This was a special cat that had special abilities. And this film is a typical 1970s Disney film.Although I enjoyed the film as I child, I find it a little bit too slow and dated now. And, it is a film for children. I don't think there is anything for adults unless you really like cats and like science fiction. Overall, it is not a bad film. It's just a little silly, and I would not readily recommend it over other films.
tiggycat I still list this classic from my "kittenhood" as one of the best of it's kind. Just a must see for cat lovers, and animal lovers of all kinds. Just really cute story, very funny and all around great for kids of all ages! If you have not seen since were a kitten maybe you need to see it again. If have not seen it then see it! It's Disney so how can you go wrong?I wish they would do more like this. I mean sure they did Cats and Dogs and have done others but non that deal with space Cats or such, not in long time.Meow!