Gay Purr-ee

Mewsette is a young cat on a farm in Provence and she is bored with country life. She runs off to the Paris of the 1890s. Her suitor from the farm, Jaune-Tom, and his small friend Robespierre follow. But Mewsette has already fallen into a swindle: a fake modelling school run by Madame Rubens-Chatte and her assistant Meowrice. Abe Levitow's film was the second and last feature from the UPA studio. The visual style is entirely unlike the Disney animation of its period; there are flat colours, heavy outlines and direct references to painting. In the Paris sections Mewsette is drawn separately in the manner of several famous painters. Judy Garland voices Mewsette, her only animated film. The songs were written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, the team behind The Wizard of Oz. Chuck Jones wrote the screenplay with his wife Dorothy. Who it's for: Viewers who like classic animation, the UPA style, and Judy Garland. Who it's not for: The narrative is simple and the pace is uneven. The woman's place in the story also runs in the shapes of its period.