The Royal Cat
A movie like “The Royal Cat” isn’t out to reinvent the wheel. This is a family-friendly adventure film which imbues animals with human characteristics, and sets them up for a mythic quest. In a way, this one can be comparable to the “Kung Fu Panda” model, but Liang Cao’s film does deal with the human world, it it’s not quite the same thing. Because it deals with underdog heroes finding their heroism, I definitely enjoyed this movie, but I wouldn’t anticipate this film inspiring the love that franchise has been given.
“The Royal Cat” takes place in ancient Jinling City, and we start with cavalcade of cats being chased in the city. One of those is Zhan Ao, a street cat who’s missing their tail. He finds himself around a young man who works in the prefect’s office, Bao Zheng, an awful lot, and when they meet Kou Zhu, the daughter of a legendary General, General Kou, who was killed in battle several years ago. To her, Zhan Ao looks familiar, like the bodyguard cat her father had. All Zhan Ao knows is the street life, however. But as the leaders of the City begin to crackdown, Zhan Ao might have to remember his true purpose, and help them overcome the evil, and get to the heart of what happened to his life.
Writer Yue Luo is not looking to drastically move beyond conventional formulas in their screenplay here. We get a Chosen One arc, a redemption arc, an underdog arc and martial arts and the supernatural in this film’s 97 minutes. It’s fantasy and adventure and just cute enough to where pre-teens could probably watch it, although the film does have some violence in it (plus, we see Zhan Ao lose their tail). Zhan Ao’s arc is what audiences will likely gravitate towards- admittedly, the world building and grand arc of the film is less compelling- and it reeled me in quite successfully. In terms of animation, we get a very smooth and clean universe to get lost in, although there isn’t much that is very distinctive in the look and feel of the film compared to other CG-animated films. The character designs are solid, but there isn’t enough pop to the visuals to really elevate the material. I enjoyed “The Royal Cat,” but there isn’t a whole lot that will inspire me to revisit it over the years. Families looking for something different to watch might enjoy it, however.
