Famous Fred

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 1997, this superb adaptation of the popular children's book by Posy Simmonds begins when a pair of siblings awake one morning to discover that--in the words of soulful coroner Curtis Mayfield--their cat "Freddie's dead." Understandably saddened, the young boy and girl bury their pet, but are awoken from fitful sleep later that night by a racket in the backyard as a crowd of cats assemble for an homage/wake celebrating their idol, Fred. Although the kids think there must be some mistake (since Fred was the laziest cat in the world), it turns out that each night he was the Tom (cat) Jones of the feline music scene. The story of Fred's rise to vocal cord fame is related by the kids' guinea pig, Kenneth (wonderfully voiced by Tom Courtenay, who--interestingly--played a similar role in The Dresser). Pampered, prodded and praised by Kenneth, Fred busts his chops on the locals (sending the female cats into screaming swoons--though, I'm happy to report, this being a children's film, I saw no panties tossed onstage), eventually winding up in Las Vegas ("from fish heads to beluga caviar") where his persona shifts more towards Elvis Presley's in his late period. The newest entry in Sony Wonder's impressive "Doors of Wonder" series (most recently, see Mama, Do You Love Me? [VL-3/99]), Famous Fred is enthusiastically recommended for both kids and adults. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)