Warning- this article will contain graphic animated imagery as well as major spoilers for the film Felidae (1994)
“What I was watching wasn’t exactly a scene out of The Aristocats.”
-Francis in Felidae
Released in 1994, the cult neo-noir film Felidae immediately sets itself apart from its earlier animated feline predecessors, with Schaack’s adaptation refusing to shy away from the brutally violent and philosophically nihilistic imagery of Akif Pirinçci’s 1989 novel of the same name. The film follows a tomcat named Francis who, after moving to a new town with his owner or “can-opener” as they are referred to by the cats, is met with a slew of unsolved vicious cat-murders which he takes upon himself to decipher. The solving of these murders, consisting of unneutered males and pregnant females, results in the discovery of an animal testing lab, an underground cemetery of discarded cat bones, a cat cult, several dreams about the 19th century biologist Gregor Mendel puppeteering cat bodies and a eugenics obsessed evil cat attempting to breed their species back to a pure undomesticated race, or “Felidae”. Oh, and there is cat sex.
This film defies the expectations of an animated film about cats. To begin with, Felidae utilises the art style dissonance between it’s Don Bluth-esque Disneyfied animation, see figure 2, and its gruesome subject matter, see figure 3 to highlight the horrors of animal testing and selective breeding. This works by shocking the audience into revaluating what we expect from an animated film about household pets, and the topics we expect to see discussed. Schaack’s use of the neo-noir genre, such as dutch angles, see figure 4, unbalanced framing, see figure 5, and themes of revenge, furthers this disconnect, adding to the shock of the violence.
The themes of eugenics, when paired with the revival of the 40s Noir genre, adds another layer to this story, as not only do we see these cats as themselves, but also as thinly veiled substitutes for Nazi’s and holocaust victims. This strange mix up of Disney-esque animation, neo-noir animated camera angles and Nazi eugenics plotline should not work when put all together and yet the end result is a gut-wrenchingly grisly examination of non-human animal exploitation and how it is inseparable from man-kinds human failings.
“Animals are good creatures. But men are evil animals.”
-Claudandus in Felidae
Arguably the most horrific scenes within Felidae are the ones which graphically depict not only animal testing, but the mutilation and mass killing of failed genetic experiments. Although there are other horrific murders, which turn out to be by the paw of one of their own, those actions can still be traced back to the original torture that the abused-cat-turned-eugenist Claudandus faced at the hands of Doctor Preterius. These scenes reveal themselves at multiple shocking intervals throughout the film, seemingly timed just as we get comfortable, jolting us into a nightmare-scape of horrors. The animated camera work and mise-en-scene utilised throughout Felidae bring to life these horrific murders even more so, as the audience follow the cats on an individual and personal level. Schaack’s use of free-flowing camera technique mimics movements with “the weightless grace of one of the cats themselves[1]”, capturing the eye-level world of these animals, specifically our narrator Francis. These fluid POV shots, see figures 6 and 7, allow for the audience to connect with Francis and see the world from his uniquely feline perspective. The distortion of size and angles recreates a human imagination of what it is like to live as a cat in a human world. Similarly, Francis’ extradiegetic narration places us inside the head of a cat as we hear his omnipresent perspective over the scenes.
These technical elements serve to represent the cats as having a sense of autonomy and freedom within the harsh narrative, as the story is being told to us directly from one of the harmed victims of animal testing. Although of course, this is still human projection of imagined animal feelings.
In this scene, the audience see for the first time the experimentation that the cats have been subjected to. Here, the point of view shifts from Francis’ to that of an impartial observer. In this camera shift, the low angles and free flowing movement stops in favour of static high angle shots with slow zooms, mimicking the lens of the camera used to document the animal experiments, see figures 9 and 10. This removes all animal agency usually present within the film, highlighting the “inherent power-play of the hierarchy of species[2]” that is used to justify human-animal exploitation. This change of power not only shocks the viewer, as we have become so used to witnessing the world from an animal perspective, but also poses the question “how can we justify the idea that some animals are, indeed, more equal than others?”[3] In one scene, we have been removed from the animal world and reminded that we are human and we exert our power over, and exploit animals daily, whether that be by taking a medicine that has been animal trialled, or owning a pedigree pet with “conditions [that] have been handed down through generations of inbreeding and selective breeding.[4]”
Once again, the animation style lends itself to this shocking imagery well, as the ability to draw the features of the cats’ anguish allows a stylistic freedom to interpret real life situations in a nightmare realm. The parallels do not stop here. When Francis meets the “Messiah” or “Felidae”, the “superior race” is depicted as blonde and blue eyed, much like the Aryan race, see figure 14. It is not uncommon for animal activists to depict selective breeding as Nazi-esque Eugenics, as Peta did in an advert in which they stylised a pedigree dog as Hitler, with the caption “Master Race? Wrong for people. Wrong for dogs” see figure 15.
Unlike the Peta ad, however, Felidae is does not compare animal suffering to that of humans, it is not even representing the cats as anthropomorphic human avatars, it is merely showing that if we continue to define a hierarchy of animal importance, that hierarchy will be abused and used against human animals as well as non-human animals. The cats in Felidae are a warning of what can happen when humans exert our power over the genetics of other “lesser” species. Leventi-Perez writes that any “speciesism assigns different rights on the basis of their species membership and overlooks basic similarities which unite the human and Non-human Animal realms, such as sentience.[5]” Speciesism has been shown to lead to real life consequences, such as the dehumanisation and zoomorphism of Black slaves or Jewish people. For many oppressed groups in society, this animalisation still occurs, with many disabled people being viewed as “less human” due to cognitive difficulties[6]. By weaving in these real-world ramifications, the film suggests this eugenic “scale of humanity” will not be able to retire from human consciousness until all species are equal, as if we can dominate weaker non-human animals, there will always be a biologically weaker human to control who fits into similar categories.
“I am the Prophet, I am the Human, and I am the Beast.”
-Felidae in Felidae
I believe the reason this film works so well is that it blends realistic feline biological behaviours seamlessly with anthropomorphic human behaviours without losing the recognisable animal traits that humans associate with the naturalistic attributes of domesticated cats. According to Phillips’ “Modes of Animal Representation,” the representation of pet cats in Felidae falls into the more elusive “animals as themselves category”. This category is defined by the representation of “real nonhuman animals, with bodies, needs, desires, and behaviours that align with those of their species identities.”[7] These naturalistic behaviours can be seen in the way Bluebeard scents when he enters a building, or in the realistic mating scene which follows the typical sexual ritual behaviours of cats, see figures 16 and 17.
This understanding of the film is integral to its overall representation of pet cats as simply themselves, and not as a human avatar or as a plot device. Despite necessary anthropomorphisms, such as pointing with a paw or using a computer, the cats do not ever look like humans, walk like humans, or even talk to any other species of animal besides themselves. This is a refreshing take on animal representation in animation as often an animal is a sidekick, fully anthropomorphised or used as a prop to further the plot[8]. This supports the earlier discussion of the autonomy of these cats, as they appear to be telling their own story in a distinctly cat-like way. Philipps concludes in her argument that it “seems that anthropomorphism and realistic representation are needed to balance each other out if we wish to generate empathy from the audience,[9]” and I agree. In this film, even though we know this is still an unrealistic portrayal of real-life animals, the necessary minimal humanisation allows for the audience to feel more deeply connected to the source material, and therefore become more effected by its messages of anti-animal testing and selective breeding, whether that’s through recognising the effects of speciesism and breeding on Eugenics, or just being horrified by the brutal animal cruelty scenes.
Overall, this film tackles the difficult concept of animal agency within a medium that is wholly artificial. It attempts to shine a light on animal welfare issues, such as animal testing and genetic modifications, whilst also allowing its animal main characters to tell the story themselves. Although it cannot be completely successful in these quests, the resounding emotion when leaving the film is the want to protect animals who have already been subjected to human exploitation and try to stop any further human-animal damage.
It is clear that this film offers a uniquely animal perspective on the topic of animal testing, animal agency and selective breeding. No matter which method strikes home most to each audience member, whether the artistic dissonance between childlike style and horror images, the utilisation of camera techniques to portray perspective, or the real-life allusions woven in for contextualisation, Felidae is a masterclass on how to represent animal abuse issues in animal animation in an artful, adult, and insightful way. The resounding question when leaving this film is,
“How can humans and non-human animals co-exist peacefully if we still feel the need to show we are the superior species?”
Further Reading
For an insight into how eugenics and selective animal breeding are intrinsically linked -Theunissen, Bert. 2014. “Practical Animal Breeding as the Key to an Integrated View of Genetics, Eugenics and Evolutionary Theory: Arend L. Hagedoorn (1885-1953),” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 46: 55–64 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2014.03.004 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369848614000338
For an insight into the use of animals as propaganda in animation -LaMarre, Thomas. 2008. “Speciesism, Part I: Translating Races into Animals in Wartime Animation,” Mechademia, 3.1: 75–95 https://doi.org/10.1353/mec.0.0069 https://www-jstor-org.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/stable/41510904?sid=primo&seq=5#metadata_info_tab_contents
For an insight into the negative impact of selective animal breeding on animals –Chapter 1.13 Negative effects of animal breeding
For an insight into Felidae -Felidae – The Brutally Underrated Animated Thriller- a video essay https://youtu.be/NiL2wE3afms -Pape, Hanna. 2019. “Felidae: 25 Years since the Release of the Animated Neo-Noir Cult Classic,” 25 Years Later <https://25yearslatersite.com/2019/05/22/felidae-25-years-since-the-release-of-the-animated-neo-noir-cult-classic/> [accessed 3 January 2022]
For an overall insight into animated animals -Wells, Paul. The Animated Bestiary : Animals, Cartoons, and Culture. 1st ed. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press, 2008. Print.
Other related Zooscope Articles
Animal testing -Connolly, Alice. 2019. “Twelve Monkeys. Dir. Terry Gilliam. Universal Pictures . 1996,” Shef.Ac.Uk <https://zooscope.group.shef.ac.uk/twelve-monkeys-dir-terry-gilliam-universal-pictures-1996-2/> [accessed 8 January 2022]
Breeding -Hilton, Lucy. 2018. “Jurassic Park III. Dir. Joe Johnston. Universal Pictures. 2001,” Shef.Ac.Uk <https://zooscope.group.shef.ac.uk/jurassic-park-iii-full/> [accessed 10 January 2022]
Animated Cats -Capewell, Lily. 2014. “The Aristocats. Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman.. Disney. 1970,” Shef.Ac.Uk <https://zooscope.group.shef.ac.uk/the-aristocats-dir-wolfgang-reitherman-disney-1970/> [accessed 6 January 2022]
Bibliography
“Animal Rights Group Peta Launches Poster Campaign in Birmingham Ahead of Crufts.” 2010. Birmingham Live https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/animal-rights-group-peta-launches-120874 [accessed 4 January 2022]
Culling, Dana, 2015. “Cult Cinema: Felidae,” Movie Sleuth <https://www.spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com/2015/09/FelidaeReview.html?m=1> [accessed 2 January 2022]
Hansen, Eric. 1994. “Felidae,” Variety <https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/felidae-1200439799/> [accessed 3 January 2022]
Leventi-Perez, Oana. 2011. “Disney’s Portrayal of Nonhuman Animals in Animated Films Between 2000 and 2010.” Thesis, Georgia State University, 2011.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_theses/81 [accessed 1 January 2022]
Muller, S. Marek. 2017. “For the Good of the Species: Gary Francione and the Omnipresence of Eugenics in Animal Rights Rhetoric,” Communication Studies, 68.5: 588–606 https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2017.1381631
Phillips, Meagan. 2016. “Animating Animals: Exploring Modes of Animal Representation in Classic Animated Children’s Films”. Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1001. <https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1001> [accessed 5 January 2022]
[1] Oana Leventi-Perez, 2011. “Disney’s Portrayal of Nonhuman Animals in Animated Films Between 2000 and 2010.” Thesis, Georgia State University, 2011.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_theses/81 [accessed 1 January 2022]
[2] Meagan Phillips, 2016. “Animating Animals: Exploring Modes of Animal Representation in Classic Animated Children’s Films”. Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1001. <https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1001> [accessed 3 January 2022]
[3] Meagan, Phillips, 2016. “Animating Animals: Exploring Modes of Animal Representation in Classic Animated Children’s Films”. Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1001. <https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1001> [accessed 6 January 2022]
[4] Oana Leventi-Perez, 2011. “Disney’s Portrayal of Nonhuman Animals in Animated Films Between 2000 and 2010.” Thesis, Georgia State University, 2011.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_theses/81 [accessed 1 January 2022]
[5] S. Marek Muller, 2017. “For the Good of the Species: Gary Francione and the Omnipresence of Eugenics in Animal Rights Rhetoric,” Communication Studies, 68.5: 588–606 https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2017.1381631
[6] Dana Culling,. 2015. “Cult Cinema: Felidae,” Movie Sleuth <https://www.spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com/2015/09/FelidaeReview.html?m=1> [accessed 1 January 2022]
[7] Dana Culling,. 2015. “Cult Cinema: Felidae,” Movie Sleuth <https://www.spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com/2015/09/FelidaeReview.html?m=1> [accessed 2 January 2022]
[8] “Animal Rights Group Peta Launches Poster Campaign in Birmingham Ahead of Crufts.” 2010. Birmingham Live https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/animal-rights-group-peta-launches-120874 [accessed 4 January 2022]
[9] Braynton, Tim. 2020. “Pragmatical Cats, Fanatical Cats,” Alternate Ending <https://www.alternateending.com/2020/03/felidae-1994.html> [accessed 1 January 2022]