Felidae

1994 | Director: Michael Schaack | German | IMDB

After moving to a new town, Francis the cat discovers that someone in his new neighborhood is brutally killing cats in a state of sexual arousal. With the aid of some newly found friends, he sets out to solve the murders, and gets caught up in a dark world full of secrets, cult worship and animal experimentation.

Do not be decieved by the child friendly look of the film, this is ultra violent, complex noir at its finest. Its utterly bizzare, i have no idea who this movies intended audience is. The very nicely drawn and animated talking cartoon cats have a very 70's Disney feel to them, but the plot and subject matter is so mature. You have foul language, dark opressive themes, unbelievable levels of violence (seriously, I'm talking Fulci levels) and even an explicit sex scene. It also has clues to what is happening presented to Francis in surreal nightmares. The plot has a surprising depth to it and keeps you guessing through out, and the characters are colorful staples in the noir genre. I'm really bummed that I can't find a subtitled version of this, as the American dub is pretty poor, and the original voice cast features the likes of Mario Adorf. Despite this its still worth tracking down, you will never see a another movie like it.