Top Cat Begins (also known in Spanish as Don Gato: El Inicio de la Pandilla, translated to Top Cat: The Start of the Gang) is an Indian-Mexican computer-animated comedy film, produced by Ánima Estudios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in Mexico. Based on the animated television series, Top Cat, made by Hanna-Barbera, this film will be a prequel to both the series and the movies, taking place before Top Cat met his gang.
The film premiered in Mexican theaters on October 30, 2015. The film was later released in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2016, distributed by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution and Warner Bros. UK. The film was also released on September 29, 2017 in the United States by Viva Pictures. The film has received generally negative reviews, with critics criticizing the cheap animation and writing, and was a box office bomb, grossing $4.6 million on an $8 million budget.
Despite the film's performance, NicThic Productions worked on an American animated film that was released on December 22, 2017, and two films more: one of them named TCCOVIDINNY (real name: Top Cat: Coronavirus in New York) which led Ánima Estudios to return to work with them.
Synopsis[]
The film is an origin story, explaining how Top Cat met Benny and how he created his gang.
Full plot[]
Top Cat poses as a federal health inspector, Felix Snagglepuss, with his crew of Fancy-Fancy, Brain and Choo-Choo, and threatens to close the Starlight Club so he can see the owner, Mr. Big. The boss is wise to the ruse and sends his goons to beat up T.C. and the gang. The cats make a run for it but get stuck in an elevator shaft. A helmeted cat arrives, asking why he should help them, so T.C. relates a tale.
New to the city, Top Cat begins to busk on the sidewalk when he hears a squawking around the corner. There he finds Benny trying to play the violin. Hitting it off, they head to Benny's place so his mother can cook them a meal, but they bump into two kittens running from a policeman. T.C. gets the cop off their back and say they don't need to steal things. They explain that if they don't steal things for him, Bad Dog will burn down their orphanage. After dinner at Mrs. Ball's, T.C. and Benny become fast friends, then begin running scams to make money.
The policeman, Officer Dibble, is summoned to the Chief's office. He promotes Dibble and gives him the Hoagy's Alley beat, but says it's in Mr. Big's territory. He also warns him about some cats running scams in the area. When T.C. and Benny try to scam him, a chase ensues. They escape, but run into Bad Dog, who demands they stop running scams in Mr. Big's turf.
Top Cat reads in the newspaper that Bad Dog just stole a fortune in diamonds. He pretends to be Dr. Sylvester Garfield, and has Benny pose as an infected patient to trick Bad Dog and steal the diamonds from him. They celebrate at the Starlight Club and pay with a diamond, alerting Mr. Big to their presence. He sends Bad Dog with them to retrieve the rest of the gems.
Back at Mrs. Ball's, Benny realizes the diamonds are missing. He and T.C. escape while Bad Dog and his crew wreck the place. The cats seek help from Officer Dibble. Chief Thumbton puts out a reward for them to draw out the crooks, and assigns Dibble to protect them. The reward works too well, as everyone in the city tries to capture them. Dibble sends them to stay with his grandmother, out of town. A demanding taskmaster, she makes the do chores for their meals.
Brain clobbers T.C. with a shovel, but Fancy-Fancy, and Choo-Choo explain that he is not a lion. The three were working as clowns in the circus until they accidentally let the lion loose. T.C. offers them positions in his own operation and they accept. He tricks them into doing all his chores.
Bad Dog and company discover the hideout, but Granny Dibble makes short work of them. Top Cat and Benny return to the city. When Benny spends the last of their money on a snack, Top Cat, still sore about him losing the diamonds, says he works better alone, and the two part ways. Benny goes to check on his mother, and learns that she used the "beads" to make a collar for Furletta Duchat, the singer at the Starlight Club. T.C. reports to Dibble, but he says he needs both of them to bust Mr. Big. T.C. tracks Benny down at the club.
Benny sneaks into Furletta's dressing room and gets the diamonds, but accidentally knocks her unconscious. When the guests demand an encore, Benny dresses in her outfit and goes on stage to sing. He is quickly discovered, but he hands the jewels to T.C. and Dibble helps him escape, while Benny is caught. Brain, Fancy, and Chooch arrive and offer to help. The Chief fires Dibble, and the gang begin their health inspector rescue mission.
T.C. offers the helmeted cat the reward money if he helps them. He tosses them a rope and helps them get out. He explains that he used to work for Mr. Big, bringing him pizza, until he brought a cold pizza and Mr. Big crushed his bike. He introduces himself as Hellcat Spook and joins the gang. He brings T.C. to Mr. Big, pretending he wants to trade him for Benny. Meanwhile, Fancy disguises himself as Top Cat, attracts a mob of people looking for the reward, and leads them to Mr. Big's office. T.C. tells them the reward for Mr. Big is bigger, so they turn their attention to him. Benny finds the diamonds and gives them to Top Cat, who promises the gang a new home.
Dibble and the mob bring in Mr. Big, and the Chief gives Dibble his job back. T.C. buries the diamonds in Hoagy's Alley, but the orphans return and want to plant a tree there, because their teacher said the orphanage was out of money and would have to close, so something good should happen today. When he refuses, they cry and he relents, and they dig up the diamonds to save the orphanage. When the cats ask about the new home he promised, T.C. says it's the alley, and they all like the idea.
Voice Cast[]
Spanish cast[]
- Raúl Anaya - Top Cat (Don Gato).
- Mauricio Pérez - Benny (Benito)/Choo-Choo (Cucho)
- Jesús Guzmán - Brain (Demóstenes)
- Gerardo Alonso - Fancy-Fancy (Panza)
- Mario Filio - Spook (Espanto)
- Octavio Rojas - Officer Charlie Dibble (Oficial Carlitos Matute)
English cast[]
- Jason Harris Katz - Top Cat/Choo-Choo/Brain
- Chris Edgerly - Benny
- Matthew Piazzi - Fancy-Fancy
- Benjamin Diskin - Spook
- Bill Lobley - Officer Charlie Dibble
- Darin De Paul - Mr. Big
- Diedrich Bader - Bad Dog / Waiter
- Marieve Herington - Panther
- Joey D'Auria - Rat
- Lauri Fraser - Mrs. Ball
- Charlie Adler - Granny Dibble
- David Boat - Chief Thumbton
- Patty Mattson - Furletta Duchat / Kid with Stuffed Kitty
- David Shaughnessy - Maitre D / Suspicious Guy
- Nick Shakoour - Goon #1
- Steve Blum - Goon #2 / Muscle Dog
- Grey DeLisle - Dawn and Drake
- Diane Michelle - Lady Tourist
- Rachael MacFarlane - Lady at Speaker
- Pamela Chollet - Sales Lady Pie Shop
- James Kevin Ward - Stage Manager / Driver
- G.K. Bowes - Flight Attendant
- Sariann Monaco - Waitress
Additional Voices (2016 English)[]
- Susan Boyajian
- Bob Joles
- Sean Kenin
- Hope Levy
Additional Voices (2017)[]
- Stephen Apostolina
- Rajia Baroudi
- Steve Blum
- Susan Boyajian
- June Christopher
- Lara Cody
- Wendy E. Cutler
- Moosie Drier
- Don Fullilove
- Bob Joles
- Danielle Judovits
- Sean Kenin
- Lex Lang
- Marcella Lentz-Pope
- Hope Levy
- Yuri Lowenthal
- Scott Menville
- Al Rodrigo
- Michelle Ruff
- Keith Silverstein
- Steve Staley
- Ruth Zalduondo
Production[]
Development[]
After the success of the first Top Cat film from 2011, the filmmakers at Ánima Estudios have began development of another film based on the Hanna-Barbera property, but with the idea of an origin story. The original Top Cat cartoon, which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1962, has already gained massive popularity in Latin America during the time of its run, mainly due to the show's well-performed dubbing and translation. The film was in development for 10 months. While expressing their 'confidence', getting the rights of a Hanna-Barbera property was difficult for the producers. The company's rights to develop a film based on Top Cat has been previously accomplished for the 2011 film, so Warner Bros., the current owner of all HB properties, have maintained the same 'confidence' of working with the Mexican animation studio.[10] Producer Jose C. Garcia de Letona called the film "a work of persuasion and persistence" since he also stated that the company "knows and understands the character".
Director Andrés Couturier, who has also directed another film adaptation of a classic animation property, Kung Fu Magoo based on Mr. Magoo, has been attached to direct the animated prequel film since he has grew up watching the original Hanna-Barbera cartoon, stating that the character has "influenced" him. "Some people say that the Don Gato (Top Cat) [character] in this movie looks a lot like me, [and] I think I [do] look a lot like him because my whole childhood was very influenced by the character, so I worked with a character who was with you during all your childhood [which] is incredible," said Couturier.
Animation[]
Unlike the previous film, which was animated in 2D Adobe flash, the film was animated entirely in computer-generated imagery, according to producer Jose Garcia de Letona. Animation production is handled by Discreet Arts Productions in India.
Writing[]
The film's screenplay is written by James Krieg, (known for writing the Scooby-Doo television shows), Doug Langdale, and Jorge Ramírez-Suárez.
Casting[]
For the English version, Jason Harris Katz, the voice of Top Cat and other characters from the first film, has announced via his Twitter that he will reprise his role as the same character. It was also announced that voice actors Chris Edgerly, Bill Lobley, Hope Levy, and David Hoffman, have also joined the English cast.
Release[]
The film's Mexican release trailer premiered on July 1, 2015, followed by second trailer, released on September 14, 2015.
The film was released on October 30, 2015 in Mexico, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Mexico and confirmed to release in the rest of Latin America.
The film is followed by a United Kingdom release on May 27, 2016, distributed by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution and Warner Bros. Pictures UK. “We are very excited to be working with Ánima Estudios, [by] bringing this latest chapter of Top Cat to a worldwide audience., said Spencer Pollard, CEO of KFD. "As a leading global animation brand, we’re looking forward to T.C. and his friends hitting [the] screens everywhere in 2016.” The film's UK release and English-language trailer was released on March 8, 2016.
Box office[]
On its opening weekend in Mexico, the film debuted at #3 behind Goosebumps and Crimson Peak, earning $18,138,843 pesos ($1,092,066 USD), performing weaker than its predecessor.
On its opening weekend in the United Kingdom, the film was a major box-office bomb, debuting at #15, with X-Men: Apocalypse and Alice Through the Looking Glass leading, only earning £69,784 ($100,683 USD).
Reception[]
The film has received negative reviews, with critics criticizing the animation, directing, pacing, and writing, but praising the film's Latin Spanish dubbing and attempt to revive the original show's characters. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 20%, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 3.2/10.
Carlos Del Río of Cine Premiere gave this film a 1 star rating, saying that the film has "[c]heated again. [The] Top Cat film fails to approach the spirit and humor of the TV series." Eddie Harrison, writing in The List, gave the film 3/5 stars, saying, "The feline favourite returns for a likeably familiar, knockabout animation. As with J. J. Abrams' first Star Trek movie, there's a reasonable amount of fun in seeing how the iconic characters originally met each other...director Andrés Couturier's film wisely scales things down as it attempts to get back to the comedic values of its source material."
Reboot[]
For the American animated film, see Top Cat (film).
In October 2015, following the film's release, an American animated Top Cat film was offered to NicThic Productions.
Production on the film began the following month, with D.A. Nichols and Abbey Thickson announcing that they wanted to make an American animated Top Cat film that would "transcend generations". The same month, Ánima Estudios announced that they had sold the CGI designs from Top Cat Begins to Warner Animation Group.
The film is set to be directed by Nichols and Thickson, produced by Jordan Kerner, and the screenplay written by James Sharp. The score for the film will be composed by Mark Mothersbaugh.
Jason Harris Katz, Chris Edgerly, Matt Piazzi, Ben Diskin, and Bill Lobley will reprise their roles as Top Cat, Benny, Fancy-Fancy, Spook, and Officer Dibble respectively, with Nolan North and Jess Harnell voicing Choo-Choo and Brain respectively. Kenan Thompson will voice the film's antagonist, Bottom Dog, and Tom Kenny and Maurice LaMarche will voice Bottom Dog's nephews, Scorn and Scuffle, respectively. The Mexican cast was respected.
The film focused on Top Cat meeting his new rival, Bottom Dog.
The film was released on December 15, 2017 in the United Kingdom, December 22, 2017 in the United States, and on December 29, 2017 in Mexico.
But after all, the cast was changed in 2020 for the film TCCOVIDINNY: Tyler Hanes (Top Cat), Will Forte (Benny the Ball), Ed Sheeran (Brain), Terrence Mann (Fancy-Fancy), Raúl Anaya (himself), Bill Hader (Spook), Terry Crews (Officer Dibble), Halle Bailey (Amy Vandergelt), and Blake Shelton (Choo-Choo). The Mexican cast was respected, but Raúl Anaya appeared as himself in the film (he also voices Top Cat but in Latin America). This is the now official, celebrity cast since 2020 for all the Top Cat productions, such as animated television sitcoms.
Gallery[]
Top Cat Begins/Gallery.