#T.C. and the gang IMO

[sarroora]

Translation:

The apartment is big enough

Our family:

[sarroora]

Lol what u sorry for this was so much fun to read I couldn't stop laughingXD

LISTEN - I would need to record a 3-hour video or something if I wanted to say everything I have to say about the movies, so I'll shut that part of my brain up and keep it short:

Beverly Hills Cats:

I 1000% agree on the pacing. Oh my God.

When I was a kid and saw the movie for the 1st time on CN, I was just grateful we finally got something new for TC. The series was always very niche so getting his own TV movie made me happy. But after watching it again as an adult all I could do was scream internally at the pacing and the writing. Like I know it's a low-budget movie, so I can look past the poor animation, off-model characters and weird artifacts and all that. But I can't ignore the goddamn writing asghjkl but I like the cute cat jokes

Brain, Benny and Choo Choo are written quite okay in the movie. They're probably the 3 who are most in-character. Fancy and Spook come in second. Kinda.

T.C. and Dibble are ALL. OVER. THE PLACE in terms of how they're written. The especially-egregious part about Dibble is you can remove him entirely from the movie, put in literally any random new guy and it wouldn't have made any difference.

For new viewers who'd never seen the series and have no previous idea of what these characters are like, I wouldn't blame them if they decided they don't care about checking out the series because of how badly T.C. and Dibble were written.

Amy was a wasted opportunity. They could've done something really good with her, but like a lot of things in the movie her situation makes no sense and makes the ending and whole premise of the story boring.

Top Cat The Movie:

IMO this movie technically has the least problems out of the 3, but I agree that the people working on it did it with passion even if they didn't have Hollywood-level resources.

I don't really like rebooting time-piece stories into the 'current era', and this especially applies to TC since I've always loved the 60s NYC vibe it has going, so the idea of robots and automation wasn't really for me but that’s a personal preference. I watched the movie for the cute gang moments. Dibble is borderline tolerable in this movie in terms of writing but could've been a hundred times better. Since it's a reboot of sorts, I can forgive a few strange things like the gang believing for one hot second that T.C. would steal from an orphanage.

Brain barely exists in the movie, and sadly the way he’s written is unlikeable. And Strickland could've been more interesting if they didn't overuse the weird handsomeness joke.

Top Cat Begins:

OK I said that TCtM is the one with the least problems from a technical standpoint, but Begins is the one I like best for some of its concepts. Like it has some very good ideas, but the problem is that the movie was trying to do too much in too little time, so it ends up feeling like there is no proper character development.

And yeah same, I don't consider this origin story canon. (I don't really consider any of the movies canon)

Even though I don't think of Dibble's grandma's character as 'canon', she's extremely funny and I love her lol. As for Dibble my mind could never grasp that this is supposed to be the same guy as the series, they're two different characters. But at least some of his and T.C.’s interactions are actually funny.

Mr. Big is a good villain, although him being a crocodile is a little weird for me? but YES Bad Dog is super fitting into the TC verse, like I can easily see this design in the 2D series. I don't like Panther's design at all. Very out of place in terms of char design and silhouette especially when compared to everyone else. Fancy's in-movie design? I actually love it for some reason, he looks very cute. Personality-wise? Hmm...

Brain imo is a little better in this movie than in TCtM, but his, Choo Choo’s and Fancy’s backstories couldve been awesome and varied. Lumping them together in the same origin story as escaped circus performers was made because there really is no time in the movie to flesh out anyone. As for Spook-

"Also he's got a bit of a plot hole where he's like 'why should I stick my neck out for you' and then legit like 2 minutes later he's like 'i've been following you around so we can join forces' like ok bro"

☝ROFL YES? THIS?? XD☝

I appreciate that they tried to include cute gang moments which is an absolute must in my book but again - TOO MUCH going on, too little time, where's the development. T.C. telling them they're his family at the end of the movie could've been 1000x better if there was a strong build up to it. Then it wouldn't sound like a phoned-in soap opera script.

I don't have a problem with the weird animations and unpolished designs - again - because it's completely unfair to compare Anima to like, Pixar or something. They did they best they could with what they have.

So yeah, IMO both these movies rank higher than BHC thanks for coming to my ted talk~

(P.S. it always tickled me that they gave most of the cats' eyes colors similar to CGaL because now I can joke-brag that I wrote it first in 2012 lol /slapped)

Here's another ask: 1 thing you like + 1 thing you dislike about each TC movie

Almost guaranteed these are gunna end up being more than one thing because I don't know how to shut up but let's see

Beverly Hills Cats:

I like that it's silly and also because it gives Brain more of a spotlight, also it confirmed a few of my lesser headcanons (Spook can play the drums and Brain likes rats) also The Rap for their costumes (specifically Spook's and Brain's they slay) also Spook's voice is very gruff in BHC and so now I have a REAL reason to make his voice a little gravelly/give him a little growl when he talks whenever I read a dialogue from him other than just because I want to

However the PACING OH MY GOD THE PACING 😭 some of the movie just drags and the dialogue feels clunky sometimes, also the visuals look dirty if that makes sense? Everything's a strange color y'know? Also The Rap because it's so poorly composed and it makes me die a little. Also Amy Vandergelt fuck Amy Vandergelt all my homies hate Amy Vandergelt. Also Dibble didn't really feel like Dibble y'know like he was oddly mean and (extra) dense like 😭

Top Cat: The Movie:

I am inherently biased because this is a movie from my childhood I was FUCKING OBSESSED with it and would watch it every day once I got home from school in 4th grade and I still remember a dream I had about it years ago and I'm pretty sure I put Spook into a story I had to write for class 😭 it's how I got into Top Cat in the first place so I hold The Movie very near and dear to my heart anyways I really love that it legitimately feels like Anima Estudios put a lot of love into it and like they made a genuine effort to make it feel like OG even if they fell short. Also THE ARTSTYLE I WOULD FUCKING KILL TO GET A REBOOT IN THE STYLE OF THE MOVIE ARARAR GEOMETRIC ARTSTYLES EATS A BRICK anyways also Trixie, they could never make me hate you Trixie (I need to draw her more) also the robots are funny as fuck for no reason

While I still think people greatly exaggerated how bad the movie was, I can kinda understand where they're coming from because the plot holes are ABYSMAL OMG 💀 also fucking Rob Schneider is Strickland in the British dub which is immediately awful, also not as awful but Dibble doesn't feel nearly as like strict or intimidating as he did before and I think that's mostly because of the voice they gave him, it's very squeaky. Also I feel like Strickland could work as a good antagonist but I feel like they leaned into the 'oh I'm so handsome I'm the prettiest in the world' thing too hard and it just made him feel really annoying and not like an actual threat at all, also naturally the flanderization of Brain (Anima Estudios must've had beef with him or something cos they did him even more dirty in Begins)

Top Cat Begins:

To be completely Frank, to be completely David even, there's really not that much I like about Begins other than Hellcat Spook (naturally). I mean I like Furletta Duchat because she's purdy and Dib's grandmother (Grambo) because she's fucking insane. Chooch's little waddle of a walk. OH I actually REALLY like Mr. Big as a villain. He's an actual threat to T.C. and the gang and his design, voice, and behavior is actually intimidating and probably the best crafted out of any of the new characters in Begins (also his model isn't fugly like most of the rest of them). If a new movie or series ever gets made I hope he makes a return even just as like a minor villain. Also Diedrich Bader voices Bad Dog and that's an inside joke between me and my sister lmao (also I do really like Bad Dog he's an excellent goon)

First things first for things I don't like about Begins, THE MODELS. WHY ARE THEY SO UGLY. WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS. I mean like they could be worse BUT THEY COULD CERTAINLY BE BETTER 😭 I mean I do appreciate them for giving us canon eye colors for the fellas but good fucking lord

Help him 😭

Tbh I'm trying to think of who the worst offender is and tbh it's almost all of them but I will say that Benny and Spook look the best, Fancy isn't ugly but he doesn't really look like Fancy, (same with Dibble) and ig T.C. isn't bad but he's not good. Brain and Chooch though what did they do to my lads. Chooch has gingivitis and lacks fangs (actually all of them lack fangs except for T.C. and Benny which I think is especially offensive) and Brain's model is built in such a way where any mouth movement he makes looks FUCKED UP. Also his eyes are really small and so are his ears and his proportions are generally fucked.

Fun fact I found some like beta promo art for Begins a while ago and Fancy's model is completely different and dare I say he looks better than his official model

Anyways models aside I think this is kind of a dogshit origin story for the gang. Making T.C. and Benny meet Fancy, Chooch, and Brain all at the same time only to not see them for the next 45 minutes was real fuckin lame-o and lazy and they also retconned that whole thing where T.C. and Benny were in Boy Scouts together which I really didn't appreciate. Also could've stood to have moar Spook in the movie instead of him being a deus ex machina and having LESS THAN TEN MINUTES OF SCREENTIME, like shit dawg. Also I always thought it was lame that he was just the pizza guy and not ACTUALLY involved with Mr. Big y'know? Also he's got a bit of a plot hole where he's like 'why should I stick my neck out for you' and then legit like 2 minutes later he's like 'i've been following you around so we can join forces' like ok bro if that was the case you would've just pulled them up and not've done that whole thing where you made it seem like you would've left them there but alright dawg. In my opinion I would've had it where Mr. Big sends out Spook to find them and follow them around after they lose their tracks of them and then when they escape Spook's grasp THEN Mr. Big fucks up Eleanore. Anyways what else. Uhh. Oh I can't tell if they just forgot what Dibble acted like or they tried making him younger in Begins but like. That's not Dibble. Who is that. Also again, Brain flanderization to the extreme and some mischaracterization of Fancy. Anyways I think that's it actually

This turned into a full rant I'm sorry 😭 but yeah I think a remake/revamp of Begins is in order because it's so bad and then BHC isn't bad, just mid at times, and then I've always found The Movie to be charmingly bad despite it's plot holes

[sarroora]

Hi I literally just thought of another question for you that I need to ask before it disappears because I've been meaning to ask you it for a while

Do you think the fellas all have a very niche/bizarre phobia?

Like I know we both agree that Brain's got some sort of hydrophobia he really does not like water but like Fancy's probably an arachnophobe/insectophobe that man does NOT like creepy crawlies

Also I think Dibble's just terrified of frogs. Like he has no fucking idea why he's so terrified of frogs and why frogs specifically but he will scream like a little girl and start shaking a bit if he sees one. (Especially embarrassing when a frog citizen came up to him to report a crime and he shrieked very loudly before trying to collect himself and listen to them. Eventually he had to sit in the car and calm down while Mahoney finished it for him.) Spook has thought about abusing this fear to prank him but Brain convinced him that that would be really mean so he didn't.

(this is turning into a HC list I've realized anyways)

Spook is portrayed as a scaredy-cat in the comics so I think he's afraid/uneasy of a lot of random things but the thing that he's absolutely terrified of is baby dolls. He'll clam the fuck up and might start crying a little bit if one's near him (he's just like me fr). This fear is made especially worse if it talks or is automated at all. It certainly doesn't help that Brain enjoys playing with them and absolutely does not comprehend Spook's phobia. Eventually they agreed to not keep any in the alley because Spook kept getting night terrors and waking everybody up because 'thEy're stAring at meeEEEHEEEEHEE'

Not too sure about T.C., Benny, or Chooch but yeah I wanna hear your opinions on this

@digo3d I FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS. ITS BEEN SITTING IN MY INBOX FOR MONTHS IM SORRY

-Yep, both Brain and T.C. dont like water. Technically, T.C can survive but he’s not a particularly good swimmer he just doggy-paddles. Fancy is a very good swimmer even if he doesn’t look it. Brain can technically also doggy-paddle but hates the feeling of water on him especially anywhere near his head. To the point of tears.

-Fancy is the type of cat who’ll burn the house down and move out if there’s a spider just sayin’ XD He may be an alley cat but he’s got that ‘ haughty housecat’ taste in some little aspects and the boys tease him for it

-LOL I can totally see Spook be unnerved by dolls, especially the wide-eyes creepy types. No one teases him for it, because the others also kinda see it

-Choo-Choo gets irrationally uneasy around furry slippers lmao (and Dibble finds that hilarious. He intentionally walked around with them all winter when they crashed at his place)

-Dibble’s very uncomfortable with heights, which makes it all the easier for the gang to keep giving him mini heart attacks. Benny sleeps in very strange and potentially dangerous places, including windowsills, on staircases, etc. One time Dibble found him literally fast asleep on the thin fence of his fire escape, and pulled him off.

-Benny doesn’t have a fear that could be called a phobia imo - the problem is that there are things he should fear but doesn’t XD