Feline Follies

Plot

In this pioneering animated short, Master Tom (who would later become Felix the Cat) spots a beautiful white cat across the street and immediately falls in love. He serenades her with his banjo and successfully woos her, leading to a romantic evening together. While the couple is out courting under the moonlight, a group of mischievous mice takes advantage of their absence and completely ransacks Tom's kitchen, creating chaos and destruction. When Tom returns home with his lady friend, he discovers the devastation and faces the wrath of the homeowner, leading to his expulsion from the house. The film concludes with Master Tom wandering the streets alone, having lost both his home and his chance at romance due to his romantic distractions.

Historical Background

1919 was a pivotal year in world history, marking the end of World War I and the beginning of the Roaring Twenties. The film industry was transitioning from short subjects to feature-length productions, though animated shorts remained popular theater programming. Animation itself was still in its infancy, with pioneers like Winsor McCay and the Fleischer Brothers establishing the medium. The post-war economic boom created new entertainment markets, and audiences were eager for lighthearted content after years of global conflict. This period saw the rise of consumer culture and the birth of modern celebrity, with animated characters beginning to achieve the kind of recognition previously reserved for live-action performers. The technical limitations of the era meant that animators had to be incredibly creative with their storytelling and character design, leading to the development of many techniques that would become standard in the industry.

Making Of

The creation of 'Feline Follies' marked a significant moment in animation history, with Otto Messmer working at Pat Sullivan's studio in New York. Messmer, the true creator of Felix, designed the character with a simple black body and white eyes to stand out clearly on film and be easy to animate repeatedly. The production process involved drawing each frame by hand on paper, then photographing them sequentially. The team worked quickly to meet the demands of the burgeoning animation market, with this short being produced in a matter of weeks. Sullivan, as the studio head, marketed the character heavily and took public credit for the creation, a situation that Messmer quietly accepted for decades. The romantic storyline was chosen because it was universally appealing and allowed for expressive animation of emotions, which was relatively innovative for the time.

Visual Style

The visual style of 'Feline Follies' employs the black-and-white silhouette technique that became Felix's trademark, with the character rendered as a simple black figure against white backgrounds. The animation demonstrates remarkable fluidity for its time, with Messmer employing squash and stretch techniques to create expressive movement. The cinematography uses close-ups effectively to convey emotion, particularly during the romantic sequences between Tom and his lady friend. The visual gags rely heavily on timing and character expression rather than elaborate backgrounds, a choice that both saved production time and focused attention on the characters. The film's composition follows the theatrical staging common to early animation, with characters often positioned center frame for maximum visibility. The use of negative space and the stark contrast between the black characters and white backgrounds created a distinctive visual identity that would become synonymous with Felix throughout his career.

Innovations

'Feline Follies' pioneered several technical innovations in animation, particularly in character animation and personality development. The film demonstrated advanced use of the 'rubber hose' animation style, where characters moved with fluid, boneless motion that would become standard in 1920s animation. Messmer developed techniques for conveying emotion through simple character designs, using eye movements, body language, and tail gestures effectively. The film's pacing and timing were more sophisticated than most contemporaries, with gags and emotional beats carefully structured for maximum impact. The production employed early forms of limited animation, reusing certain drawings and movements to save time while maintaining quality. The character design itself was a technical achievement, creating a figure that was both simple enough to animate repeatedly and distinctive enough to be instantly recognizable.

Music

As a silent film, 'Feline Follies' had no synchronized soundtrack but would have been accompanied by live music in theaters. Typical accompaniment would have included popular songs of the era, classical pieces, and improvised piano or organ music that matched the on-screen action. The romantic scenes would have featured waltz-like music, while the mice's chaotic antics would have been accompanied by faster, more comical pieces. Some theaters might have used specific cue sheets provided by the distributor suggesting appropriate musical selections for different scenes. The banjo-playing sequence would have been particularly enhanced by musical accompaniment, with theaters likely featuring actual banjo music during these moments. The lack of synchronized sound meant that the animation had to carry the entire emotional and narrative weight, which it accomplished through expressive movement and visual storytelling.

Memorable Scenes

• Master Tom playing his banjo to serenade the lady cat across the street
• The romantic moonlit walk where Tom and his date stroll together
• The chaotic kitchen invasion scene where mice create absolute destruction
• Tom's horrified reaction upon returning to find his ransacked home
• The final poignant scene of Master Tom wandering alone after being kicked out

What Critics Said

Contemporary critics and trade publications received 'Feline Follies' positively, noting its fluid animation and charming character design. The Motion Picture News praised its 'delightful humor' and 'ingenious animation techniques' while Variety highlighted the character's 'appealing personality and comic timing.' Critics of the era were particularly impressed by the emotional expressiveness of the characters, which was considered innovative for animated shorts. Modern film historians and animation scholars regard the film as a landmark achievement, with Leonard Maltin calling it 'a pivotal moment in animation history' and animation historian Jerry Beck describing it as 'the birth of the first animated superstar.' The film is now studied in film schools as an example of early character animation and is frequently cited in discussions about the evolution of the medium.

What Audiences Thought

Audiences in 1919 immediately embraced Master Tom/Felix, with theater owners reporting enthusiastic responses to the character. The short proved so popular that demand for more Felix cartoons quickly emerged, leading to the character becoming a regular fixture in movie theaters throughout the 1920s. Contemporary accounts describe audiences laughing at the mice's antics and sympathizing with Tom's romantic predicament. The character's appeal crossed demographic boundaries, attracting both children and adults, which was relatively uncommon for animated content of the period. The success of 'Feline Follies' led to Felix becoming one of the most recognizable figures of the decade, with his image appearing in newspapers, magazines, and on various merchandise. Audience demand for Felix cartoons remained strong throughout the silent era and even into the early sound period, though the character's popularity eventually waned with the rise of Mickey Mouse and other sound-era characters.

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