So many feature cartoons of this era operate under formula constraints; the animation of Cats Don’t Dance often feels exuberantly free.

Cats Don't Dance is an inspired movie movie, one that celebrates and spoofs cinema with wit, verve, and a breathless enthusiasm for the form.

Cats Don't Dance is not compelling and it's not a breakthrough, but on its own terms, it works well. Whether this will appeal to kids is debatable; the story involves a time and a subject they're not much interested in. But the songs by Randy Newman are catchy, the look is bright, the spirits are high and fans of Hollywood's golden age might find it engaging.

Cats Don't Dance is a cinematic anomaly: an animated film that could have more appeal for adults than for children.

Cats Don't Dance is a blast.

Adults may have more fun watching this engaging film, which cleverly paints Hollywood as a treacherously duplicitous place even though it turns out some of the most joyous entertainments on earth.

Cats Don't Dance is hilarious and infectious. Dindal was clearly a student of 1930s Warner Bros. cartoons, and wasn't interested in the slick, human figures of a Disney film. He wanted to go off-model, letting the characters squash and stretch with the best of them.

While the animated characters, bright colors and an appealing Randy Newman score may keep the children content, Cats Don't Dance is no saccharine fantasy. Its Hollywood references and dark satire constitute its real strengths.

An animated parody of the disparity between Hollywood image and reality, this occasionally clever kiddie feature often rises above its straightforward plot.

Cats Don’t Dance treads this territory with a whimsy that will be over the heads of young kids and too unimaginative for adults.