Description
Reviews (0)

CAT CITY (MACSKAFOG), 1986, Hungary, 96 min. Unflappable and unstoppable mouse secret agent Nick Grabovsky (Lszl Sink) with his deadpan voice, baggy pants and a big G on his shirt, goes up against the criminal cat gang run by the sinister, metal-pawed Mr. Teufel (Mikls Benedek), in Hungarian director Bla Ternovszkys surreal, animated sci-fi treasure. Set in the year 80 AMM (After Mickey Mouse) on Planet X where cats and rats have banded together to eliminate mice, the film features a show-stopping series of musical numbers including a deranged Euro-disco song (Just purr with me / Touch me with tender paws) and a bizarre chorus of Mexican vampire bats named Los Vampiros who inhabit an ancient Mayan temple. A cross between 1980s Don Bluth-style animation (THE SECRET OF NIMH) and the British TV series Danger Mouse (clearly an inspiration here), CAT CITY has long been a beloved cult favorite in Eastern Europe recently restored by the National Film Institute in Hungary from the original 35mm camera negative for its first-ever U.S. Blu-ray release by Deaf Crocodile. In Hungarian with English subtitles.

directed by: Bla Ternovszky
starring: Lszl Sink, Mikls Benedek, Pter Haumann
1986 / 96 min / 1.37:1 / Hungarian DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
New video interview with Gyrgy Rduly, Director of the National Film Institute-Film Archive in Budapest on Hungarian animation and the enduring popularity of CAT CITY, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (In English)
New commentary track by film historian Samm Deighan
New essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central)
New optional 5.1 audio mix
3 rare Bla Ternovszky animated shorts:
Modern Training Methods (Modern edzsmdszerek) – 1970, 7 min. Ternovszkys delightfully wicked and gruesome satire of athletic training
Let Us Keep A Dog (Tartsunk kutyt) 1974, 6 min. For dog lovers everywhere, this classic Pannonia Studio short fueled by a wildly groovy 70s Jazz-Funk score
Where Is The Limit? (Mindennek van hatra) 1975, 7 min. A cheerfully oblivious orange figure bumbles from one surreal situation into another, until he discovers he can escape from the cartoon world into the real one with unexpected consequences
The Director Answers: Bla Ternovsky” – 2023, 23 min. Dir. Yvonne Kerkgyrt new interview with Bla Ternovszky
Ahead Of Its Time (Megelzte a maga kort) 2020, 25 min. Dir. Pter Szalay. Fascinating video essay produced by the National Film Institute of Hungary on the creative genesis of CAT CITY and its importance in Hungarian animation
We Just Made It For The Fun Of It (Jkedvnkben ksztettk) 2020, 30 min. Dir. Pter Szalay. CAT CITY director Bla Ternovszky discusses his long creative career at Pannonia Studio and the making of his most famous film, illustrated with rare film footage, stills and animation sketches
Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion
English subtitles