User Reviews

I watched several episodes of "Felix the Cat" when I was a little boy, and it wasn't until the last few years that I learned that the adventurous feline was first created in the 1910s.

It's always cool to see what sort of weird thing Felix has in his bag. It used to puzzle me that the Professor was alternately good and bad (but I loved how his efforts to steal Felix's bag always ended in total embarrassment). Poindexter seriously needs some fun and imagination in his life. Rock Bottom is truly giving dogs a bad name. Master Cylinder would have discouraged the very thought of the moon landing* were he real. I never have seen any episode starring Vavoom.

Anyway, a pretty good show. Right-e-o indeed!

*Last month of course saw the 40th anniversary. Walter Cronkite considered it the defining moment of the 20th century.

PS: Felix is the Latin word for "happy" or "lucky". The name also of course sounds like feline.

I've seen good reviews and horrible reviews here. Everyone has their points about this late '50s/early '60s version of Felix. But it's hard for me NOT to like these cartoons. Sure, their budget should have been higher. However, if you consider some of the true heavyweight talent that started with a blank screen and silence, these cartoons come with a pretty GREAT pedigree. Grim Natwick, the true creator of Betty Boop and chief animator of the character "Snow White" (in the 1937 feature of the same name - Walt Disney's FIRST FEATURE, by the way) animated a number of these. ALL the character voices were performed by Jack Mercer (who was the voice of Popeye The Sailor for FOUR DECADES+, no matter WHO was producing Popeye cartoons at the time).

Felix cartoons were first made as SILENTS in 1918, and ALL Felix cartoons that came after that, right up to the "acid-trip" Felix cartoons made by Film Roman bear the fingerprints of whoever made them. In whatever period they were made. So whatever YOU may think of these early TV Felix cartoons, you're entitled to your opinion. I'll just say "Righty-Oh!!!!"

The theme song always said " You'll laugh so much your sides will ache. / Your heart will go pit-a-pat, / Watching Felix the wonderful cat. " yet the cartoons were never funny. But still we kids watched.

Let me first express my emotional love of this show: I firmly believe that this cartoon is an absolute classic, primarily for its very unique episode plot lines, its intriguing-yet-somewhat blatantly stereotypical villains (the Professor and Rock Bottom, primarily), its fantastic sense of science-fiction fantasy adventure (several episodes have to do with space travel), its comedy and (of course) The Master Cylinder, quite possibly the greatest cartoon villain in the history of animated entertainment. I love this show.

The cartoon ran for a very limited time in the early 1960's; as such, it is subsequently enamored with many of the entertainment clichés of its time. For example, I do believe that the old grade-Z science fiction movies of the 40's and 50's did have a significant effect on many of the episodes; as mentioned earlier, several episodes have to do with space travel: in my personal favorite episode, Poindexter (the Professor's brainy nephew, with a voice pitched high enough to rival the Chipmunks') builds a flying saucer in his spare time (while Felix is babysitting him) and travels to Mars with Felix, where they meet (hooray!) The Master Cylinder, in one of his many physical incarnations (for some reason the producers of the show made him look rather different in each episode, I've never really realized why). Additionally, the design of many of the visuals can be compared very easily to the fashionable aesthetic of the time; if you observe Felix's house, you will find that it appears to be very similar to Mike Brady's architecture (although that show came a little later). Furthermore, Rock Bottom's zoot-suited, cigar-chomping demeanor seems to me that it came right out of that era. And even further-more, if you want to get still deeper into it: I also believe that the whole attitude of that particular time period is greatly embedded in the show's values. Some of the episodes are very suburban, very 9-to-5 oriented, very detailed in consumerism and that classic, somewhat post-Eisenhower mentality of the love of homebodiness, the love of being the "Modern American." Wow. To back myself up on this: a couple episodes have to deal with Felix's day-to-day 9-to-5 job (!), life at home listening to the radio and suddenly hearing a newsflash about invading Martians (a particularly awesome episode) and running outside to protect yourself from them with a rifle, and getting rid of a pesky mouse that is managing to somehow steal everything from your perfectly-stocked refrigerator. All in all, I feel that these factors give this show a very cute, very nostalgic personality; they greatly add to its charm.

If you are a fan of classic cartoons (namely any of the Chuck Jones-style productions [including Merry Melodies and Tom & Jerry], Tex Avery productions or other assorted serials) I urge you to check out FELIX THE CAT. I promise you that it will bring something new to the table. Each episode has a wonderfully unique story (with Looney Tunes you sort of get recycled formulas every time) filled with charm, intelligence and even a little suspense (one episode in particular used to scare the living crap out of me; if you watch the series, you'll know which one. It has to do with Felix getting locked in his own house). Even if you don't care for cartoons, check out the series anyway. I still promise you that it will bring something new to the table. Now, the show spawned a feature-length movie that was produced sometime in the 80's (I believe); if you have seen this movie but haven't seen the original cartoon, I advise you to not follow any pre-conceived thoughts about this cartoon just from the movie. The two are very, very different. Though I still like the movie, it shares hardly any values or aesthetics with the cartoon. Completely gone is the lovely 60's nostalgia that I described above. Completely gone is Rock Bottom, Felix's house, space missions and (sob) The Master Cylinder is reduced to a pitiful cameo appearance that has nothing to do at all with his majesty on the series. I mean, come on, this is the guy that would have almost launched a fleet of missiles against Earth, if Felix hadn't of stopped him!

This cartoon is utterly fantastic. Please go and find a DVD of it right now.

RIGHT-EE-OH!!

During the early days of television development it was necessary to monitor and adjust the quality of the transmitted picture in order to get the best definition. To do this, engineers required an 'actor' to constantly be under the burning studio lights as they tweaked and sharpened the image, and Felix fit the bill perfectly. He was the right colour (black and white), impervious to the heat from the lights and worked cheaply (in fact a one-off payment was all that was required). RCA's first experimental television transmissions began in 1928 by station W2XBS (New York-Channel #1) in Van Cortlandt Park and then moved to the New Amsterdam Theater Building, transmitting 60 line pictures. The 13" Felix the Cat figure made of paper mache was placed on a record player turntable and was broadcast using a mechanical scanning disk to an electronic kinescope receiver. The image received was only 2 inches tall, and the broadcasts lasted about 2 hours per day. By 1931 the station became part of NBC and began to transmit from 42nd St. These early broadcasts consisted of objects like Felix the Cat or early test patterns and photographs. Felix remained on his turntable for almost a decade as the early experimenters strove towards the goal of a high definition picture.

Out of all the cartoons I've watched in my life, none has ever gave me as much joy as the 1960's felix the cat. And now I hunt for these generations of cartoons that inspired my imagination. When I first got this movie I thought it was about the purple felix the cat which I also enjoyed, but it's not. So many bizarre twisted stories and how the world and all inanimate objects come to life is just amazing! I mean this can't even compare to garfield!

As I recall, the words to the theme went: "Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat. You'll laugh so much your sides will ACHE. Your heart will go pitter-pat watching Felix, the wonderful cat."

I watched this TV cartoon series regularly as a child in the 60s. I enjoyed it a lot, but I believe I never suffered from aching sides. In fact, there were a few things about this show that were a little bit creepy, such as the sinister Master Cylinder, and that lantern-jawed kid Vavoom, who could blast through anything by just shouting "Vavoom!" That's the kind of stuff that creeps into the dreams of young kids and gives them nightmares!

I absolutely loved Felix the Cat growing up, and feel it is a very creative and underrated animated series. The animation really isn't that bad considering when it was made. The theme song was catchy and memorable, and I loved singing along to the fun lyrics. The writing is witty, funny and sharp and the story lines are unique and interesting. Yes some moments can be repetitive, but I still enjoyed it regardless, and even as a kid I was so taken with the characters and writing than to care about what material was repeated. The characters are at least engaging, Felix may be annoying to some but not to me, he does have a high pitched voice but he is a funny, likable and endearing character. Although he is the main character, the supporting characters were better, the Professor was hilarious and I loved the villains especially Master Cylinder. Jack Mercer does a superb job with the voices I feel, a very talented voice actor he was too. Overall this is a great show, unique and underrated. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I love the review by neutrino68. Despite tons of reviewers saying how much they love this series, they buck the trend and savage the series—a savaging that is justly deserved. I honestly think a lot of folks scored this one much higher than they should have for nostalgia's sake—as it was part of their childhood. However, chicken pox, trips to the dentist and various other traumas were parts of our childhood—that doesn't make them good! Let me digress a bit. Back in 1919, the ORIGINAL Felix cartoons began. They were wonderful—with a zany, surreal quality about them. And, more importantly, they were NOT saccharinely sweet. Felix was a bit of a stinker—a lovable stinker at that. But, when the sound era arrived, the Felix cartoons took a nosedive in quality and were soon discontinued. Then, other folks tried reviving the series over the years—such as Van Beuren Studios in 1936 and Trans-Lux, who created the abomination I am talking about now, in 1959. As you may remember, Trans-Lux also brought us other complete abominations, such as the godawful "The Mighty Hercules" (uggh…make it stop!!!). Trans-Lux was interested in two things—making a buck AND doing it as cheaply as possible. So, following the late 1950s trend, they reduced the cel counts on the animation until it practically looked like a slide show and they allowed brain-addled 3 year-olds to write the scripts. They WERE cheap…but also stuff that no one over age 8 could tolerate. Now I am not quite as hate-filled as neutrino68, but I do hate these cartoons as they are a cynical attempt to push crap onto children. Fortunately, in the last couple decades, cel counts are up and, more importantly, scripts are not so insipid with most cartoons. As for this mess of a show, watch it if you want, but it's only Felix in name only.

At the end of each little episode, the announcer (apparently Jack Mercer--as I see in the title page that he did every other voice on the program) would say this in a low, growly voice. In the background of the soundtrack, there would be a string section doing that sustained-one-note-suspense thing that we've all heard in a million different films. Used to scare the crap outta me--almost as bad as Koko the Clown popping out of that damned inkwell. Even though the sensibilities that went into this kind of animation helped to shape (warp?) me, and I love them to this day, sometimes I think that the old time animators were sadists who hated kids. Either that or I was just a wuss.

This hideous excuse for entertainment is currently playing on the VOOM (DISHTV) HD channel, Animania. Now I love cartoons, but this 1960's iteration of Felix is the bottom of the barrel of no-holds-barred stupidity. The plot lines are insipid and repetitive - how many times is Felix going to break into the Professor's lab and hide behind a table taking notes on the Professor's latest moronic plan? The voice acting is horrendous and cringe-inducing. The animation is ugly and cheap. Ponderous, terrible, soul-crushing. To think people spent their time drawing this cartoon makes me want to cry. I used to think those GI JOE cartoons on Sat mornings in the 1980's were bad (about 4 frames per second of animation)- and He-Man used to seem bad. They are Gold Standard classics compared to this steaming pile. Stay away, unless you want to torture someone. In that case, buy the whole set and lock someone in a room for a year with only this to watch. They will come out the other side a psychotic killer. A charm-free entity of life-sucking power that could make your sweet granny stamp on a kitten.

Felix the Cat was the Mickey Mouse before Mickey Mouse! I wish Felix the Cat would get more attention and support. Sometimes I see people compare Felix the Cat to Mickey Mouse, but the truth is, Felix the Cat is older than Mickey Mouse! After some research, I found out the first Felix the Cat cartoon was made in 1919! And I'm tired of people comparing Felix the Cat to awful characters like Bendy and Cartoon Cat. But this review isn't going to be some long, boring rant about ridiculous bootlegs like Bendy and Cartoon Cat. Obviously this review is going to be about Felix the Cat. I'm glad the Felix the Cat creators eventually ended up adding characters like the Professor, Poindexter and Kitty Kat. And Felix the Cat's nephews (Inky and Winky) are good comic exclusive characters.

The silent Felix cartoons were, for the most part, VERY good. Having no soundtrack, all they had to let you know what Felix was thinking or feeling was the artwork, at which the animators were extremely successful. You really can't compare the silents with the Trans-Lux TV Felix cartoons. However, in those TV cartoons, the producers were intelligent enough to hire Voice Actor extraordinaire Jack Mercer. He started at the Max Fleischer cartoon studio in New York City (that studio's original location was the reason for the urban settings of their cartoons.). Unlike the talented people at Warner Bros., Disney and many others, a large percentage of the settings of THEIR cartoons were rural. But watch a Betty Boop or a Popeye cartoon, and you'll fing they take place in urban locations. Jack Mercer was the voice of Popeye for FIFTY-plus years! Though many of the people who made the TV Felix cartoons made the rounds among the animation studios, each studio's product had a personality of its own, and that's where the talents of the artists and writers really shined. Sure, there are settings in, say, W-B cartoons varied and were definitely NOT urban, such as "The Awful Orphan" starring Porky Pig and Charlie Dog. It takes place on a farm, as do many others. But that's the beauty of any animated cartoon - you can make the setting ANY PLACE, on Earth or elsewhere in the known Multiverse. None of those locations are any more difficult to get to or any more expensive than any other. The reason, of course, is that everything you see and hear is the product of the Director's and animator's imaginations. Every cartoon by any studio was drawn at the same desks as any other.

I remember when I was a kid, and the Trans-Lux Felix cartoons were run every day. I watched them then and liked them! But if you told me then that all the characters were voiced by Jack Mercer, I'd never have believed you!

I hate this show. This is the most mindless show I have had the misfortune of watching. The animation is stiff and lifeless, and the voice acting is more wooden than the desk my laptop is currently on. The voices were done by the legendary Jack Mercer, but sound just as stiff as the animation looks. This is in no small part due to the script. The script is mindless and boring, leaving me confused about what the hell just happened. Most of the budget was clearly spent on getting Popeye the Sailor Man to voice everyone, meaning they most likely didn't have the budget for literally everything else. The animation has tons of held frames, and reused animation everywhere. I don't like limited animation very much (except for Hanna Barbera), but this is bad, even for limited animation. It's really only better than syncro vox, which is at least unintentionally funny. There are times where Characters will be animating and just stop. Limited animation head bobs when talking? How about 3 mouth frames put onto a static character. Reused walk cycles are everywhere. Is this common in limited animation? Yes, but the walk cycles in Felix are 2-4 frames, as opposed to the 12 that make up Shaggy's walk cycle from Scooby Doo. None of the characters are expressive at all. Gone are the days of Felix's eyes changing shape based on what he's feeling. Instead, Felix's eyes are just lines and dots, almost like there's a Felix base with no mouth or pupils that have said facial details on different cels laid on top of the base Felix. I can never tell what emotion he's feeling. This isn't helped by the previously mentioned acting. The backgrounds basically have no detail. When the backgrounds do have detail, it's very lazy. One of the episodes literally has a street with a music school and 6 laundromats. 6 laundromats! That's just blatant background looping without even an attempt to hide it. As I previously mentioned, the script also sucks, not making up for the lack of visual gags. This is supposed to be a comedy show, it's supposed to be funny. I genuinely don't understand why so many people love this show, but I'm not going to judge. It shows none of the cleverness and creativity of the original Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan shorts. I would recommend you stay away from this series.