Fritz the Cat (1972)



He's X-Rated and Animated!

RECOMMENDED FOR VIEWERS 18+

A persiflage on the protest movements of the 60s. It's hero is the bold and sex-obsessed tom-cat Fritz the Cat, as created by the legendary underground artist Robert Crumb. Quitting university, Fritz the Cat wanders through the hash, Black Panthers and Hell's Angels scenes to find himself.

SYNOPSIS: It is New York City in the 1960's, and Fritz is a horny hippie New York City (by way of Manhattan) cat who plays guitar in the park with his buddies. Chatting up to three women he invites them round to his apartment for an orgy. There are various other friends who join in a feast of sex and drugs which is interrupted by two pig cops. Then, Fritz is chased through a synagogue before hanging out in Harlem with some black crows. He gets very stoned, has some more sex and preaches about revolution before his friend gets killed in a vicious and violent street riot. Fritz flees with his girlfriend Winston for a journey out west, but the two fall out on the road and Fritz hooks up with some revolutionary, sexually abusive types. They encourage Fritz to blow up a refinery and set him up to be killed. Finally, fully recovered in a hospital he enjoys some more group sex with his girlfriends.

THE FILM: Released in 1972 and also marked the directorial feature-film debut of Ralph Bakshi, the film "Fritz The Cat" was a massive surprise box office hit despite some negative reviews from critics who deplored its content of sexually explicit material. This in fact made motion picture history as being the first ever animated cartoon feature to received an "X" rating from the Motion Picture Association Of America. The reason why it received an "X" rating for one thing and one thing that shocked audiences when they went to see it...SEEING CARTOON ANIMALS HAVING SEX, and also seeing cartoon animals doing raunchy and out of this world things that were never before seen, not even in an animated cartoon has this been done before, including scenes of raw language, racial content, explicit violence and not to mention full-frontal nudity of cartoon animals doing explicit sexual acts and doing outrageous stuff beyond the form of normality that was never before seen and for the first time was very daring for a cartoon that was STRICTLY FOR ADULTS ONLY....At the time this was released in theatres, "Fritz The Cat", at the time was never meant to be shown to pre-teenagers nor children in fact you had to be under 18 years of age or older to see this film. I remember this vividly since I saw it for the first time during a special midnight screening once at a local university under tight security. Based on the characters created by Robert Crumb, this was a grand look of sex, drugs, and freedom at the height of the late 1960's America, which at the time was at a crossroads with itself.

The animation itself is a wonder to behold and it is done by some of the best in the business who contributed to this project....one of them is legendary animator Virgil Ross and legendary animator Manuel Perez. Virgil Ross was a master animator who worked beside legends like Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones, not to mention Bill Weiss (the man behind the Terrytoons division of cartoons-the company behind Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle and Deputy Dawg), while Manuel Perez has worked along side Freleng and Jones too and has done extensive work for several animation companies including Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, and Warner Bros. to name a few. It also features excellent voice-work from Skip Hinnant, Judy Engles, Phil Seuling, and also John McCurry and Rosetta LeNoire (fondly remembered of "Family Matters" fame). Produced by Steve Krantz, with the screenplay by Ralph Bakski, based on Robert Crumb's character.

"Fritz The Cat" came out at the height of the sexual revolution and sexual freedom and liberation that came during that period of the 1970's and with some films that were released that year that were strictly adult oriented, or pornographic, for example the release of the 1972 adult classic, "Deep Throat", and the Marlon Brando adult feature "Last Tango In Paris", hit theatres during this time when this adult animated cartoon was released. It was also one of the first to be released by an independent film company-Criterion Industries/Aurica Films. It was a cartoon that paved the way for future animated material that was adult oriented as well, and without the box office success of "Fritz The Cat", it would have never been possible.

It also set the stage for a sequel in 1974 titled "The Nine Lives Of Fritz The Cat" that was more raunchy and explicit than its first successor with Steve Kranitz returning as producer and Skip Hinnant returning as the voice of Fritz The Cat. This one would be released by an independent film company as well-the notorious AIP (American International Pictures).

Memorable Quotes:

Harriet: Hi.
Fritz: How are you?
Harriet: High.

Pig Cop #1: Now, you have the deeper voice so on three, you yell "Open the f*cking door". Now, you've got to use the word "f*cking" because it makes you sound tough.

[in a Synagogue; referring to the Rabbis]
Ralph (Pig Cop #2): They all got long hair. They all got long clothes. Must be a hippie church!


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Wow I didn't even know this movie was out there. Thanks.

Good Lookın!

Thnx, Thnx

Thanks. My son was conceived at this movie!!!!

You're welcome!

fotoguy

I got the sequel last year and have been looking for this, Thanx!

Cult classic! Excellent share. THX a lot.

Thanks!!!!!!!!

thanks