Banjo the Woodpile Cat was Don Bluth’s debut animated short film for Sullivan Bluth Studios and debuted 27 minutes long in 1979.
Banjo, an extremely curious yet defiant kitten from his family’s farm, takes off for Salt Lake City after conducting an experiment on cats who always land on their feet. He hitsches a ride with Crazy Legs who offers him safe passage on a feed truck.
Story
Banjo is an innocent kitten living on a farm in Utah with his parents and sisters in a woodpile. But after coercing his sisters into jumping off a roof just so he can test if cats could land on their feet, Banjo becomes in trouble with his father and decides to run away, finding refuge on a feed truck traveling towards Salt Lake City and jumping aboard for Salt Lake City itself. When he arrives there he finds it too dangerous for him; eventually missing his family and becoming depressed until he meets Crazy Legs who helps him find his way back home!
Story is straightforward; characters and animation make for a delightful viewing experience for audiences of all ages. Don Bluth’s unique style combines fluid character animation with playful music to create a magical universe; additionally it’s also an endearing tale about an impish cat learning to appreciate his family.
Although flawed, Don Bluth’s first animated short film after leaving Disney serves as an insightful peek into his early career as a director. Not only can viewers witness his distinct animation style but it is also an introduction to filmmaking for those wanting to gain more knowledge about animation.
Animation
Banjo is an orange kitten with cream-colored faces, stomach, paws and tail tip. He stands slightly larger than Emily and Jean but still manages to play tricks on them both from time to time! His mischief-making ways keep Emily and Jean at bay! After his attempts at getting them to jump from a chicken coop and prove they always land on their feet backfire, he gets into trouble with his father and runs away from home, hitching a ride on the Chipman feed truck to Salt Lake City. His family attempted to locate him but were duped into thinking they’d been taken away to be sold in a market by a clever Labrador, heartbreaking them further. That night Banjo and Crazy Legs decided to visit a night club where they met three female singing cats that gave them hope; later that evening they arrived at three female singing cats’ home, which provided access to their truck so that they could return home with their families.
Banjo the Woodpile Cat was produced as the inaugural traditionally animated short from Sullivan Bluth Studios in 1979 under Don Bluth and Gary Goldman’s direction, taking four years from conceptual story sketches to completed painted cels. An estimated 90,000 man hours went into its creation; animators rediscovering techniques that had been lost over decades was part of its learning experience.
Banjo shares many similarities in animation style with Disney’s The Rescuers, released at around the same time. This isn’t surprising considering Don Bluth was the director of animation on both films.
Mark Hannigan composed the soundtrack, drawing inspiration from both The Fox and the Hound and An American Tail for this score. As a talented musician and pianist himself, Hannigan also arranged all songs featured in the movie for Sparky Marcus as Banjo and Scatman Crothers as Crazy Legs respectively.
Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy were among the animators who contributed to this film; some had never worked at a studio before joining Disney to work on it; the project took place in Bluth’s former garage home with 26 artists involved throughout its creation process.
Music
Banjo was an outgoing kitten living in Utah during 1940. He would chase chickens, cause havoc with Emily and Jean, and cause his father to reprimand him for it all. To show that cats always land on their feet, Banjo tried goading his sisters into jumping off their chicken coop so he could demonstrate this fact; unfortunately this failed but he managed to pull their tails down onto it anyway, leading him into more trouble with both Emily and Jean and ultimately leading him fleeing on an airplane to reach Salt Lake City just in time before his father could catch him up again for more serious punishment by hitching onto an airplane to reach Salt Lake City before fleeing again before finding sanctuary somewhere safe enough.
Banjo finds excitement and adventure in the big city at first, but soon grows homesick for his family and starts missing them dearly. While curled up inside a tin can to escape the rain he encounters Crazy Legs who helps him. Together they enlist three female signing cats as assistants before searching for their transport back home; when found they say their goodbyes and board it; returning Banjo back to his family.
Songs in this film are strong, but its story itself falls flat; consequently, this movie pales in comparison with Bluth’s later works, particularly An American Tail. To add more drama and interest, Bluth tried including a villain named Rocko – however his presence wasn’t strong enough.
This movie’s soundtrack includes a cover version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, recorded by Beu Sisters, as well as original tracks written and performed by various cast members from the movie. Released through Atlantic Records on January 29, 2013, this album serves as an incredible accompaniment to Don Bluth’s animation film; not only was this meant as an educational experience for himself and his crew members but it provided the chance to experience all aspects of film production processes together.
Characters
Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a delightful tale, which showcases Don Bluth’s skill as an author and storyteller, while at the same time creating relatable characters. His adventurous protagonist’s yearning to escape his mundane farm life resonates with viewers while its endearing humor makes this film hard to resist.
The movie opens in 1944 Utah where our title character, a mischievous kitten named Kiki is always getting into trouble. After pulling too many pranks on his family, he flees in fear of severe punishment by jumping onto a feed truck headed for Salt Lake City where he finds excitement and danger before quickly growing homesick. Befriended by Crazy Legs (an alley cat known for being streetwise and dangerous), who agrees to help him return home; on their journey they meet three female singing cats as well as dogs before finally finding his truck and managing to return home before nightfall sets in.
Banjo the Woodpile Cat stands as a superb technical example of Don Bluth’s early animation work, featuring intricate effects animation such as shadows and reflections in water, smooth character design and expressive animation effects. Plus it boasts an outstanding soundtrack featuring songs performed by Don Bluth himself alongside Scatman Crothers Quartet!
Unfortunately, this charming animated short didn’t find wider appreciation. Finding it on DVD (even its 30th anniversary edition is out-of-print!) proved challenging; and other flashier Bluth projects quickly overshadowed it. Still, those interested in classic animated cinema or Don Bluth’s history should seek it out and watch.
Don Bluth’s debut project after leaving Disney was this short, which set a high standard for his future studio. The characters in the film are endearing and relatable, with an understated charm that appeals to audiences of all ages. There are also some masterful sequences and moments of drama in it; most importantly, though, this short is an important reminder of perseverance and determination.