WHISKERS

With Disney raiding their own stable for inspiration, Quebec's Les Productions La F?te could well take the lead for live-action family features. Creators of the “Tommy Tricker” series, “Vincent and Me” (15th Ciff, 1991), and “Reach for the Sky” (16th CIFF, 1992), they now offer another original treat with WHISKERS. Jed is a new kid in town, afraid that his parents plan to take away his one true friend, a housecat named Whiskers. At the local museum Jed wishes on an ancient idol of the Egyptian cat goddess that Whiskers could become human so they don't have to part. Thus, the pet awakens from a catnap to discover himself transformed into a 30-year-old man in a sweatsuit, with an alarming tendency to drink from toilets, rummage in garbage cans and climb trees. “A cat is the master of every situation,” he tells Jed, giving the boy a few lessons in feline zen and self-confidence as they embark on a quest throughout the city's alleys and animal shelters. no ordinary Darn Cat, WHISKERS is truly a tail for all. (Recommended for children ages 5 and up) – Charles Cassady