Review: 'Cats And Dogs' A Howling Success

The great mystery of success at the movie box office has been unraveled: Don't give your actors any face time, and they'll work extra hard to give you great performances.

That, at least is what appears to be the case thus far in the summer's biggest hit "Shrek," and is undoubtedly the key to howling new comedy "Cats and Dogs," a live-action adventure that combines the wonders of animal acting, wondrous animatronics from Jim Henson's creature shop and yes, from time to time, people acting.

It parallels "Shrek" in terms of pure entertainment, and it gives a kick in the pants to a film genre that already dared to poke fun at itself in the first place. It's a joyous movie-going experience no matter who you are rooting for.

The premise is simple, yet clever: A young beagle named Lou (voiced by Tobey Maguire) is adopted by the Brody family (Elizabeth Perkins, Jeff Goldblum and Alexander Pollock), but the intention is more than to just fetch newspapers in the front yard. Professor Brody is a bumbling research scientist looking for an end-all cure for people's dog allergies.

Of course, this is a major concern to the cat world, in particular Mr. Tinkles (voiced by Sean Hayes), a power-hungry Persian hell-bent on making the earth a purr-fect place to live. But after a "catnapping" of Goldblum's latest patient, the dogs (who, like the cats, also are equipped with high-tech equipment) are prepared for a furry free-for-all to stop Tinkles plan of world-domination. Anchored by a gruff old-time operative named Butch (voiced by Alec Baldwin), the dogs go into preparation for the ultimate battle.

There's no doubt the new Eddie Murphy comedy "Dr. Dolittle 2" threatened to steal "Cats and Dogs" talking animal thunder with its release into theaters in mid-June (although with "Babe" and the first "Dolittle," it's not a completely original concept), but it's the material that drives the jaw-dropping talking animal effects that takes "Cats and Dogs" to an entirely different level. With a tip of the hat to David Letterman, there are more than "Stupid Animal Tricks" being performed here.

Backed by a smart script that sends up '60s British Spy Flicks and, to an extent, the "Austin Powers" movies, "Cats and Dogs" is essentially an inspired meeting between Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Evil ? and the end result is just what both doctors ordered. Its often laugh-out loud funny and will manage to satisfy both kids and adults with a sly combination of physical action, wit and over-the-top silliness, without stepping over any lines of good taste.

This is thanks in part to the well-executed direction of relative newcomer Lawrence Guterman, whose visual wizardry at times recalls the darkly comic atmosphere of a Tim Burton film and the kaleidoscopic, hyper-kinetic point-of-view shots of director Sam Raimi. "Cats and Dogs" is simply a thrill to watch, yet doesn?t stray (no pun intended) away from the material.

Sure, the film relies on computer generated special effects and the masterwork of the Jim Henson creature shop, which is still completely absorbing even when you know the animals you're seeing aren't real. Perhaps more importantly, Guterman doesn't ignore the subtleties of the animals. Those looks of innocence -- those "puppy dog eyes," if you will ? are perfectly captured. Surely the film is meant for laughs, but those tender moments of reality give it heart.

While its human stars Goldblum, Perkins, Pollock and Miriam Margolyes are solid, "Cats and Dogs" is truly made complete by its voice talent, who really do put their hearts into their performances. Maguire, who has a natural air of innocence about him, comes off with the same tenderness Michael J. Fox had as a pup in "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey." Baldwin, meanwhile, redeems himself after a performance that was truly for the dogs in "Pearl Harbor."

And while Jon Lovitz, Michael Clarke Duncan, Susan Sarandon and Joe Pantoliano each provide whimsical voice turns as a fellow cat and dogs, it's TV's "Will and Grace" star Sean Hayes' brilliant vocalization as Mr. Tinkles that is the one to watch out for. Hayes not only steals the show -- he's a revelation. Turning in one of the best voice performances in years, his Mr. Tinkles is the ultimate character that you love to hate, cat fan or not.

Let's just hope Guterman and company let the "Cats and Dogs" out of the movie pound for another go-round.