By Elisa Black-Taylor
Grumpy Cat has now been signed to star in her own movie. She is a household name around the world, with more than 930,000 likes on her Facebook page. She’s had television appearances on Today, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News and Anderson Cooper Live. Her next big deal may be the big screen.
The project is being created by New Line, with Mark Steilen doing the writing and Will Ferrell and Jack Black starring.
Broken Road’s Todd Garner and Sean Robins have teamed up with Grumpy Cat’s manager Ben Lashes and representative Al Hassas to make a Garfield type of movie staring the famous diva.
This is likely to be a good business decision, considering the awards Tardar Sauce (A.K.A. Grumpy Cat) picked up in 2012. MSNBC named her the most influential cat of 2012. Mashable awarded her a most important Meme in 2012. And lets not forget the 120,000 subscribers and over 20 million hits to YouTube.
Grumpy Cat also has a line of her own merchandise available at major retailers, including Wal Mart and has partnered with Friskies for even more publicity.
I wonder what kind of plot we’ll be seeing with Grumpy Cat. I can picture her in a movie similar to That Darn Cat, which was made when I was very young. Of course, movie makers need to remember a cat will not perform on command. A cat will do what a cat wants when the cat feels like doing it.
Would the readers here like to see a movie with Grumpy Cat as the star? Or do you think it’s exploitation?
Let’s just leave the sweet little critter alone and let her nap in peace…(Amanda Kooser at cnet)
I grew up in the days of Bengi and Lassie and Rin Tin Tin (oops, that last one REALLY gives away my age!). But those were dogs, who I believe are much more reliable when it comes to tricks for treats. I think it would depend on how the movie trailer looks as to whether I’d want to bother seeing the movie. I’m not a big fan of Will Ferrell anyway. I do enjoy Jack Black, but I’d be seeing the movie because I enjoy his work more than because a cat is starring.
The one question I ask myself anytime I see this poor cat is “will she ever have the chance to live a normal life?” My cats are in the spotlight, to an extent, but only to the point of my chasing them around with a camera. They never have to perform on command as making a full length movie would require. Also people are forgetting that she has a deformity and may be in discomfort.
I’m afraid Grumpy Cat will find the entire situation boring, or stressful. Either way, she’s likely to feel as grumpy as she looks by the time Hollywood finishes with this newest project and she already has a reason to feel grumpy. There is also a big question mark over whether such a film can be successful. Is this going too far, squeezing too much out of a vulnerable little cat?
Absolutely – I second everything you just said Ruth. Somewhere along the way a choice is being made and it’s not the cat’s choice, whose name I prefer not use. There is humour, there is derogatory humour and there is laughing directly at derogatory humour. When it comes to a cat I am not keen on any of them although of course there is a place for laughter and fun and humour but it should not be at expense of respect. It should be the kind of funny you could openly laugh out loud about were it another human and they wouldn’t be offended. I’m getting into detail here but the ultimate question with all this internet cat humor lies with these parameters. Some more analysis needs to be made by alot more people – what does it say about us all of this laughing at a cat that looks unhappy because of a deformity. If it were a person Nobody would even dare to laugh in the same room. There lies the point for me. I believe my cats know when I am laughing at them in their discontent so I don’t do it, there are some things you just dont laugh outloud at your cat about because you make them feel uncomfortable and you make them feel like for a moment you are not entirely with them in this life no matter what. I wouldn’t want my cats to feel like I’m weird or just not connected and that effects where I draw the funny line.
To be fair there is a lot of fun and humour in living with cats. There is no end when you live with a few cats – they do funny things and one would be a prude not to laugh but it’s all in the how and what and when of it.
The poor cat is being outrageously exploited now, people have a choice whether to appear in a film, those with big egos love to do it, animals don’t have that choice.
There has to be dozens of strangers around to make any film, strange voices and sounds and lights and all the goings on can’t be anything other than upsetting to a cat.
It’s not a cat’s life to be constantly toted around and used as a peep show let alone to be used to make a film to make money, but money is some peoples God!
A cat’s life is very short in comparison to ours, I think that they should be allowed to live that life in peace doing what cats like to do!
Yes, the poor human is obsessed with extremes and has always been fascinated by freaky and weird animals. YouTube viewing figures confirm that.
Absolutely agree with you. Some pictures and a video would be OK if created respectfully. Make some money and use it to help kids or cats or something like that and how about some therapy cat work? Personally I think people have conveniently brushed discomfort and health issues under the carpet because it stands in the way of making money.
Maybe it’ll be 90% CGI?
Freaks, both humans and animals have always been exploited in society for sheer voyeurism.Charles .Barnum was the most famous man for introducing freaks in his circus acts for “Barnum & Bailey” circus.The same is happening to “Grumpy cat” in the modern 21st century era, the human owners profiting and hopefully a little money from the profits going to cat or animal charity.