In a world where animated films are often seen as family-friendly entertainment, Ralph Bakshi’s Fritz the Cat stands out as a trailblazer for its bold, irreverent, and unapologetically bizarre approach. Here’s why this cult classic remains one of my all-time favorite films.
Released in 1972, Fritz the Cat was the first animated film to receive an X rating, and rightfully so as it did not shy from controversial topics and was universally hated by many many people. Based on Robert Crumb’s underground comics, it’s a satirical look at 1960s counterculture that helped pave the way for future series like South Park.
The movie is difficult to put into words. It feels like a wild acid story a friend tells you offhandedly to one up your story. The movie starts with us listening to a blue collar worker on lunch complaining about his daughter and speaking on a lot of personal grievances about her new age way of life. It’s the 1970s; happy times, heavy times. Opening credits begin to play while the grooviest jam sets the mood. We are then introduced to Fritz, a real artist amongst phonies aching for something greater.
Fritz convinces three beautiful ladies back to a local joint to “borrow” the bathroom where he shares his higher knowledge upon these fair pursuers of insight.
The host is inquisitive and joins in these processions of cosmic indulgences. Before you know it the entire pad is having a great time in the tub, smoking and copulating as most teens do in their primes. Alas the fun is quickly ruined and the door breaks down!! A couple of pigs, only the PD’s best, are now there to arrest and apprehend these rebellious rapscallions. In the chaos and unnoticed, an intoxicated Fritz grabs the cops gun and indiscriminately fires striking and killing a John. The apartment floods and Fritz takes this opportunity to escape that leads to an exciting police chase and a young man now on the lam. The best part of all that is that this is only just the beginning!!
After that introduction you’re probably wondering why it was viewed as such a controversial movie. Besides the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, the movie didn’t shy away from anything. Topics of race, inequality, stereotypes, sexual orientation, acts of terrorism against the U.S. power grid, i could go on but to the point, the movie was hated for its time and was definitely not well received by public opinion however it would come to truth that the movie was more right in exposing the world for what it was rather than try and push an agenda. That all aside, Ralph Bakshi would’ve been hung if it weren’t for laws to stop public execution if not for anything else but his choice of medium. Controversial movies weren’t incredibly uncommon at this point but none of them were animated and none of them were in an almost Disney flavor.
A few discretions before we go much further;
As much fun as we’ve had so far along this journey, this film does take some sharp turns into dark territories. Dark violent territories. There’s one character in particular that I can’t not think about. You don’t get to learn a lot about her because she’s really just briefly in the last chapter but regardless I won’t go to deep in it I don’t want to ruin anyone’s first impression of this movie like this.
The movie covers a lot of ground and I think it’s important to note that I don’t believe Ralph Bakshi was pushing some kind of agenda or actively making jokes on the matter but rather just exposing it as a problem that we as a whole are facing simultaneously. The entire movie is made to view the world through the eyes of the protagonist, a classic antihero by every meaning of the word. Fritz is very relatable in a way that any 20 year old stoner can relate to. It targets us and challenges us to face the truth that in some way we view a part of this fictional world as our own. But that’s just what I think the director was trying to achieve.
I highly recommend it. Personally it’s 10/10. It tells many amazing stories, it’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s as real as it gets for cartoons. Ralph Bakshi has an amazing lineup of movies under his belt I also highly recommend.
Fritz the Cat is available on Prime Video
Thanks for taking the time to read this thought. I forgot how fun it was to write long winded essays recreationally ❤
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