Cats & Dogs 2001

Critics score:
54 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News: Even at a Chihuahua-sized 83 minutes, the movie begins to feel funny in the same way that having the neighbor's dog attach himself to your leg is funny. You laugh while you're wishing you could pull yourself away. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Spends too much time chewing on its computer effects or purring over its animatronic puppetry and too little taming its amusing premise. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Its characters, the two and four-legged varieties, are too lazily drawn for the film to register as more than a pleasant time-killer. Read more

Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune: I kept being reminded of annoying pet-food commercials. Read more

Ebert & Roeper: Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: High-end family entertainment. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: There is enough dopey, exuberant fun to delight children without driving their parents completely crazy. Read more

John Zebrowski, Seattle Times: A treat to watch. Read more

Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Maybe not purrfect, but tail-waggingly fun. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: With the human actors marking time at best (and that best is rare), Cats & Dogs becomes a series of expensive special effects in search of a scenario worth the price tag. Read more

Melissa Ward Aguilar, Houston Chronicle: There is some mild language and lots of animal slapstick -- a la Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner -- that may be a little much for small children. But most kids will find the action fun and the animals hilarious. Read more

Paul Tatara, CNN.com: Though its furry cast members are sometimes cute, the movie systematically converts Babe's tender, talking-animals appeal into just another soulless gadget-fest. Read more

Aaron Price, Denver Post: While the flatness of characters may bore grownups, it's an entertaining flick for kids. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The actors voicing these four legged adversaries ... throw themselves into their work with suitable fervor. Read more

Globe and Mail: Read more

Rick Holter, Dallas Morning News: This clash of the titans is delightful. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: The jokes are staler than day-old Fancy Feast. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: After a while, the film's massive explosions make Swordfish look like a chick flick. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: At its best, Cats and Dogs is a series of missed opportunities that represents adequate entertainment for the age 5-9 crowd. At its worst, this is another example of why so many PG-rated films fail at the box office. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: So advanced are the special effects techniques that the filmmakers even combine animated faces with real animal bodies, with such uncanny skill that after awhile you give up trying to find the seams. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: An hour and a half of giddy, ridiculous fun. Read more

Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle: The best way to enjoy Cats & Dogs, like puppy love, is to go into it with lowered expectations. Read more

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Falls victim to a common pitfall of special-effects movies: The technology takes precedent over the characters and story. Read more

Time Out: Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: A migraine-inducing, furniture-upending jumble. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Read more