Fritz the Cat is a American adult animated black comedy film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi in his directorial debut. Based on the comic strip of the same name by Robert Crumb , the film focuses on its Skip Hinnant -portrayed titular character, a glib, womanizing and fraudulent cat in an anthropomorphic animal version of New York City during the mid-to-late s. Fritz decides on a whim to drop out of college, interacts with inner city African American crows, unintentionally starts a race riot and becomes a leftist revolutionary.
The film is a satire focusing on American college life of the era, race relations, and the free love movement, as well as serving as a criticism of the countercultural political revolution and dishonest political activists. The film had a troubled production history, as Crumb, who is a leftist , had disagreements with the filmmakers over the film's political content, which he saw as being critical of the political left. At that time, animation was seen predominantly as a children's medium.
Bakshi envisioned animation as a medium that could tell more dramatic or satirical storylines with larger scopes, dealing with more mature and diverse themes that would resonate with adults. Bakshi also wanted to establish an independent alternative to the films produced by Walt Disney Productions , which dominated the animation market due to a lack of independent competition. The film's depiction of profanity, sex, and drug use, particularly cannabis , provoked criticism from more conservative members of the animation industry, who accused Bakshi of attempting to produce a pornographic animated film , as the concept of adult animation was not widely understood at the time.
The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an X rating the predecessor of the NC rating , making it the first American animated film to receive the rating, which was then predominantly associated with more arthouse films. The film's use of satire and mature themes is seen as paving the way for future animated works for adults, including The Simpsons , [ 9 ] South Park , [ 9 ] [ 10 ] Beavis and Butt-Head , and Family Guy.
In s Manhattan , hippies gather at a park to perform protest songs. Fritz, a tabby cat , and his friends show up in an attempt to meet girls. Fritz and his friends eventually exhaust themselves trying to get the attention of three girls who are more interested in a crow standing nearby. The girls attempt to flirt with the crow, making unintentionally condescending remarks about black people. After the crow rebukes the girls and leaves, Fritz convinces them that he is a suffering soul and invites them to "seek the truth.
