The Adventures of Milo and Otis

The Adventures of Milo and Otis(子猫物語,Koneko Monogatari, lit. "A Kitten's Story"; alternate English title,The Adventures of Chatran)is a 1986 Japaneseadventurecomedy-drama filmabout two animals: Milo, anorange tabby cat, and Otis, apug. The original Japanese version, narrated by Shigeru Tsuyuki and with poetry recitation byKyōko Koizumi, was released on July 12, 1986.Columbia Picturesremoved 15 minutes from the original film and released a shorter English-language version, written byMark Saltzmanand narrated byDudley Moore, on August 25, 1989.
The film opens on Nippon Farm, with a mother cat who has given birth to kittens. One of the kittens is named Milo, or Chatran in the Japanese version (チャトラン(Chatoran), literally Brown Tiger), and has a habit of being too curious and getting himself into trouble. He finds a pug puppy named Otis, or Poosky in the Japanese version (プー助(Pūsuke)), and they soon become friends. When Milo is hiding inside a box floating in the river, it breaks loose from the dock, and he accidentally drifts downstream. Otis runs after Milo, who himself goes on many adventures, escaping one obstacle after another.
Milo encounters a bear, escapes from a raven and Deadwood Swamp, steals a dead muskrat from a fox, follows a railroad called Nippon Bearway to the home of a deer who shelters him, sleeps in a nest with an owl, stays for a while with a pig and her piglets, catches a fish and is robbed of it by a raccoon, is mobbed by seagulls, and evades another bear, then a snake, before falling into a deep pit.
For his part, Otis follows Milo throughout, usually only an hour behind and less than a mile out of range. Finally, the two catch up with one another. While Milo is in the hole, Otis pulls him out by means of a rope. Milo and Otis are reunited, and soon find mates of their own: Joyce, a white cat, for Milo; and Sondra, a French pug, for Otis. Afterward, they briefly part ways and raise offspring of their own. Later, Milo, Otis, Joyce, and Sondra (along with their litters) happily find their way back together through the forest to their farm as the credits roll.
All characters are voiced by the narrator, Shigeru Tsuyuki (Japanese) andDudley Moore(English).
DirectorMasanori Hataand associate directorKon Ichikawaedited the film together from 74 hours of footage (400,000 ft or 120,000 m of film), shot over a period of four years.
The original Japanese soundtrack, released asThe Adventures of Chatran: Original Soundtrack, was composed byRyuichi Sakamotoand included "Koneko Monogatari"(子猫物語), a theme song performed by Keiko Yoshinaga. During the promotion of the film in Japan, the song "Neko Jita Gokoro mo Koi no Uchi"(猫舌ごころも恋のうち, "My Heart Has a Dislike for Love", lit. I with a cat tongue heart toward romance), originally recorded byUshiroyubi Sasaregumifor theFuji TVanime seriesHigh School Kimengumi, was used in commercials for the film.
The musical score for the English-language version was composed byMichael Boddicker. Music was borrowed fromElmer Bernstein's score toTo Kill a Mockingbird(specifically the two cues, "Roll in the Tire" and "Peekaboo" with minor changes in the music), andJohn Williams' score toThe Witches of Eastwick.The song "Walk Outside", written by Dick Tarrier, is performed byDan Crowin the opening shots and end credits.
The English-language version of the film also contained music by classical composers including:
In 1986, to tie in with the original Japanese version of the film, a video game was released for the Japan-exclusiveFamicom Disk System.
The film was shown during the film market at the1986 Cannes Film Festivalbefore opening on 200 screens in Japan on July 12, 1986.
It was the number-one Japanese film on the domestic market in 1986, earning¥5.4 billionin distribution income that year.It grossed a total of¥9.8 billion($90,822,000) in Japan.At the time, it was the thirdhighest-grossing film ever in Japan, beaten only byE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982) andAntarctica(1983).
In the United States,The Adventures of Milo and Otisgrossed$13.3 million,adding up to a combined$104,122,000grossed in Japan and the United States.
Adjusted forinflation, the film grossed the equivalent of$226 millionin Japan as of 2021and$33 millionin the United States as of 2023, for a combined inflation-adjusted$259 millionin Japan and the United States.
In terms of box office admissions, the film sold7.5 milliontickets in Japan,3.2 milliontickets in the United States,and 1,318,750 tickets in Germany and France,for a combined 12,018,750 tickets sold in Japan, North America and Mainland Europe.
In 2010, the film'sDVDversion sold 810,334 units and grossed $5,464,010 in the United States.It was released onBlu-rayon January 24, 2012.
Reviews for the US version were positive, with an 80% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 6.9/10.Metacriticassigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".
When the film was released, some animal welfare organizations alleged to have had a number of complaints from people who had seen the film and were concerned that it could not have been made without cruelty.The Tasmanian and Victorian branches of theRSPCAalso alleged abuse.
The film was reported to have the approval of theAmerican Humane Society.The American Humane Association attempted to investigate cruelty rumors through "contacts in Europe who normally have information on movies throughout the world." While noting that the contacts had also heard the allegations, they were unable to verify them. The organization also reported, "We have tried through humane people in Japan, and through another Japanese producer to determine if these rumors are true, but everything has led to a dead end."  The same report noted that several Japanese Humane Societies allowed their names to be used in connection with the film and that the film "shows no animals being injured or harmed."