Finding Meow-Meow

***Finding Meow-Meow*** is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film written and directed by Andrew Stanton, released by Walt Disney Pictures on April 30, 2005 and the seventh film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. t tells the story of the over-protective cat father Carl who's son Meow-Meow is abducted and taken to a Pet Shop/Dentist Office.

## Plot

Meow-Meow is a young cat who lives with his father Carl in the city. Meow-Meow, despite being hampered by a lame paw, is eager to explore life around the city. Carl, however, is overprotective of him, having lost his wife Carry and all their other kittens in a wolverine attack, leaving Meow-Meow as his only child. On Meow-Meow's first day of school, Carl embarrasses him, and while Carl is distracted with the teacher, Mr. Ray, Meow-Meow defiantly sneaks away from the street toward a sportscar, where he is abducted by a woman. Carl tries to chase the car and meets Cattella, who accompanies him. During an encounter with three bears who have sworn to abstain from eating other animals, Carl notices sunglasses that fell from the car that took Meow-Meow. Meanwhile, Meow-Meow is placed in a pet shop in a dentist's office, where he meets the The pet shop pets, including mongoose Sunil Nevla, monkey Minka Mark, panda Penny Ling, hedgehog Russell Ferguson, gecko Vinnie Terrio, and skunk Pepper Clark, led by Zoe Trent, a fur-breasted spaniel. That night, Meow-Meow learns he is to be given to the dentist's young niece, Alice, whose rough treatment has killed most of her previous pets. Zoe devises a risky escape plan: Meow-Meow, who can fit inside the aquarium's filter tube, will jam the filter with a pebble, forcing the dentist to put the pets out while the room is cooled off, giving them the opportunity to roll out the window and into the harbour. Meow-Meow attempts the maneuver, but fails and is almost killed, leaving Zoe guilt-ridden.
Carl and Cattella wake up unharmed, but the glasses falls into a deep ally way. Running after it, Carl is chased by a Tasmanian devil, while Cattella reads the address and recites it repeatedly to commit it to memory. Cattella and Carl receive directions from a school of fireflies, but Carl disregards their instructions to take what he believes is a safer route, leading them into a forest of bumble bees that nearly stings them to death. Carl and Cattella wake up to find themselves on the East Australian Current with a group of friendly cheetahs including Crush and his son Spots. Carl tells them about his quest, impressing them, and news spreads across the city, all the way to the dentist's office, where a pelican named Nigel tells the Pet Shop Gang. Inspired by his father's bravery, Meow-Meow makes another attempt to jam the filter, and succeeds, and soon the Pet Shop's contents are boiling.
Carl and Cattella exit the East Australian Current and are engulfed by a grey elephant. Cattella communicates with the elephant, who carries them to downtown and expels them through his trunk. There, they meet Nigel, who help the pair escape from a group of seagulls and takes them to the dentist's office. Meanwhile, the dentist has installed a new high-tech cooler, foiling the pet's escape. Alice arrives, and the dentist prepares to give Meow-Meow to her. Meow-Meow plays dead to save himself as Nigel causes a disturbance, terrifying Alice and throwing the office into chaos. After the dentist throws Nigel out, Zoe helps Meow-Meow escape through a drain that leads to the ocean. Carl however after thinking Meow-Meow is dead goes home devastated. Meow-Meow runs into Cattella and she and Meow-Meow search for Carl. Meow-Meow finds Carl and they reunite. They quickly save Cattella and hundreds of other cats from a cat net. Carl thanks Meow-Meow for being brave and is no longer overprotective. The next day of school, Carl lets Meow-Meow go on a field trip to have an adventure.

## Reception

### Critical Response

It is also highly critically acclaimed, as it currently holds a 99% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes with 100% by top critics, an average of 89% on Metacritic and four stars from Empire.

### Awards

This film received an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

## Sequels

This film received a spin-off/prequel film called Pettopia which released November 7, 2016 then a sequel called Finding Cattella which released June 24, 2020.

## Cameos

* The Pizza Planet Dilivery Truck appears during the preview of Zoe's escape plan.
* A113 appears on Mrs. Twombly's phone.
* A truck that looks like Mater from *Cars* drives down the road in one scene.
* The drapes on Mrs. Twombly's windows have Boo's door design on them.

## Trivia

* This is the only Pixar film not to be released in March, May, June or November.
* This is currently the shortest Pixar film with 79 minutes.
* This is the third Pixar film to have the words "The End" appear at the very final scene just before the credits, with the first film to do this being *A Bug's Life*, the second being *Finding Nemo* and the fourth being *Ratatouille*, although, in the latter's case, the wording was in French, to tie in with the location of the film.
* This is the last Pixar film to star Joe Ranft in the main cast. He died in a car accident in 2005, during the production of *Cars*.
* This is the last Pixar film to be released on VHS if you don't count the extremely rare *Cars* VHS.
* This is the second Pixar film to be adapted for Disney's As Told by Emoji series, after *Finding Nemo*.

## Goofs

* Minka is claustrophobic as shown as when she tries to save Meow-Meow, so she shouldn't have been comfortable in the plastic bag toward the end.
* Zoe's hair switches sides in some scenes.
* When Bruce the Bear chases Carl and Cattella, the sunglasses change sides in his mouth.