gnome (nōm) n.
A pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; an aphorism.
Gnome #3:
People generally like characters that are sort of like cats.
(Gnome #3.5: Actual cats only count if animated.)
It’s true. I don’t claim to understand it entirely, but throw a few cat-like characters into the plot of a book or movie and suddenly it’s Q Score goes through the roof. If you stop and think about it, I am sure you can think up at least a few cat-like characters in books and movies, all of them wildly popular.
From the Beast in Beauty and the Beast to The Cowardly Lion, just throw a cat suit on someone and BOOM!
Just look at Captain America: Civil War: The entire movie plot depends on a cat character, The Black Panther, getting some revenge and Boom! Huge international hit.
And they make great sidekicks too. Let’s see…there’s Stimpson J. Cat of Ren & Stimpy, Hobbes of Calvin and Hobbes, Scratchy of Itchy and Scratchy, and Shrek’s pal Puss in Boots to name a few. If you want your cartoon creation to become hugely popular and immortal, all you have to do is partner your shitty character with a cat character partner and you’re done.
It’s almost too easy. You can’t go wrong with a cat character, even if they’re the bad guy or girl.
Ever wonder why Batman is so much more popular the last three decades than Superman? Well, Tim Burton had the foresight to not only make a near-bird movie with a guy in a near-bird-suit, he also made his antagonist-turns-protagonist/love interest a cat-person! Boom! Heck, even the other villain was a near-bird…The Penguin!
Ever since that movie Batman has been on the rise while Superman just sort of stagnates. Or dies. Superman has since died both in print and on the big screen. If Superman was a cat person, he’d still have 5 more to go, am I right?
Avatar‘s Na’vi have been called big blue monkeys or Smurphs. But you, and I, and we all know they are big cat-ish people. James Cameron is a pure genius, sneaking a 3D cat movie into theaters and walking away with over a billion at the box office.
The cat character gnome works across genres too, like in print. Author C.J. Cherryh is a master of this, using cat-persons in several series and books. Hestia, The Chanur Saga, Cuckoo’s Egg, and many more. She uses cat characters and Boom! Hugo nominations and awards.
Most famous play ever on Broadway? Cats.
Got a rock band in makeup? Gotta make one a cat. Seeing the connection here yet?
Gnome #3.5: Actual Cats Only Count if Animated
By now your probably wondering why real cats only count when animated, right? Well, it’s not nice to say it, but cats are assholes. They just sit around all day doing nothing….unless they are busy knocking things off of tables or asking if they “can has cheezburger”.
Whatever you do, DO NOT give your cat a cheeseburger.
This is why only in animation can you can go ‘full feline’, a la Disney’s The Lion King, and get away with it. When animated, the cat character can be his normal self (an asshole, like Jerry from Tom and Jerry) and the audience will simply accept the animated ‘full feline’ because they know the cat character is going to get his at some point. Let’s face it, animated cats usually get what’s coming to them.
Being an animated cat character is a bit like wearing a red shirt in a Star Trek episode…it’s not going to end well.
Well, that’s it for today. Cat-characters rule the day, and perhaps the night too. Just remember they’re just movies, books, and cartoons…with cat-like persons in them.
