Banjo the Woodpile Cat

I am a fan of Don Bluth, and while The Secret of NIMH is the movie I consider his magnum opus, this animated short Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a perfect example of Don Bluth in his prime. The animation is very nice, with luscious colours with some essence of darkness, fluid backgrounds and some of the better character designs in any of Bluth's work. The music is memorable, with some great jazzy undertones, while the songs are not too obvious either. The characters are immensely lovable, particularly Banjo who is also quite cute and charming, the dialogue is snappy, cute and funny and the storytelling is heart-warming and very sweet and well-meaning with an effective enough moral that doesn't hit too hard. The voice acting is very good, especially Scatman Crothers, Banjo the Woodpile Cat is well-paced and while it is very short at just half-an-hour or so there is not a dull or wasted moment. Overall, a classic and among Bluth's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox