Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment (Film) |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Brad Peyton (director) |
| Products | Spy comedy film |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore—also referred to as Cats & Dogs 2 or Cats & Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore—is a 2010 American spy comedy marking Brad Peyton's debut as a director. The production team includes Andrew Lazar, Polly Johnsen, Greg Michael, and Brent O'Connor, while the screenplay was crafted by Ron J. Friedman and Steve Bencich, based on characters originally developed by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra.
The film boasts a diverse voice cast featuring James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, Neil Patrick Harris, Wallace Shawn, and Roger Moore. Additionally, Chris O'Donnell, Jack McBrayer, Fred Armisen, and Paul Rodriguez contribute their voices, with Sean Hayes, Joe Pantoliano, and Michael Clarke Duncan reprising their roles from the 2001 original Cats & Dogs.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 30, 2010, this sequel stands alone from its predecessor by placing greater emphasis on its animal protagonists. With an $85 million budget for production, it earned $112.5 million globally but was met predominantly with unfavorable critical responses.
Plot
In a world where cats and dogs possess secret intelligence and the ability to communicate verbally, they operate covert spy organizations dedicated to global protection. In Germany, Rex, a bloodhound, uncovers a Cocker Spaniel puppy stealing confidential codes. The culprit is Kitty Galore—a hairless Sphynx cat disguised to conceal her identity. After her escape, Rex alerts fellow agents. Meanwhile, at a used car dealership in San Francisco, the mascot Crazy Carlito plots to bomb the premises. Police officer Shane Larson arrives with his dog Diggs; Diggs retrieves the detonator but inadvertently bites it, triggering an explosion. Observing these events are Butch and Lou, who now lead D.O.G. headquarters. Lou expresses interest in recruiting Diggs while Butch is hesitant.
To prevent further incidents, Diggs is confined to police kennels but is soon brought to D.O.G. HQ by Butch. While tracking a pigeon named Seamus carrying critical intelligence, Diggs and Butch encounter Catherine—a M.E.O.W.S. (Mousers Enforcing Our World's Safety) operative also in pursuit of Seamus. Catherine reveals that Kitty Galore was once Ivana Clawyu, a M.E.O.W.S. agent who suffered exile after an accident involving hair removal cream during a mission; this event fueled her vendetta against cats, dogs, and humans alike.
Lou establishes a partnership with Tab Lazenby, leader of M.E.O.W.S., aiming to thwart Kitty Galore’s plans. At the residence of a cat enthusiast, the team uncovers that Calico—former assistant to Mr. Tinkles—is transmitting stolen technology to Kitty using pigeons as couriers. During an encounter where Diggs attacks Calico who attempts to drown them in cat litter, they manage to escape and interrogate him. Calico professes ignorance about Kitty’s whereabouts but provides information on Mr. Tinkles’ location.
The group travels to Alcatraz, where Mr. Tinkles is held and mentally unstable due to his time spent with Mr. Mason's maid and her sisters. Although he declines direct assistance, he offers a cryptic hint: "A cat's eye reveals everything." Upon learning of the alliance between cats and dogs against her, Kitty hires mercenaries Angus and Duncan MacDougall to eliminate Seamus during his return trip from Alcatraz. Diggs confronts Angus but accidentally tosses him overboard. Frustrated by Diggs’ blunders jeopardizing the mission, Butch dismisses him and departs with Seamus to follow other leads.
Catherine invites Diggs to her home where he meets her nieces—who surprisingly do not dislike dogs yet. Diggs confesses his distrust stemming from past experiences and difficulty following commands due to spending much of his life confined in kennels. Catherine warns that such attitudes will only lead to further isolation. Recognizing his mistake, Diggs accompanies Catherine to M.E.O.W.S. headquarters where they interpret Mr. Tinkles’ clue indicating that Kitty is hiding at a fairground with her new owner—the magician Chuck the Magnificent.
At the fairground, Diggs and Catherine fall into captivity at the hands of Kitty and her assistant Paws. Kitty intends to broadcast the "Call of the Wild," a frequency audible only to dogs that will incite hostility toward humans—motivated by her belief that humans abandon unwanted dogs in kennels. Her plan involves using the fair’s flying swings ride as a makeshift satellite dish for transmitting the signal. During captivity, Diggs admits his feelings for Catherine; she conquers her fear of water to save him from drowning. Joined by Butch and Seamus, they confront Kitty’s scheme together. When Seamus presses a red button intending to disable the ride, it instead activates Kitty’s signal causing dogs worldwide to become aggressive. Paws reveals himself as a robot; Diggs cleverly causes him to bite through electrical wires destroying the satellite dish apparatus. Scrumptious—the mistreated mouse companion of Kitty—launches her into cotton candy which lands atop Chuck’s hat.
Following their success in foiling the plot, Diggs goes to live with Shane Larson. Upon returning to headquarters, Diggs learns that Mr. Tinkles has escaped custody alongside Calico.
In a post-credits scene, Mr. Tinkles complains about lacking deworming cream while Calico reminds him they remain connected despite their situation.
Cast
- Chris O'Donnell portrays Shane Larson, a police officer determined to adopt Diggs despite resistance from his department.
- Jack McBrayer plays Chuck, Kitty's new owner and an aspiring but absent-minded magician.
- Fred Armisen appears as Friedrich (cameo), who uncovers Kitty Galore disguised as a puppy.
- Paul Rodriguez features as Crazy Carlito (cameo), a deranged bomber dressed as Uncle Sam.
- Kiernan Shipka acts as a young girl appearing in pivotal scenes alongside Diggs and others.
- Pascale Hutton takes on the role of Jackie Larson, Shane's wife.
- Betty Phillips is cast as Cat Lady.
Voice cast
- James Marsden voices Diggs, a rebellious German Shepherd and D.O.G. operative partnered with Catherine.
- Nick Nolte provides the voice for Butch, an aging Anatolian Shepherd who replaces Alec Baldwin from the original film.
- Christina Applegate voices Catherine (Agent 47 at M.E.O.W.S.), a spirited yet compassionate Russian Blue and Diggs’ partner.
- Katt Williams lends his voice to Seamus, a bumbling carrier pigeon.
- Bette Midler is the voice behind Kitty Galore, a villainous Sphynx cat and former M.E.O.W.S. agent, spoofing Pussy Galore.
- Neil Patrick Harris voices Lou, the chief official at D.O.G. headquarters, taking over from Tobey Maguire in the first movie.
- Sean Hayes provides the voice for Mr. Tinkles, a Persian cat imprisoned on Alcatraz Island.
- Wallace Shawn voices Calico, an exotic Shorthair working under Mr. Tinkles, replacing Jon Lovitz from the previous film.
- Roger Moore portrays Tab Lazenby, leader of M.E.O.W.S. headquarters; his name is a nod to actor George Lazenby.
- Joe Pantoliano voices Peek, a Chinese Crested Dog serving as tech expert at D.O.G. HQ.
- Michael Clarke Duncan gives voice to Sam, an Old English Sheepdog.
- Elizabeth Daily voices Scrumptious, Kitty’s albino mouse pet; she also provides voices for Catherine’s niece and Patches.
- Phil LaMarr brings to life Paws, a mechanical Maine Coon working for Kitty; he also voices a Cat Spy Analyst. Paws parodies both Jaws and the Terminator.
- Len Morganti voices Rex.
- Christopher L. Parson provides voices for Hep Cat and Cat Spy Analyst.
- Bonnie Cahoon is heard as Dog HQ PA and Catherine’s niece.
- J. K. Simmons lends his voice to Gruff K-9.
- Carlos Alazraqui voices Cat Gunner.
- Michael Beattie plays Angus MacDougall.
- Jeff Bennett gives voice to Duncan MacDougall.
- Grey DeLisle performs as Security Bulldog, Catherine’s niece, and Cat Spy Analyst.
- Roger Jackson voices Fat Cat Inmate.
- Bumper Robinson voices Cool Cat, Dog Killa, Cat Spy Analyst, and Slim.
- André Sogliuzzo provides the voice for Snobby K-9.
- Rick D. Wasserman is Rocky’s voice actor.
- Karen Strassman voices French Poodle (uncredited).
Box office
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore opened with $4.2 million on its first day, accumulating $12.3 million during its debut weekend. It secured the #5 spot at the box office with an average of $3,314 per theater across 3,705 locations. In its second weekend, earnings dropped by 44% to $6.9 million, placing it 7th with a cumulative two-week total of $26.4 million. The third weekend saw a further 39% decrease to $4.2 million while remaining within the Top 10 rankings. After 84 days in theaters, the film concluded with a domestic gross of $43.6 million against an $85 million budget and garnered an additional $69 million internationally, reaching a global total of $112.5 million. During its U.S. theatrical run, it was preceded by the 3D animated short Coyote Falls, featuring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
Reception
According to Rotten Tomatoes, only 13% of 99 critics provided favorable reviews for the film, resulting in an average score of 3.80 out of 10. The general consensus labels it as "uninspired and lacking humor," primarily featuring digitally animated talking animals voiced by celebrities without much substance. On Metacritic, the movie earned a score of 30 out of 100 from 22 critics, reflecting "generally negative" feedback. Audience responses measured by CinemaScore assigned a "B−" rating, which is lower than the "B+" received by the first installment.
Variety critic Joe Leydon described the sequel as "a quicker and more amusing follow-up" compared to the original. In contrast, Scott Tobias from The A.V. Club criticized the storyline for relying on a clichéd plot involving feline attempts at world domination being foiled by secret agents. The movie was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award in the category of "Worst Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3D," but lost to The Last Airbender.
Soundtrack
Varèse Sarabande Records released a soundtrack album on CD featuring the film's score.
Video game
The video game adaptation, developed by Engine Software and published by 505 Games, was launched on the Nintendo DS platform on July 20, 2010.
Home media
On November 16, 2010, the movie became available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 3D Blu-ray formats.
Sequel
A third film, serving as a stand-alone sequel, titled Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite!, takes place a decade after the previous story. Unlike earlier entries, it was released directly to digital platforms on September 15, 2020, followed by DVD and Blu-ray editions on October 13. This chapter introduces a new voice cast including Melissa Rauch, Max Greenfield, and George Lopez, with no returning actors from former films. Directed by Sean McNamara, co-produced by Andrew Lazar and David Fliegel, and penned by Scott Bindley, it was distributed through Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film saw theatrical releases in Australia on September 24 and in the United Kingdom on October 2.