Directed By: Mike Gabriel
Trivia: Disney artist Joe Grant began developing the story for this film back in 1949
Continuing my look at some of the movies that make up the Walt Disney Short Films Collection, we have 2004’s Lorenzo, the story of a fat cat who gets his just desserts.
While enjoying a shrimp cocktail in front of a large bay window, Lorenzo the cat teases a passing black feline that’s missing its tail. Unfortunately for Lorenzo, he chose the wrong cat to pick on; in a fit of anger, the black cat puts a curse on Lorenzo’s posterior, and as a result, his tail springs immediately to life. But this now-magical tail does more than simply move on its own; it also dances, and before Lorenzo knows what’s hit him, he’s prancing up and down the street, doing the tango. Lorenzo tries everything he can think of to get his tail under control, but when the black cat reappears, it suggests a solution so drastic that even the desperate Lorenzo might not be able to go through with it.
A frantically fun animated short, Lorenzo contains no dialog whatsoever. In its place, we’re treated to a catchy song titled "Bordoneo y 900", performed by Juan José Mosalini and his Big Tango Orchestra, which plays from start to finish. In addition, I was impressed with the style of animation employed throughout (more often than not, the images have no discernible background), and the story certainly has its share of laughs (the scenes where Lorenzo attempts to “eliminate” his tail are a riot, mostly because he forgets that it’s still attached to him).
Originally conceived by longtime Disney artist Joe Grant (one of the creative minds behind 1941’s Dumbo), Lorenzo was a long time in the making (Grant started developing his idea for the movie back in 1949), but based on the finished film, I’d say it was well worth the wait.
