Simon's Cat
Simon's Cat is an animated cartoon series by the British animator Simon Tofield featuring a hungry house cat who uses increasingly heavy-handed tactics to get its owner to feed it.
In January 2009, it was announced that Simon's Cat would be published in book format.[1] Canongate released the title on 1 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. It was later released in many other countries.[2]
Episodes
Simon's Cat in: Cat Man Do
As the first film in the series, Cat Man Do won the "Best Comedy" award at the British Animation Awards 2008.[3]
- In this film, the cat goes to extreme measures to get his master out of bed in the morning.
Simon's Cat in: Let Me In!
As the second film in the series, Let Me In! won the "Most Outstanding Animation" award at the 7th Animae Caribe, Caribbean Animation Awards Festival.[4]
- Cat goes to great lengths to get through the glass rear door until his master comes to let him in.
Simon's Cat in: TV Dinner
The third film in the series - TV Dinner - was shown on BBC2's The Culture Show on 15 July 2008[5] before being released on YouTube.[6]
- Cat just won't leave his master alone for a second as he attempts to watch television.
Simon's Sister's Dog in: Fed Up!
A film entitled Fed Up!, featuring no cat but rather Simon's sister's dog, was released during the 2008 Christmas season. It ends with a message from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals urging owners not to feed table scraps to their pets.
- A lesson in over consumption goes to an eagerly overeating dog and the family as they drop scraps to eat at the dinner table.
Simon's Cat in: Fly Guy
The fourth in the Simon's Cat series, Fly Guy, was released on YouTube on 24 July 2009.
- A game of Cat and Fly has undesired results for the master.
Simon's Cat in: Hot Spot
The fifth episode of Simon's Cat, entitled 'Hot Spot', was released on 28 September 2009, shortly before the book's release.
- Oh that's the spot! Cat has to find a way to get under the warm glow of his master's drawing lamp.
Simon's Cat in: Snow Business
Initially in two parts Snow Business appeared shortly before Christmas 2009 were released on YouTube in February 2010. At present they are combined into one episode. It is the first animated appearance of the bird character.
- A day of play turns cold when the cat discovers that it had snowed!
Simon's Cat in: The Box
The Box was released on YouTube in August 2010.
- Leaving an empty box unattended around Cat will produce... undesired results.
Simon's Cat in: Cat Chat
Cat Chat was released on YouTube in October 2010. It is the first animated appearance of the hedgehog character.
- The last thing this hedgehog wants for a gabbing partner is a cat with a low attention span.
Simon's Cat in: Lunch Break
Lunch Break was released on YouTube in November 2010.
- Cat's clever move of pulling the tablecloth out from underneath the dishes could use a little work.
Simon's Cat in: Santa Claws
Santa Claws was released on YouTube in December 2010.
- Cat's Christmas gives him new trees to climb and new ornaments to paw at.
Simon's Cat in: Sticky Tape
Sticky Tape was released on YouTube in February 2011.
- Cat meets a new, transparent adversary.
Simon's Cat in: Hop it
Hop it was released on YouTube in April 2011.
Simon's Cat in: Hidden Treasure
Hidden-Treasure was released on YouTube in jun 2011.
Characters
- Simon's Cat: The titular character. His antics, often in the quest for food, vex his owner Simon. He loves cat food but also enjoys birds, mice, and fish out of Simon's koi pond. A significant amount of the humour in the book comes from his efforts to capture birds, mice, and fish. Simon's cat has not been officially named, though writer Simon Tofield says that Simon's cat is based on his own cat, Hugh.[7]
- Simon: The long-suffering owner of the cat.
- Simon's sister's dog: A dog that first appears in the video "Fed Up," in which he is fed underneath the table by a family. The dog also appears in the book and loves to play fetch.
- The Bird: A bird who appears in "Snow Business." It provokes Simon's cat into a snowball fight.
- The Hedgehog: A hedgehog that lives in Simon's back garden. Simon's cat loves to annoy the hedgehog by impaling objects such as apples, leaves, and tennis balls onto its prickles. The hedgehog also has children. The hedgehog appeared exclusively in the book until the release of Cat Chat on 7 October 2010.
- The Garden Gnome: A garden gnome similar to the one broken by Simon's cat in "Let Me In." The gnome is seen holding either a fishing rod or a net. Simon's cat often tries to get the gnome to help in his schemes to catch food. The cat considers the gnome a friend, apparently unaware that the gnome is an inanimate object.
Production
The series is animated with the Adobe Flash software. The pictures are drawn using an A4-size Wacom Intuos 3 pen and tablet.[8]
Creator Simon Tofield revealed that his four cats — called Teddy, Hugh, Jess and Maisie — provide inspiration for the series, with Hugh being the primary inspiration.[9][8]
Bibliography
- Simon Tofield (2009). Simon's Cat. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 9781847674814.
Notes
- ^ "Canongate buys Simon's Cat"
- ^ List of countries that released Simon's Cat in his very own book
- ^ British Animation Awards 2008 list of winners. (2008) British Animation Awards website.
- ^ Animae Caribe's 2008 awards list.(2008) Animae Caribe.
- ^ BBC2's Culture Show blog discussing the showing of 'TV Dinner'(24 July 2008)
- ^ Tandem Films' blog entry reporting the showing of 'TV Dinner'. (16 July 2008) Random Tandem blog.
- ^ Interview with Simon Tofield (text and video)
- ^ a b FAQs Does Simon have a cat in real life? He has three cats - Hugh, Maisie and Jess. **UPDATE!** He now has 4 cats!
- ^ "Simon's Cat is revealed!". Your Cat magazine. 29 August 2008.
Simon, who works for London-based Animation Studio Tandem Films, explains that the films are based on three of his cats, all moggies.