Weekly ‘Flix Fix: Fritz the Cat
Weekly ‘Flix Fix takes the legwork out of wading through thousands of film choices on Netflix, bringing you the most truly bizarre, quirky and outright amazing gems instant streaming has to offer.
Sex, drugs and cute animated animals: A combination not often seen coming from Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed.
“Fritz The Cat” holds the esteemed honor of being the first animated motion picture to receive an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America’s rating board.
The film follows Fritz, a sex-starved college-age feline, on his quest to score with girls.
Along the way Fritz encounters hippies singing protest songs, heroin, sex, grand theft auto, arson and weed.
Based on the comic of the same name written by underground comic legend Robert Crumb, the film marked the beginning of niché director Ralph Bakshi’s career. Bakshi went on to direct films like “Heavy Traffic,” “Cool World,” “Wizards” and 1978’s “The Lord of the Rings.”
The work Bakshi did in the ‘70s and ‘80s opened doors for others in the world of adult-themed animation.
If it hadn’t been for films like “Fritz The Cat” and the 1981 animated anthology “Heavy Metal,” animated shows ranging from “Beavis and Butthead” and “Ren and Stimpy” to more recent animated shows like “Archer” and “Super Jail” might have never seen the light of day.
One of the film’s greatest qualities is that despite its taboo topics, the visual style of the movie remains adorable.
If you took any scene from “Fritz the Cat” and recreated it with human actors, it would quickly become obscene. Because Bakshi chose the animated animal route, we’re treated to a hilarious look at early ‘70s counter culture.
Of course, viewer discretion is advised.