Banjo the Woodpile Cat
Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a 1979 animated short film directed by Don Bluth. It follows the story of Banjo, an overly curious and rebellious kitten who, after getting into trouble for falling from a house to see if he could land on his feet, runs away from his woodpile home in his owners farm in Payson, Utah by catching a truck to Salt Lake City. Produced in a shoestring budget, and created in Bluths garage, the film took four years to make and it was the first production of Don Bluth Productions, later Sullivan Bluth Studios. It had a short theatrical run in December 1979 being shown in a few theaters in the Los Angeles area as an opening short before a Christmas season re release of The Muppet Movie., but did not appear on network television until 1982.
In the city, Banjo finds plenty of excitement, followed by a series of danger. When it begins to rain, he finds shelter in a small can in an alley while thinking about his family and how he misses them. Later, a cat named Crazy Legs voiced by Scatman Crothers discovers the lost kitten in the can. They strike up a friendship when Crazy Legs tells Banjo that he can go back the same way he got here. During their search, Crazy Legs and Banjo come to a night club that Crazy Legs is familiar with. Inside, the leader of a singing cat trio, Zazu voiced by Beah Richards comes over to Crazy Legs and meets Banjo. When asked if he misses his family, the kitten becomes depressed again. To cheer him up, Crazy Legs and the girls break into a musical number and Banjo joins in. Afterwards, Crazy Legs asks all the cats to look for the truck. Later that night, while searching for the truck, Banjo and Crazy Legs run into a group of dogs who end up chasing them. After a lengthy chase, the pair escape and drive the dogs away by climbing up a series of boxes. The pair arrive at the singing cats home and get some rest.The next morning, Banjo wakes up and hears the driver of the truck out in the street. After some rejoice and many goodbyes, Banjo is sad to leave his new found friends. However, Crazy Legs manages to get Banjo on board, before it leaves without him and he gives his final farewell. When the truck arrives home, Banjo leaps off it and reunites with his family. ........
Source: Wikipedia
