Kuckoo Kat and the Ink Splatter (1994 film)

"It's the most mischievous movie you'll ever see this summer!"
- The trailer's tagline Kuckoo Kat and the Ink Splatter is a 1994 animated fantasy comedy film directed by Dexter Sparks and written by Cecil Moody. The film stars Roger Yates as the title character, along with Keith Blake, Caroline Summers, Wilma Fowler, Elijah Nelson, Bryan Burton, Henry Simmons, Edward Weaver, and Tommy Hoffman as the Ink Splatter. The film stars Keith Blake as Howard Coopersmith, a nerdy outcast in the city of Riverfield, who eventually gets his life together thanks to Kuckoo and his friends, where they transport to Earth after a freak accident. Together, Howard and Kuckoo must stop another cartoon character, the villainous Ink Splatter from taking over the city.

Ink Splatter was the very first film to be produced by Gryphon Animation Studios, Gryphon Pictures' animated film division and was released in theaters on July 24, 1994. Though it had to deal with competition at the time like The Lion King, Forrest Gump, True Lies, and The Mask, it was a critical and commercial success. Critics praised it for the story, humor, heart, and its use of squash-and-stretch animation. At the box office, it was a gigantic success, grossing over $324 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest grossing films of 1994, and to this day, is Gryphon Animation Studios' highest grossing film they've released.

Plot
Howard Coopersmith, a 22-year-old aspiring cartoonist, lives in Riverfield, where he works as an intern for Funnybone Animation Studios and is considered to be an outcast among everybody in the studio. After failing to pitch a cartoon to his boss, Mr. Holloway, he notices his childhood crush, Sandra Hart working as a new intern. He tries to ask her out on a date, but accidentally starts a fire alarm at the studio, which ultimately gets him mocked. He goes home sad and turns on the TV to find something good to watch. Ultimately, he decides to watch a Kuckoo Kat cartoon where he defeats a villain named the Ink Splatter before going to bed. Meanwhile, in the cartoon universe, Smarty shows off a brand new invention to Kuckoo, Kooky and Cuckoo, a portal creator. However, after testing it out, the portal creator starts to malfunction, and eventually explodes, sending the four to Earth in Howard's house.

When Howard wakes up in the morning, he is shocked to see Kuckoo and his friends in his house, although Smarty explains to him what happened, to no avail. Howard thinks he's having a dream, until Kuckoo hits him with a mallet, proving that Kuckoo and his friends are on Earth with him. Howard then realizes he's late for work, and decides to disguise the toons, so they can go with him. In the cartoon universe, the Ink Splatter escapes the ink container he was trapped in, finds the portal to the real world, goes through it and ends up in an abandoned house, where he starts to set up his plans.