Banjo the Woodpile Cat (film)

Banjo the Woodpile Cat is an upcoming animated feature film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman and produced by Don Bluth Films and Released by Universal Pictures

It is a remake of Bluth's 1979 short film of the same name.

The film's animation technique combines traditional hand-drawn animation (with digital ink and paint/animation using Toon Boom and Adobe Flash)

The soundtrack is newly arranged by Alan Silvestri and performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square.

The film will be presented in theaters, IMAX 3D, and Digital 3D.

Plot
In a farm in Payson, Utah during the 1940s, Two Cats and their owners, the Jones Family, looked at Their newborn kittens. The Dad named the only male one Banjo, as the Mom named them Emily and Jean. later that night, The Family looked at the moonless night sky, with many beautiful stars.

In the weeks that went by in the coming winter, Banjo started to pull some pranks as He constructed a woodpile made of broken twigs from a rotting tree. Of course, Banjo's Father disapproves, since the twigs might have poison ivy and termites. a few days later, As Banjo taunts his sisters about being on the woodpile, the hapless kitten falls down from the rotted wood making him twist his paw, as Banjo's Sisters laugh. Banjo's Father comes and tells His daughters not to laugh at Banjo's expense. Later that night, Banjo and His father talked in private about why Banjo fell. feeling that His son needs some growing up, Banjo's Father decided to task Him with hunting down rats. Banjo disapproved since He thinks Rats taste worse than mice.

The next morning, Banjo chases a rat, but He couldn’t bring himself to kill it. Instead, He warns the rat not to come back. Banjo’s father was disappointed. Since he thinks the rat will come back and won’t be alone.

During the next following days, Banjo could be seen causing mischief around and outside the house in one case, Banjo climbs inside a grain silo, Climbing up a tree, but doesn’t know how to get down, and what crossed the line is when Banjo was asleep, when His sisters think He died, and when He woke up, He accidentally scares His sisters and hides in the woodpile.

The next day, Mr. Jones catches Banjo scratching the sofa to the point where it's nearly destroyed. Enraged, Mr. Jones yelled at Banjo so loudly that everyone in the house heard him. He then orders Rusty to bring Banjo so that he will spank him with his belt. However, Mrs. Jones stops him before he could do so and reminds him that he's a member of an animal lover's group. Reluctant, Mr. Jones decided not to hit Banjo, but he and Rusty nevertheless scold Banjo severely. Later that night, Banjo overhears a conversation and what he hears is that Mr. Jones will send Him to obedience School. Banjo feels bad and thinks about leaving home.

Later, as the sun was about to rise in a few minutes, Banjo thinks about a place to hide. unfortunately, before Banjo had a chance to hide, Mr. Jones puts Banjo in a pet crate, to be sent to Midvale Obedience Academy which is over 60 miles away. Along the way, Banjo gets free, escapes the truck, and lands on a pile of newspapers to break His fall. however, He is confounded by Dogs, the straycatchers, and the freezing cold temperatures. Banjo hides in an alley under a garbage can lid. next to Him, He encounters a cat named Crazy Legs, who shows Him around Salt Lake City. Later, The driver of the Midvale Obedience Academy arrives and is about to enter Banjo, but when He opens the door, He noticed that the cage is empty. Soon, Banjo’s father hears from the Jones’ phone call that Banjo is missing, devastating Him and Amber, thinking Banjo escaped somewhere. Mr. Jones, thinking Banjo got desperate and escaped, goes off with His wife to find him while He told the Penelope to stay and watch over the cats in case Banjo comes back home.

Back in Salt Lake City, as Crazy Legs continues the tour, Banjo asks if He ever saw the stars in the night sky. Crazy Legs sadly said ‘No’, since the city’s Lights made it too bright to see. Crazy Legs insists that they should stay at Zazu's home for a while until they can figure out a way to get Banjo back home. Along the way, Crazy Legs tells a story to Banjo about how he saved his owner's life from a gangster.

Two years ago, Leopold is playing his violin at his apartment as Crazy Legs listens contently. Suddenly, a loud banging is heard on the door and a hardened gangster named Lazlo Popham and his pet dog named Bubbles barges in. Lazlo tries to extort Leopold for money by pointing his gun at Crazy Legs. Leopold pleads Lalzo not to kill Crazy Legs, prompting Lazlo to instead point his gun at Leopold. Lazlo then sics Bubbles on Leopold, but Crazy Legs comes to the rescue and claws Bubbles and Lazlo's faces. Vowing to be back for revenge, Bubbles and Lazlo escape from Leopold's apartment and Leopold hugs Crazy Legs as appreciation for saving his life.

One day, Leopold was drafted into the army to fight the Axis for WWIi. Leopold promised Crazy Legs that when the war is over, he'll come back for him. However, as time passed, Crazy Legs waited for Leopold, but Leopold never came back. He then overheard a few of Leopold's neighbors discussing what happened to him. When he learned that Leopold was killed during combat, Crazy Legs was emotionally devastated.

After explaining the details, Crazy Legs brings Banjo to a building where They might get information about how to return to Payson. They then greet Zazu and her sisters, Cleo and Marina, in a dilapidated building which used to be an apartment. Zazu sympathizes with Banjo's plight, for she and her sisters used to have an owner.

When they were kittens, Zazu, Marina and Cleo were adopted by a kind old woman named Muriel Hill. Every day, the sisters would sing to their master to cheer her up. Muriel Hill loved Zazu, Marina and Cleo more than anything in the world. One day, Muriel grew sick and requested Zazu, Marina and Cleo to sing one more song for her before she dies. After the sisters sang a soft song for her, Muriel passed away from old age. While Muriel died with a smile on her face, Zazu and her sisters sob softly. After Zazu finishes her story, Banjo sympathizes with her and agrees to spend the night at her place until the five cats can figure a way for Banjo to get home.

At a bar, Lazlo is discussing his plan to Bubbles. It is then that the reason why Lazlo was extorting money from people at Leopold's apartment building is because Lazlo want to get himself into show business. Accompanied by several patrons at the bar, Lazlo then breaks into singing about himself and dancing a la Cab Calloway while Bubbles played his saxophone. Afterwards, Lazlo and Bubbles leave, but not before they pay for their drinks.

Musical Numbers
1) Overture

2) He couldn't be good (Sung by the chorus)

3) That Kitten Ain't Nothing but Trouble(Sung by Mr and Mrs. Jones, Penelope, Rusty, Amber, Emily and Jean to the tune of My Boy, You May Take it from Me from Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore)

4) The Rain Song (Sung by Banjo and Penelope)

5) Just Stick With Me(Sung by Crazy Legs and Banjo)

6) Pretty Boy Popham is What They Call Me(Sung by Lazlo Popham and Bubbles to the tune of Minnie the Moocher)

7) Boogie Baby (Sung by Zazu, Marina and Cleo)

8) The Lonely Ballad of Tundra (Sung by Tundra)

9) Goodnight, Banjo (Sung by Crazy Legs, Zazu, Marina, Tundra, and Cleo to the tune of Goodnight, Ladies)

10) Crazy Legs' Prayer (Sung by Crazy Legs)

11) Ain't We Got A Cunning Plan (Sung by Lazlo)

12) Banjo and Tundra's Duet (Sung by Banjo and Tundra)

13) You Can't Run Forever (Sung by Lazlo, Bubbles, Banjo, and Crazy Legs)

14) There's No Place Like Home (Sung by Banjo, Crazy Legs, Zazu, Cleo, Marina, and Tundra)

15) Pretty Boy Popham Reprise (Sung by Lazlo and Bubbles)

16) Just Stick With Me/He Couldn't Be Good Reprise (Sung by Banjo, Crazy Legs, Zazu, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Penelope, Rusty, Amber, Jean, Emily, Cleo, Marina, and Tundra)

Cast
Kath Soucie as Banjo

Eddie Murphy as Crazy Legs

Jennifer Hudson as Zazu/Marina/Cleo

Jim Cummings as Mr. George Jones

Tress MacNeil as Mrs. Mary Jones

Tara Strong as Penelope Jones

Tom Hanks as Rusty

Paula Tiso as Amber

Nancy Cartwright as Emily

Elizabeth Daley as Jean

Hugh Laurie as Lazlo "Pretty Boy" Popham

Frank Welker as Bubbles

Ami Foster as Toodles

Christina Lange as Truffles

Differences between the film and the short

 * The story starts when Banjo and Her sisters are born.
 * Banjo's personality is more soft-hearted, but still a bit mischivous.
 * Banjo's Father is still strict like in the 1979 version, but He worries about the well-being of His kittens and their future.
 * Banjo's Unnamed Parents names are Rusty and Amber.
 * Although Amber wasn't seen much in the original TV special, Amber can be portrayed as being considerate and disagreeing with Rusty's idea of punishing Banjo.
 * Halfway past the film, Banjo encounters a young, but depressed female Himalayan Kitten named Tundra who becomes Banjo's first kitten friend.
 * Banjo and Penelope sing the Rain Song, ending with both of them sobbing.
 * The two sympathetic puppies from the short interact with Banjo a bit until their owner calls for them to get inside.
 * Their names are Toodles and Truffles
 * The owners of Banjo's family, Penelope and her parents Mr. and Mrs. Jones, make an appearance, with Mr. Jones being twice as strict towards Banjo as Rusty.
 * In addition, Mr. Jones gets easily annoyed by Banjo's antics including the time Banjo breaks the ornaments and the time Banjo left the sink running.


 * along with a scene where He listens to a radio announcement regarding WWII, in desperate need of Silk. As Rusty explains to His son that Silk is used for making parachutes.
 * Meanwhile, Mrs. Jones and Penelope are portrayed as being gentle like Amber.


 * A musical number involving Mr. Jones, Penelope, Mrs. Jones, Rusty, Banjo's sisters, and Amber discussing Banjo's behavior, with Mr. Jones suggesting they should lay down the law and send Banjo to obedience school (Which Rusty agrees) while Mrs. Jones and Penelope disagreeing with the idea (As Amber feels worried).
 * Banjo's family and owners discover Banjo is missing after a phone call from the obedience school, saying that the cage Banjo was in was empty.
 * Though Crazy Legs' profession was never explain, Crazy Legs is revealed to be a musician.
 * While the original version never had a true main antagonist, on account that Bluth was pressed for time, the antagonist was going to be a Tough scarred cat named Rocko, but now, in the reversion, a gangster named Lazlo Popham and his sidekick Bubbles take the role.
 * The reasons why they became antagonists because two years ago, Lazlo tried to extort money from Crazy Legs' owner, Leopold, and even commanded Bubbles to attack him until Crazy Legs comes to the rescue.
 * While Crazy Legs, Zazu and her sisters were strays in the original version, Crazy Legs belonged to a kind hearted violinist named Leopold Wood and Zazu and her sisters belonged to an old woman named Muriel Hill, who used to be a silent movie star.
 * In addition, Leopold has joined the army during WWII and was tragically killed during battle,  which emotionally devastated Crazy Legs.
 * Crazy Legs was revealed to be a stray kitten until Leopold found him and took him in as his pet.
 * Muriel Hill died from old age five years ago.
 * Instead of a pack of dogs chasing Banjo and Crazy Legs, Lazlo and Bubbles chase after Banjo and Crazy Legs, with Lazlo trying to kill Crazy Legs in an act of revenge but fails when Banjo knocks Lazlo out by dropping a flower pot on him.