Watch Top Cat Begins

Top Cat Begins is a 2015 animated film, directed by Andres Couturier, which serves as an origin story for the iconic Hanna-Barbera character, Top Cat. The movie features the voices of Jason Harris, Chris Edgerly, and Bill Lobley, amongst others. The movie begins by introducing the audience to Top Cat (voiced by Jason Harris) as a young alley cat, living in the streets of the city. In this version of the story, Top Cat is an orphan, forced to fend for himself against the other tough street cats in the neighborhood. Despite his meager beginnings, Top Cat demonstrates an innate sense of leadership and charisma, which catches the attention of Officer Dibble (voiced by Bill Lobley).

Officer Dibble, a kind-hearted police officer who patrols the alleys of the city, takes pity on Top Cat and tries to take him under his wing. However, Top Cat is too street-wise to be fooled by the kind officer's naïve optimism. Instead, Top Cat decides to strike out on his own, with the help of his closest friends: Benny (voiced by Chris Edgerly), Brain (voiced by Bill Lobley), Choo Choo (voiced by Jason Harris), and Fancy-Fancy (voiced by Chris Edgerly). The group becomes Top Cat's closest confidents and accomplices.

As Top Cat begins to establish a foothold in the city's criminal underground, he draws the attention of Lou Strickland (voiced by Jason Harris), the owner of the city's largest fish market. Strickland sees Top Cat as a threat to his business and seeks to have him eliminated. Strickland hires his enforcer, Griswald (voiced by Bill Lobley), to take care of Top Cat for good.

Throughout the movie, Top Cat and his gang must outsmart and outmaneuver Griswald and Strickland's thugs in a series of thrilling and action-packed chases and schemes. Meanwhile, Top Cat begins to realize that his criminal ways are not sustainable in the long term. He begins to question if there might be another way to survive in the city, one that doesn't involve breaking the law.

The movie also delves into Top Cat's backstory, revealing how he became an orphan and how he met his closest friends. Fans of the original series will recognize several familiar faces and locations from the original series, including the fish market and Top Cat's alleyway HQ. The movie also features plenty of witty one-liners and humorous sight gags that will have audiences laughing throughout.

Overall, Top Cat Begins is a fun and entertaining film that should appeal to fans of the original series as well as younger viewers who are new to the character. The movie succeeds in bringing Top Cat and his friends to life in a new way, while also honoring the spirit of the original series. So, it can be a good family movie for a lazy weekend.

Top Cat Begins is a 2017 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.3.