Line #146 WesternAnimation/Felidae


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9	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/felidae.png]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:It's FilmNoir....[[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace with cats]]!]]
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12	->''"Greetings and salutations, friends. Sit back in your seats, look hard, and listen, because I've got a story to tell, and it's not going to be pretty."''
13	-->-- '''Francis's opening narration'''. And he's not kidding in the slightest.
14
15	''Felidae'' is the 1994 German animated film [[Literature/{{Felidae}} based upon a book of the same name]] by Akif Pirinçci, a German-Turkish author. Thanks to the internet, the film has gained something of a cult status.
16
17	The story of ''Felidae'' centers on a male cat named Francis (voiced by Creator/UlrichTukur) as he and his owner, Gustav (nicknamed "Gus" by Francis), move into a new home of unknown location. Upon investigating his new home, Francis not only meets the sarcastic Manx stray named Bluebeard (Creator/MarioAdorf), but he also encounters the body of a murdered cat (as Bluebeard points out, it's the fourth murder that occurred in the past few days). It's not long until Francis begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the murdered cats, a strange cult known as the "Claudandus Sect", and the meaning behind the enigma known as "Felidae."
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19	[[AnimationAgeGhetto Despite being an animated film,]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids it is]] ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids definitely]]'' [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids not for kids]]. The film contains [[{{Gorn}} graphic violence]], [[DerangedAnimation disturbing images]], adult language, and cat sex. Yes, ''cat sex''.
20	----
21	!!''Felidae'' provides examples of:
22
23	* AbandonedLaboratory: [[spoiler: Gus and Francis' house was used as a small-scale research lab with cats as the test subjects.]]
24	* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: In the book, Solitaire is killed [[spoiler:for more or less the same reasons that the local tomcats have been killed...because the male Felidae have been going around and mating with "impure" females; it's suggested that Solitaire was one such female and that not all of the kittens were Kong's.]] In the movie, only Nhozemphtekh is shown, giving the implication that all the murders were because regular male cats tried to mate with her and other female Felidae, making Solitaire's death look pointless.
25	* AdaptedOut: Rosalie (Preterius's wife) and Felicity's unnamed owner are absent from the film.
26	* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Pascal, who acts very friendly towards Francis and even seems to help him, despite being the cat version of a militant [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics Eugenicist]]]].
27
28	* AdaptationalDyeJob: Quite a lot.
29	** The books imply Francis is a tabby (though [[RetCon later books would backpedal on this]] [[RetCanon and make him bicolored just like the movie]]), but he's bicolored in the movie.
30	** Felicity's eyes are green in the book, but blue in the film.
31	** Kong is described as having long white fur all over his body, with the exception of his head, legs and tail which are black. His eyes are also blue. In the movie, his fur is primarily orange, while his head has varying shades of brown. His eyes are also now yellow.
32	** In the books, Bluebeard's fur color is a mix of black, beige, yellow, brown, grey, and red, while in the movie, he's bicolored.
33	** Pepeline was black and white in the book. Here, she's white.
34	* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude:
35	** These are some ''smart'' cats, able to perfectly understand humans, read, and work a computer. It's mentioned, however, that all of these things take some time and practice to learn, and some cats don't bother learning anything past human speech. [[NecessaryWeasel This intelligence is kind of required for a murder mystery, anyway.]]
36	** Francis is shown as being [[TheSmartGuy extremely smart]], even among other such [[AmplifiedAnimalAptitude smart cats]], though his finding of the [[spoiler: "Felidae" data in the computer]] may seem a bit of a stretch to some viewers. The whole issue is much clearer in the book, as Pascal actually spends some time teaching Francis how the computer is used, and [[spoiler: the data for the "Felidae" project was stored close to the catalog of neighborhood cats.]] Also, it's heavily implied both in the book and in the movie that [[spoiler: Claudandus ''wanted'' Francis to find those files because he wants Francis [[PassingTheTorch to be his successor]].]]
37	** The cats are also shown to choose what they wish to learn based on their interests. Francis is quite intrigued in the movie and first book by Pascal's use of a computer, and in the second book by Ambrosius being able to not only read, but ''write'' by dipping his claws in ink and carefully scratching the letters onto paper.
38	* AnimalsLackAttributes: Despite the sex, violence, and casual talk of male anatomy, played straight most of the time. A few cats, however (such as Bluebeard) have sketched anuses, perhaps to emphasize their earthier nature.
39	* AnimalTalk: The cats can communicate with each other and understand humans. Humans, however, can't understand them, and are completely oblivious to the murder mystery scenario. [[spoiler: Claudandus was actually able to talk to Preterius by imitating human language, though.]]
40	* AnimalTesting: Dear Lord. Like the murders weren't horrible fuel enough. Francis comes across a tape of a perfectly healthy cat, shown meowing and struggling, [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable being bolted to a table]] and having its head cut open to test a new "glue" for wounds. Said glue ''eats through its skull into its brain while it is conscious'' as the scientist impartially narrates and observes its dying twitches. Enough to give anyone nightmares (and check that your own pets are where you left them). As if that wasn't enough, most of the cats in Francis' neighborhood are mangled by the lab's experiments -- Felicity is blinded, Bluebeard has a withered paw, [[spoiler:and Claudandus goes insane]].
41	%%* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Claudandus/Pascal, once his backstory is revealed]].
42	* AnyoneCanDie: [[ForegoneConclusion Francis]] and [[spoiler: Bluebeard]] survive, but other than that, the book/film doesn't discriminate much, whether you're [[spoiler:the BigBad (Claudandus/Pascal), TheDragon (Joker), a DirtyOldMan (Deep Purple), a pregnant female (Solitaire), or arguably the most sympathetic character (Felicity).]]
43	* ArcWords: The title is brought up in conversations a couple of times. [[spoiler: Including the name of the breeding/genetics program Claudandus is running.]]
44	* ArtStyleDissonance: For a movie with extreme violence and a rather jaded tone, the art direction is pretty cartoonish.
45	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Preterius, the mad doctor that experimented on many cats, is eventually killed when a deranged Claudandus shreds his throat open]].
46	%%* AwardBaitSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYCr2B6QH2I Felidae]] by Boy George
47	* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Claudandus deliberately stops hiding his victims in order to lead Francis to discovering his scheme and eventually becoming his successor. The first part of the plan succeeds, the second fails.]] Might also contain elements of XanatosSpeedChess. Since the whole plan ''completely'' relies on the completely contingent element of [[spoiler: Francis ''deciding'' to take over Claudandus' position (which he refuses)]], it might even qualify as OutGambitted.
48	* BattleAmongstTheFlames: The final confrontation between Francis and [[spoiler: Claudandus AKA Pascal]] has this due to [[spoiler:Claudandus knocking over a computer monitor]]
49	* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Subverted. Claudandus was the real personality the whole time, he only used his Pascal persona to follow through with his plans, which he drops during his fight with Francis once he's been found out.]]
50	* BewareTheNiceOnes:
51	** Francis: Smart and loyal, he comes to care about the cats around him. [[spoiler:And a murderous fighter when finally cornered by Claudandus.]]
52	** Pascal: Intelligent, literate, soft-spoken, eager to help, [[spoiler:eugenicist, mass murderer.]]
53	* BigBad: [[spoiler:Claudandus, AKA Pascal, is behind all the killings, and behind a genetics program that wants to undo domestication]].
54	* BigEater: Bluebeard, more so in the film, especially after the catacomb scene. "All I want is a hot meal beside a warm fire. What I want is codfiissssshhh..."
55	%%* BloodierAndGorier: Than the book. %% Zero Context Example
56	%%* BittersweetEnding: The movie falls under this. The book's ending is slightly darker, but still manages to avoid DownerEnding status. %% Zero Context Example
57	* BodyHorror: The fate that many cats had to suffer under Dr. Preterius, [[spoiler: including Claudandus/Pascal]].
58	* BodyOfBodies: The NightmareSequence Gregor Mendel forms amidst a massive mound of dead cats.
59	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Francis's story is being narrated to us, the readers/viewers.
60	%%* TheBully: Kong and the Hermanns [[spoiler: until the death of Kong's dam, Solitaire.]] (How are they acting like bullies?)
61	* CatsAreSnarkers: Francis and Bluebeard snark a lot during their conversations, even when dealing with potential foes.
62	* CharactersAsDevice: The kitten Pepeline, whose purpose is to reveal that [[spoiler:Claudandus is still alive.]] Though her character is more fleshed out in the book. She doesn't even share her name in the movie at all!
63	* ChildrenAreInnocent: Pepeline, who CannotTellALie. [[spoiler: She provides the clue that Claudandus is in fact alive, and that if Joker is not Claudandus, he at least knows his real/fake identity.]]
64	* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Ziebold. Not only he's Dr. Preterius' former assistant but also the person that saved [[strike:Pascal]] Claudandus from the lab as well as his current owner. He is also obsessed with Gregor Mendel, which is where Claudandus got his idea in the first place -- and the final clue for Francis to tie in that Claudandus IS Pascal, and yet he's TheFaceless]].
65	* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Claudandus/Pascal, given his genetics program that he is working on, and it is actually working]].
66	* CloudCuckooLander: Isaiah, the guardian of the dead. [[spoiler: His information provides several hints to solving the mystery, including a connection between Joker and Claudandus.]] He is a more sympathetic example than most. He's spent his whole life believing that he was destined to guard the dead. When Francis come, Isaiah thinks Francis is going to kill him because Isaiah believes that he has sinned for going outside. Also, there's this line when Francis is asking Isaiah questions about the dead bodies he received-
67	--> Francis: Were there any that were pregnant?
68	--> Isaiah: Many... oh yes, many...
69	* CoolOldGuy: Pascal is incredibly smart, friendly, and charismatic, and seems genuinely interested in helping find the killer. [[spoiler:Which is himself.]]
70	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Felicity, with her neck bitten ''and'' her head torn off. Solitaire, with her neck bitten ''and'' her womb opened, spilling out the amniotic fluid, sack and fetuses of the pregnant cat, and Claudandus AKA Pascal, with his body opened, eviscerating him. That last one, however, borders on being a [[KarmicDeath Karmic Death]]]]
71	* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: [[spoiler: Pascal/Claudandus has his throat slit in the book. In the movie, he's eviscerated.]]
72	* {{Cult}}: The Claudandus Sect, built around [[spoiler:Claudandus as a messianic figure that ascended to heaven following Preterius' experiments. Truth is Claudandus is actually alive.]]
73	* DarkMessiah: [[spoiler:Claudandus/Pascal. Claudandus is presented as a messianic figure by Joker to the Claudandus Sect, and as a possible savior. Claudandus, as Pascal, is trying to save cats, but has to kill many for his genetics program to work]].
74	* DeathOfAChild: Dams and their kittens die all over the place.
75	* DepravedBisexual: Kong, who comes across as '''very''' aggressively gay in his first appearance, but is later revealed to have been the mate of a female murder victim.
76	* DerangedAnimation:
77	** Francis's psychedelic dream of Gregor Mendel using thousands of cat corpses as marionettes takes the cake.
78	** There's that dream he has in the beginning in which Francis meets Professor Preterius.
79	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
80	** [[spoiler:Claudandus]]'s plans to create a race of "genetically perfect" cats while murdering those he considers to be inferior. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Sound familiar?]]
81	** In one dream, after seeing a film about a scientist creating a race of "super-cats" Francis sees {{God}}/The {{Ubermensch}}, who calls himself "Felidae," meaning all of catkind, as gold/blonde-haired and lapis/blue eyes. DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything
82	** In this movie, the mysterious Felidae cats are essentially a stand-in for "Aryans".
83	** Dr. Preterius' horrific experiments on the cats bear more than a passing resemblance to those carried out on humans by Josef Mengele.
84	** The concept of "Felidae" seems close to Nietzsche's "Ubermensch" (Super-Man).
85	* {{Dubbing}}: The film was dubbed in English simultaneously which was obviously done to help it reach a wider audience.
86	* EldritchAbomination: Gregor Mendel in Francis' infamous dream. The book somehow makes it ''even worse.''
87	* ElectricTorture: Used on the cats by the Claudandus cult. It's seen by certain cats as a way to "see who's chicken".
88	* EvilutionaryBiologist: Preterius, and [[spoiler:his subject, Claudandus. Particularly the latter given his breeding/genetics program he was running]]
89	* EvolutionaryLevels: Claudandus seems to think he's helping to create a "superior" breed of cats.
90	* TheFaceless: None of the humans in the film are shown above their shoulders. Except:
91	** In Francis' first dream, where Dr Preterius is shown, albeit with a black hole and demonic eyes for a face.
92	** In the video footage hidden in the basement, which shows Dr Preterius and his two assistants fully. And even then, Preterius is the only one who is seen ''unmasked''.
93	* FallenHero: [[spoiler:Claudandus is seen as a Hero and a Messiah figure (not a MessianicArchetype though) by the Claudandus Sect. Might be interpreted as fallen from the viewers/readers point of view when we find out his [[TraumaCongaline backstory]] -- Although by then, he has gone far from being a WellIntentionedExtremist]].
94	* FantasticRacism:
95	** Bluebeard often refers to humans as "Can-Openers", and thinks the only thing mankind is good at is opening cans of food for cats.
96	** Also, [[spoiler:Claudandus wants to create a master race of cats to overthrow the humans]].
97	** Felicity mentions that cats can adapt to anything save a dog kennel.
98	** Bluebeard complains at one point about a new breed of cats moving in and taking over the neighborhood.
99	** As it turns out, [[spoiler: the new breed is specifically being bred to lose its domestic nature and overthrow humans one day. After the mastermind's death, though, the newcomers begin to integrate with the other cats more, losing their ferocity while it's still in its early stages.]]
100	* FatAndSkinny: Francis' owner Gustav, and his (only) friend Archie.
101	* FinalSpeech:
102	--> [[spoiler:'''Claudandus''': ''So much darkness in the world, so much darkness, Francis. No light. Only darkness. [[KnightTemplar And there is always someone who will take it upon himself]]. Always. Always. Always. [[HeelRealization I have become evil,]] [[FallenHero but once I, too, was good...]]'']]
103	** Which can be interpreted as both regret of how his life [[StartOfDarkness turned out to be after]] [[TraumaCongaLine being the subject of Preterius' experiments]] and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo justification for his actions]].
104	* FreeRangePets: The cats' owners are almost nonexistent.
105	* FreudianExcuse: The reason [[spoiler:Claudandus, AKA Pascal]] commits murders is because of experimentation by Dr. Preterius.
106	* ForegoneConclusion: Based on the opening narration, the readers/viewers already know that Francis will make it out alive in the end.
107	* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler: Claudandus, AKA Pascal, given that he was a lowly stray cat that was experimented on and became the BigBad]].
108	* {{Gonk}}:
109	** Kong is approximately three times larger than any other cat in the film, has a lower jaw that juts out extremely far, and looks more like a cross between a bear and a buffalo than a cat. His henchmen, Herrmann and Herrmann, also qualify to some degree.
110	** One of the Herrmanns has crossed eyes. The book explains that both Herrmanns are Oriental Shorthair mutants, and crossed eyes used to be fairly common among many Oriental breeds, [[JustifiedTrope justifying]] Herrmann's appearance.
111	* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: Felicity is very open, savvy enough to ask 'friend or foe?' when a stranger drops in, but accepts the answer at face value. She also has little memory of the experiment that blinded her, so she considers humanity as a whole to be good. [[spoiler:And then she meets soft-spoken Pascal - the most prominent subject of Preterius' experiments - for the last time.]]
112	* {{Gorn}}: Relatively rare, but a few scenes gallop straight across this line. [[spoiler:Particularly true of Felicity's beheading, Solitare having the kittens gutted out of her, and Claudandus' evisceration by Francis at the end.]]
113	* GrumpyOldMan: Deep Purple. He ends up being the fifth victim, and an essential clue to the link of the murders.
114	* GuttedLikeAFish: [[spoiler: This is how Francis finished off Claudandus in the movie. In the book, Francis bit Claudandus' jugular vein.]]
115	* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason why [[spoiler: Felicity was killed.]]
116	* HollywoodAcid: [[spoiler: The InfoDump experiment log states that the acid in the skin-glue Doctor Preterius was working on was strong enough to dissolve bone, and completely destroyed the brain of the first test subject.]]
117	* HollywoodAtheist: [[spoiler: Subverted. Claudandus is a misotheist.]]
118	* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler: Claudandus/Pascal tells Francis that he had no choice but to kill in order for his breeding program to succeed]].
119	* IHaveManyNames: In one of Francis's dreams, he sees a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything golden cat with blue eyes]]. "I'm the Prophet, I'm the Human, I'm the Beast, and I am also... [[TitleDrop Felidae]]."
120	* InformedAbility: Bluebeard is a feline equivalent of a war veteran, with a bobbed tail, bad eye and lame paw - and one DeathGlare from him is enough to get Kong, easily twice his size, to back right down. However, we never actually see him fight except [[spoiler:when Claudandus ambushes and disables him with a neck-bite without him so much as raising a paw.]]
121	* InsufferableGenius: Bluebeard considers Francis this, but the truth is that Francis is more a WideEyedIdealist that genuinely wants to solve the murder mystery and stop the killing in his neighborhood.
122	* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler: Claudandus kills Felicity, a completely innocent, crippled cat, just to make the case personal to Francis.]]
123	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Likewise, [[CatsAreMean huge, hulking, bully Kong]] is shown to have [[HiddenDepths something of a soft side]] when he [[spoiler:mourns the death of his pregnant mate, Solitaire]].
124	* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler:Claudandus]] to Francis when he finally discovers who the killer is.
125	* KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade: [[spoiler:Joker is killed, as it is possible he would reveal the truth behind Claudandus.]]
126	* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler: Poor Felicity is killed ostensibly to prevent Francis from getting more clues - when in reality, it's to make it personal to him, and assure that he follows the case to its conclusion.]]
127	* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:Claudandus]] presents himself like this, especially in the book, to justify [[spoiler:his breeding/genetics program.]]
128	* LargeHam: Joker, as the prophet and leader of the Claudandus sect is prone to histrionics, more so in the German version.
129	* LetMeTellYouAStory: The framing device around the entire plot. The opening narration by Francis tells the audience that he's going to be describing the murder mystery as a story, "[A]nd it's not going to be pretty."
130	* MadScientist: Preterius. Though, he's more of a rambling drunken scientist as his failures on his research piled on and on.
131	* MadeOfPlasticine: The cats get ripped apart rather easily, it seems. This is most obvious in the climax when [[spoiler: the BigBad gets his entire guts and ribs ripped open from a single claw across the stomach, though Francis reopened the scar from when Preterius vivisected Claudandus. Several times. His stomach was practically paper-thin by then.]]
132	* MadnessMantra:
133	** "HYBRID PLANT EXPERIMENTS!" Dream Gregor raves out this while controlling undead marionette cats.
134	** In the novel, there's the Deep Purple nightmare sequence. "Get them to prescribe some pills for immortality and creams for potency! For potency! For potency! For potency!" Now imagine kittens being pulled out of his torn throat and slammed against the wall.
135	* ManOfWealthAndTaste: [[spoiler:Ziebold, Pascal's owner and former assistant to Preterius is described as such, with a very posh loft, fancy paintings and whatnot.]]
136	* MasterRace: [[spoiler: Claudandus/Pascal believes that the only superior life forms are "the wonderful, mighty Felidae", and that others are "stupid and victims of their fate."]]
137	%%* MatureAnimalStory
138	* MeaningfulName:
139	** Felicity means "great happiness".
140	** Kong is, well, gigantic.
141	** Claudandus is the Latin for "he who must be closed". [[spoiler:Closing him -- [[BodyHorror literally]] -- was what Preterius was trying to do.]]
142	* MotiveRant: Quite a lengthy one, in which [[spoiler:Claudandus details how HumansAreBastards, and why he created [[MasterRace Felidae]] in order to overthrown humans]]. This is more prevalent in the book.
143	* {{Mutants}}: Out of all the cats experimented on by Dr. Preterius, only [[spoiler:Claudandus]] survived exposure to the doctor's healing glue. Preterius theorized that [[spoiler:Claudandus]] is a mutant, with some unique genetic factor allowing his body to respond positively to the glue. Unfortunately, Preterius' tortuous attempts to crack the cat's genetic code and replicate the mutation only succeed in giving [[spoiler:Claudandus]] a murderous hatred for humans.
144	* ANaziByAnyOtherName:
145	** [[spoiler:Claudandus, since he tries to create a master race of cats and is willing to kill for it.]]
146	** The book is a bit more nuanced, because the motivations and origins of [[spoiler:Claudandus]] are explained in more depth. Depending on your perspective, he is [[WellIntentionedExtremist simply trying his best to make cats strong enough so they'll never be test subjects to any human again.]]
147	* NecessarilyEvil: [[spoiler:Claudandus]] sees himself as this, stating that [[spoiler:"I was forced to kill, Francis -- I had no choice -- to preserve the racial purity that this new Felidae required."]]
148	* NietzscheWannabe: [[spoiler: Claudandus. Just read his rant about how HumansAreBastards]]. And while certainly acting as a NietzscheWannabe up to his final confrontation with Francis, the meaning behind his FinalSpeech is open for debate - was it a HeelRealization?
149	* NightmareDreams: Francis has several of them, ranging from heavily symbolic to heavily disturbing.
150	* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: How Felicity is found.]]
151	* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler: Claudandus's original intention towards Francis.]]
152	* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Francis guesses the password on Pascal's computer fairly easily -- it's [[spoiler:Preterius, the name of the scientist whose experiments set Claudandus/Pascal down the path of evil.]]
153	* PlayingWithSyringes: The film features a lab that is pure horror, as a scientist has SanitySlippage and begins doing experiments on stray cats, [[{{Gorn}} cutting the cats open]] [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable on the examination table]] as they screech in agony, in order to test a HealingFactor-inducing paste. The BigBad turns out to be [[spoiler:Claudandus, a cat who survived the repeated vivisections -- because he was the only test subject on whom the paste even ''worked''.]]
154	* PoeticSerialKiller: [[spoiler: Claudandus' philosophy is rather nihilistic though, since it involves wiping his own race as it currently exist so a new stronger MasterRace can rise from its ashes.]]
155	* PopStarComposer: The score was done by Art of Noise member (and Academy Award winning composer) Anne Dudley.
156	* PosthumousCharacter :
157	** [[spoiler: Dr. Preterius, especially in the book.]]
158	** Claudandus [[spoiler: [[FakingTheDead until you find out not only he's alive]], but also the BigBad.]]
159	* PsychicDreamsForEveryone:
160	** The main characters are cats so spend a lot of time sleeping and tend to get [[RealDreamsAreWeirder cryptic, or occasionally downright weird, dreams that may or may not predict something]] (mostly they do) or give them odd ideas. Generally speaking the cats in the Felidae books ''believe'' in the power of dreams and Francis is no exception.
161	** In the film and first book, [[spoiler: it is revealed that Pascal purposefully gave Francis most of his dreams, presumably through subliminal suggestion.]] No explanation is given in later books.[[note]]It's generally considered poor practice to use dreams as a guide in mystery stories, which may be why later books use even more surreal imagery than the first - it gives the impression that thinking about the case is what's causing Francis's nightmares.[[/note]]
162	* {{Pun}}: '''Cat'''acombs. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Bluebeard in the English dub of the film. "If that's a joke..."
163	* RecycledInSpace: It's a FilmNoir '''WITH CATS!'''
164	* RedOniBlueOni: Francis (blue) and Bluebeard (red). They argue several times in the movie but are otherwise good friends with one another.
165	* ReligionOfEvil: The cult of Claudandus, at first glance. [[spoiler: It's rather innocuous in the end, but provides cover for Claudandus to run his breeding program because everyone believes he's dead.]]
166	* SanitySlippage:
167	** Dr. Preterius. The descent from a sympathetic scientist who just wanted to achieve something, to a belligerent, insane man is more prevalent in the novel.
168	** [[spoiler: Claudandus/Pascal has a minor burst of insanity. See VillainousBreakdown]].
169	* SecretKeeper : [[spoiler: Joker. Who is well aware about the truth behind Preterius and his experiments, that Claudandus is alive, responsible for the murders, the reasons behind 'em and his other identity. He even willing accepts dying at the teeth of Claudandus to keep the secret safe when Francis starts closing in on him.]]
170	* {{Sexophone}}: Used during Nhozemptekh's introduction (otherwise known as the "cat sex scene"), and is quite appropriate for her enigmatic, mysterious nature. A feline {{femme fatale}} [[spoiler:very literally, considering most that encounter her don't live to tell the tale.]]
171	* SexualEuphemism: When Francis uses the term "fornication" to note the similarities between Sascha and Deep Purple's deaths, Bluebeard replies, [[DeadpanSnarker "Back in my day, we use to call it screwing."]]
172	* SherlockScan: Francis is a master of this. The crowner has to be when he finds [[spoiler:Joker's corpse. One scan from afar tells him that he was not murdered, he was ''executed'' - and willingly walked into the jaws of his executioner, Claudandus.]]
173	* ShoutOut: Gregor Mendel and his theories of genetics are a big part of the plot, to the point he's almost a PosthumousCharacter. (And he's absolutely terrifying in Francis' dreams.)
174	* SinisterMinister: Joker, who is one of the leaders of the "Claudandus Sect". He's well-aware of what's really going on and [[spoiler:he allows Claudandus to kill him to prevent the secret from being revealed.]]
175	* SlasherSmile: One of the Hermanns' always carries this.
176	%%* StrawLoser: Gustav to Francis. Deep down, however, Francis really does care for his clumsy owner.
177	* SuperBreedingProgram: [[spoiler: Claudandus/Pascal plans to breed cats back to their original, ferocious form. He eliminates those that get in the ways of his plans]].
178	* TaxonomicTermConfusion: Pascal says "the genus Felidae" when referring to cats. "Felidae" is the name of the cat ''family''; the cat ''genus'' is ''Felis''.
179	* TestOfPain: Several initiates of [[{{Cult}} the Claudandus Sect]] are shown being subjected to ElectricTorture, seemingly to the point of death, but more likely to unconsciousness. According to Kong, the ritual is used to "see who's chicken" (ie, to weed out cowards from the ranks). It's implied that nonbelievers dare each other to undergo the ritual as well.
180	* ToiletHumor: Bluebeard cracks wise quite frequently about his bodily functions. When he marks territory (i.e. urinates on a house) he says, "Bluebeard was here," so the audience knows why he's doing it. This is done ''twice'', just to make sure everyone gets it.
181	* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: Felicity, a kind and blind cat, is killed just to obfuscate Francis and give him a personal reason to pursue the murderer.]]
182	* TokenEvilTeammate: Kong. He almost ''kills'' Francis at one point.
183	* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: While his actions ''as'' a villain are unambiguously horrid and unjustifiable, absolutely nothing that turned Claudandus ''into'' a villain is actually his fault. His existence was initially every bit as benign as any cat's could be; he was a stray who was taken in by people who just so happened to be performing horrible experiments on cats just like him, and had to endure more of them than many of the other cats involved solely from the misfortune of ''surviving'' everything the scientists put him through. Preterius's own descent into madness killed all hope of him ever being treated any better by his caregivers, and by the time he was free he could feel nothing but animosity towards people because of everything he'd been through, driving him to murder Preterius and start his entire scheme to ethnically cleanse his own species. Even in his last moments, he implies that he doesn't like what he became and looked back more fondly on the point of his life when he was still a good individual.]]
184	* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: When Francis says that not all humans are evil, the Pascal persona finally drops to reveal Claudandus in all his insanity. "'No! No! No!' Claudandus bellowed, his eyes burning with impotent rage and hate. 'There are no good people! They're all the same! Don't you understand that?! Animals are good people, and human beings are bad animals!'"]]
185	* VitriolicBestBuds: Francis and Bluebeard. They're complete opposites: One an earthy combat veteran, one a cultured and literate intellectual. Bluebeard calls Francis a 'Klugscheißer' (smartass) right from the first meeting, and by the end of the mystery [[spoiler:after he saves Bluebeard from the burning house]], Francis enthusiastically adopts the nickname.
186	* TheWatson: Bluebeard becomes this in the movie, so that Francis can explain his discoveries to him instead of having to narrate his thoughts all the time.
187	* WeHardlyKnewYe:
188	** [[spoiler: Felicity, who was killed off after only a few minutes of screentime.]]
189	** Also showing up alive only once is [[spoiler:Father Joker]], though he allowed himself to be executed.
190	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, we never get to see what happens to any of the side characters (it's possible that Francis's "new friend" is Nhozemptekh, but the character design is slightly different so this is unlikely). The novel subverts this by giving information in the epilogue. It's at least implied in the movie that [[spoiler: Bluebeard]] survived, though not confirmed.
191	* WickedCultured: [[spoiler:Pascal/Claudandus fits this to a T. Surrounded by fine art and classical music, uses a modern (for the time) computer, eats only the finest sweetmeats, friendly and helpful...and a mass murderer.]]
192	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Arguably [[spoiler:Claudandus]]. He only [[spoiler:developed his insane plan after being tortured by Preterius]]. The "Destroyer of Worlds" part is much more present here than the "Woobie" part though. Also, this trope is more present in the book than in the movie.
193	----
194	->''"Bluebeard was here."''

Context WesternAnimation / Felidae