Fritz the Cat

"Why does a great actor like James Earl Jones always have to play black men?" Advertised with the tagline "He's X-Rated and Animated!," Fritz the Cat was, in fact, the first X-rated animated film upon its release in 1972. However, the film is by no means pornographic - far from it, in fact. Ralph Bakshi's masterpiece seems to have mellowed with age, to the point that it is barely more offensive than South Park (although it is still not child-friendly by any measure). Filled with clever satire, Fritz the Cat is based on the comic series by Robert Crumb, which features the various adventures of the titular anthropomorphic cat, Fritz, a college student in New York City during the late 1960s. Tired of the banality of life at college, Fritz decides to strike out on his own to see the country. Along the way, he has all sorts of various misadventures, including orgies (more hilarious than one would think), run-ins with the police (portrayed, quite literally, as pigs, one of whom is Jewish!), starting a riot in Harlem (which leads to an Air Force bombing raid), and getting involved with domestic terrorists.
Although some of the humor may pass over the heads of Gentile (non-Jewish) viewers, Fritz has aged fairly well, although it does seem a bit dated at times. Still, Fritz the Cat is an excellent film that fans of animation with a sense of humor will adore. Oh, and the soundtrack is AMAZING.

Rating: 3.5/4