The
film
is
a
sequel
to
Cats
&
Dogs
(2001)
which
was
an
amusing
but
largely
forgettable
family
flick
that
had
domestic
canines
and
felines
running
a
secret
war
against
each
other.
In
this
film
the
Cats
and
Dogs
continue
to
be
mortal
enemies
in
a
battle
for
supremacy
among
humans,
and
both
sides
have
secret
organizations
and
technology
at
their
disposal.
A
loose
-cannon
police
dog
named
Diggs
(voice
of
James
Marsden)
is
recruited
by
his
species'
equivalent
of
the
CIA
to
help
stop
a
psychotic
hairless
cat
named
Kitty
Galore
(Bette
Midler).
Kitty
plans
to
deploy
a
weapon
that
will
make
all
dogs
go
crazy,
which
will
cause
their
owners
to
get
rid
of
them,
which
will
enable
cats
to
take
over
their
share
of
the
pet
market.
The
feline
intelligence
agency
wants
to
stop
the
rogue
Kitty,
too,
as
her
actions
would
upset
the
balance
of
power
and
violate
the
rules
of
war,
or
something.
This
leads
to
a
rare
truce
between
cats
and
dogs
so
the
two
sides
can
work
together
and
thwart
their
common
enemy.
Diggs
and
his
gruff
veteran
partner,
Butch
(Nick
Nolte),
are
teamed
with
Catherine
(Christina
Applegate),
a
top
feline
spy.
They
receive
intel
from
a
stool
pigeon
named
Seamus
(Katt
Williams).
They
also
descend
into
a
Silence
of
the
Lambs-ish
prison
to
seek
advice
from
Mr.
Tinkles
(Sean
Hayes),
the
fiendish
feline
villain
from
the
first
Cats
&
Dogs.
The
film
is
mostly
live-action,
the
animals'
faces
digitally
manipulated
to
make
them
talk.
Good
old-fashioned
puppetry
and
newfangled
CGI
are
also
employed
as
needed.
Ron
J.
Friedman
and
Steve
Bencich,
a
duo
that
also
contributed
to
Brother
Bear,
Chicken
Little,
and
Open
Season
have
packed
their
rather
short
screenplay
with
as
many
pet–related
jokes
as
they
could.
A
good
many
of
these
are
corny
and
forced,
but
more
than
a
few
made
me
laugh
outright.
The
plot
is
straight
out
of
the
James
Bond
casebook,
and
the
film
owes
much
of
its
look
and
ideas
to
classic
entries
in
that
franchise,
including
a
villainous
sidekick
akin
to
Jaws
and
Roger
Moore
voicing
the
feline
equivalent
of
M.
However,
too
much
time
is
spent
on
the
wordy
script
and
sly
tributes
to
other
more
adult
films
including
The
Silence
of
the
Lambs,
Terminator
2:
Judgment
Day
and
The
Fly
to
keep
youngsters
entertained
throughout.
But
thanks
to
improvements
in
CGI
and
a
sympathetic
canine
lead
(voiced
by
James
Marsden),
this
is
a
slight
improvement
on
the
original,
with
the
prize
for
the
best
voice
acting
going
to
Bette
Midler,
who
lends
Kitty
a
devilish
rasp
that's
one
of
the
joys
of
the
film.
The
film
succeeds
as
a
moderately
funny
entertainer
but
not
anywhere
closer
to
the
first
part.
However,
one
just
wishes
the
film
was
in
regular
2D
instead
of
cashing
on
the
3D
craze
and
converting
it
to
one!
Cats
and
Dogs:
The
Revenge
of
Kitty
Galore:
Moderately
funny
Rating:
2.5
out
of
5*
Starring:
Voices
of
James
Marsden,
Nick
Nolte,
Christina
Applegate,
Bette
Midler
and
Roger
Moore