The Indisputable Leader of the Gang

Via Jerry Beck, while some classic cartoon characters are still struggling to get people to notice them again, Top Cat appears to have his own all-animated feature film. It’s a Flash-animated 3D film from Mexico, where the Top Cat show has always been much more popular than in English-speaking North America.

Oddly, the U.S. show Hanna-Barbera ripped off to make Top Cat is also more popular outside the U.S.: syndication of The Phil Silvers Show was huge in the UK, not so much in the U.S. or Canada. Maybe there’s something about these lovable-loser con men that make them more beloved outside their own country? You’re better off in the U.S. if you’re just a loser (Ralph Kramden/Fred Flintstone) with no con man abilities.