ShortList 2019: Jon Frickey’s Animated Identity Tale ‘Cat Days’ Began With a Sick Day in Japan
Frickey says he wanted to capture ”the feeling that everyone tells you what you are“ when ”it becomes clear, deep down inside, nope, that’s really not what I am“
For German animator Jon Frickey, “Cat Days,” a playful little tale about a boy discovering who he is began on a sick day in Kyoto and has become…something more.
“Cat Days,” a finalist in TheWrap’s 2019 ShortList Film Festival, follows a boy named Jiro who is diagnosed by a serious-sounding doctor with a flu that can only be contracted by cats. While the doctor doublechecks with a DNA test, Jiro and his father are left wondering if the boy really is a cat and the dad buying books on raising cats to better understand his son.
The idea for the film came in 2012, when Frickey came down with a bad case of the flu when he was living in Japan. While recuperating in the small apartment he rented with some friends, he joked that he had come down with “cat flu” from a cat who howled outside their building every night. That joke stuck with him so much that he decided to make a cartoon out of it.
“Now, on the one hand, the plot is obviously not genuinely Japanese — it could take place anywhere,” Frickey told TheWrap. “But, on the other hand, I wanted to be true to whatever exactly the inspiration for the film was, so I opted for keeping the setting in Japan. Also, of course, it made things much easier. If you have an idea and an atmosphere in your head, and you feel it works, just leave it that way, right?”
Not necessarily. Frickey realized that to stay true to his inspiration, he should probably do the story in Japanese. Fortunately, he found a friend who could translate the script and three native speakers to provide the voices (after an audition at the Japanese School in Hamburg, Germany).
Frickey described Jiro’s personal journey over the course of the 10-minute film as “the feeling that everyone tells you what you are and to you it becomes clear, deep down inside, nope, that’s really not what I am.”
He expects that for many viewers, that tale will be viewed through an LGBT lens. It’s something he welcomes, but wasn’t specifically what he had in mind when developing the film. But recently, that’s all changed.
“My son is 3. He loves pink, bright fingernails and likes wearing dresses,” Frickey said. “But he was just a baby when I started working on the film. So ‘Cat Days’ was not a personal film on that level — at least not at the time. Now it kind of is.”
Watch the film above. Viewers can also screen the films at any time during the festival at Shortlistfilmfestival.com and vote through Aug. 21.
The Scene at ShortList 2018: TheWrap's 7th Annual Short Film Festival (Photos)
TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman and awards editor Steve Pond join the filmmakers featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival at AMC Century City on Thursday.
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Jurors Dana Gill, Jim Cummings, Irene Taylor Brodsky, Jihan Robinson and Rafael Casal at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Weekends" director Trevor Jimenez at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Student director Cecilia Albertini at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Goodnight Show" actress Ellie Dubin and director Charlie Schwan join the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers Cecilia Albertini and Andrea Brusa are featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" film team joins the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Actress Ellie Dubin, who starred in "The Goodnight Show," at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" film team and "Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers David Fortune, Dominique Koski, Aqsa Altaf, Charlie Schwan and Cecilia Albertini.
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"Night Shift" team before the awards ceremony at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Night Shift" actor Calvin Picou at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon joins the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival
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"The Goodnight Show" director Charlie Schwan joins the crowd before the awards ceremony.
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TheWrap team celebrates before the awards ceremony.
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The jurors of the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman kicks off the awards ceremony.
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Sharon Waxman speaks about the selection of short films featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The audience at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival awards ceremony.
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Guests mingle at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers Quran Squire and David Fortune.
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Sharon Waxman welcomes guests to the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky speaks at the jury panel at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Blindspotting" co-writer and star Rafael Casal speaks during the jury panel at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Juror Jihan Robinson, VP of nonfiction programming at Topic Studios, speaks about the short film format.
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"Thunder Road" filmmaker and Shortlist 2016 winner Jim Cummings joined the jury at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" team before the awards ceremony.
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Guests at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Guests converse at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Eleven filmmakers sit down to talk about their projects during the panel and awards ceremony.
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"Z-MAN" director David Fortune speaks about his film during the filmmakers panel.
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa speaks about some of the challenges working with a goat in his film.
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Aqsa Altaf, director of the student short "One Small Step," joins the filmmaker panel.
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Student director Aqsa Altaf speaks abut her film, "One Small Step."
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Filmmakers Randall Christopher, Quran Squire and David Fortune meet up during the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Z-MAN" director David Fortune takes a selfie with Sharon Waxman and filmmaker Quran Squire.
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Sharon Waxman and filmmakers Quran Squire and Marshall Tyler converse during the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Goodnight Show" director Charlie Schwan speaks at the filmmakers panel.
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"Night Shift" director Marshall Tyler speaks about the challenges of making his film, which is set in a bathroom.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon.
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"Night Shift" director Marshall Tyler.
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Program director Landon Zakheim announces the student prize winner, "The Peak."
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TheWrap's awards editor Steve Pond announces the audience prize winner, voted on by the public.
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Co-director Andrea Brusa accepts the audience prize for "Magic Alps."
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa accepts the audience prize on behalf of his co-director, Marco Scotuzzi and the rest of the film's team.
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa with Steve Pond after his win.
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher accepts the industry prize, voted on by the jury.
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"The Driver Is Red," directed by Randall Christopher, is the industry prize winner.
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher with jurors Rafael Casal and Jim Cummings.
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Producer Dominique Koski holds the student prize for "The Peak."
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Director Randall Christopher holds the industry prize for "The Driver Is Red."
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher with Steve Pond.
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Juror Irene Taylor Brodsky after the awards ceremony.
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Juror Jim Cummings and director Randall Christopher at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Sharon Waxman with winners Randall Christopher and Andrea Brusa.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon with guests at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Sharon Waxman with winner and director of "The Driver is Red," Randall Christopher.
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Filmmakers and filmgoers gathered at AMC Century City to celebrate this year’s slate of award-winning shorts
TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman and awards editor Steve Pond join the filmmakers featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival at AMC Century City on Thursday.