The Adventures of Milo and Otis#Video game adaptation

The film opens on Nippon Farm, with a mother cat who has given birth to kittens. One of the kittens is named Milo, {{nihongo|Chatran|チャトラン|Chatoran|literally Brown Tiger}} in the Japanese version, and has a habit of being too curious and getting himself into trouble. He finds a pug puppy named Otis, {{nihongo|Poosky|プー助|Pūsuke}} in the Japanese version, and they soon become friends. When Milo is hiding inside a box floating in the river, it breaks loose from the dock, and he accidentally drifts downstream. Otis runs after Milo, who himself goes on many adventures, escaping one obstacle after another.

Milo encounters a bear, escapes from a raven and Deadwood Swamp, steals a dead muskrat from a fox, follows a railroad called Nippon Bearway to the home of a deer who shelters him, sleeps in a nest with an owl, stays for a while with a pig and her piglets, catches a fish and is robbed of it by a raccoon, is mobbed by seagulls, and evades another bear, then a snake, before falling into a deep pit.

For his part, Otis follows Milo throughout, usually only an hour behind and less than a mile out of range. Finally, the two catch up with one another. While Milo is in the hole, Otis pulls him out by means of a rope. Milo and Otis are reunited, and soon find mates of their own: Joyce, a white cat, for Milo; and Sondra, a French pug, for Otis. Afterward, they briefly part ways and raise offspring of their own. Later, Milo, Otis, Joyce, and Sondra (along with their litters) happily find their way back together through the forest to their farm as the credits roll.

All characters are voiced by the narrator, Shigeru Tsuyuki (Japanese) and Dudley Moore (English).

• Milo (Chatran)
• Otis (Poosky)
• Milo's mother (Chatran's mother)
• Gloria
• Frog
• Gloria's chick
• Bears
• Raven
• Sea Turtle
• Fox
• Deer
• Owl
• Pig
• Raccoon
• Seagulls
• Snake
• Joyce
• some of her kittens
• Sondra
• some of her puppies

Director Masanori Hata and associate director Kon Ichikawa edited the film together from 74 hours of footage ({{convert|400,000|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}} of film), shot over a period of four years.

The original Japanese soundtrack, released as The Adventures of Chatran: Original Soundtrack, was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto and included {{nihongo|"Koneko Monogatari"|子猫物語|}}, a theme song performed by Keiko Yoshinaga. During the promotion of the film in Japan, the song {{nihongo|"Neko Jita Gokoro mo Koi no Uchi"|猫舌ごころも恋のうち||"My Heart Has a Dislike for Love", lit. I with a cat tongue heart toward romance}}, originally recorded by Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi for the Fuji TV anime series High School Kimengumi, was used in commercials for the film.{{cite AV media |date=June 27, 1986 |script-title=ja:子猫物語|trans-title= Koneko Monogatari|language= ja|publisher= Fujisankei }} From the film credits.

The musical score for the English-language version was composed by Michael Boddicker. Music was borrowed from Elmer Bernstein's score to To Kill a Mockingbird (specifically the two cues, "Roll in the Tire" and "Peekaboo" with minor changes in the music), and John Williams' score to The Witches of Eastwick. The song "Walk Outside", written by Dick Tarrier, is performed by Dan Crow in the opening shots and end credits.

The English-language version of the film also contained music by classical composers including:

• "Soldier's Dance" from William Tell - Gioachino Rossini
• "Serenade" - Franz Schubert
• Appalachian Spring - Aaron Copland
• "Of Foreign Lands and People" from Scenes from Childhood - Robert Schumann
• King Cotton - John Philip Sousa
• "Auf dem Wasser zu singen", D 774 - Franz Schubert
• "The Elephant" from The Carnival of the Animals - Camille Saint-Saens
• "People with Long Ears" from The Carnival of the Animals - Camille Saint-Saëns
• "Dialogue Between the Wind and the Waves" from La Mer - Claude Debussy
• Perpetuum Mobile, Op. 257 - Johann Strauss, Jr.
• "How Beautifully Blue the Sky" - Gilbert and Sullivan
• Waltz No. 16 in A-flat Major, Op. posth. - Frédéric Chopin
• Impromptu in B-flat - Franz Schubert
• "Berceuse" from Dolly Suite, Op. 56 - Gabriel Fauré
• "Bourrée" from Terpsichore - Michael Praetorius
• Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 - Edvard Grieg
• "Symphony in D Minor" - César Franck
• Flute Sonata in E-Flat Major, BWV 1031 - Johann Sebastian Bach
• "Petrushka's Cell" from "Petrushka" by Igor Stravinsky

In 1986, to tie in with the original Japanese version of the film, a video game was released for the Japan-exclusive Famicom Disk System.{{cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18368|script-title=ja:子猫物語 まとめ [ファミコン]|trans-title=Koneko Monogatari on the Famicom |access-date=April 30, 2018|publisher=Famitsu.com|archive-date=May 1, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501164942/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18368|language=ja}}

The film was shown during the film market at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival before opening on 200 screens in Japan on July 12, 1986.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Film Reviews: Koneko Monogatari|last=Segers|first=Frank|page=25|date=May 21, 1986}}{{cite magazine|magazine=Daily Variety|title=Pet Pic To Unseat 'Rocky IV' At Japan B.O.|last=Segers|first=Frank|page=9|date=July 24, 1986}}

It was the number-one Japanese film on the domestic market in 1986, earning {{¥|5.4 billion}} in distribution income that year.{{cite web|url=http://www.eiren.org/toukei/1986.html|title=Kako haikyū shūnyū jōi sakuhin 1986-nen|publisher=Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan|language=ja|access-date=5 February 2011}} It grossed a total of {{¥|9.8 billion}} ($90,822,000) in Japan.{{cite news |script-title=ja:歴代興収ベスト100 |trans-title=All-time box-office top 100 |language=ja |publisher=Kogyo Tsushinsha |url=http://www.kogyotsushin.com/archives/alltime/ |access-date=15 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617071952/http://www.kogyotsushin.com/archives/alltime/ |archive-date=2012-06-17 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Koneko Monogatari: Recettes |trans-title=Koneko Monogatari: Receipts |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5744&view=5 |website=JP's Box-Office |language=fr |access-date=12 April 2022}} At the time, it was the third highest-grossing film ever in Japan, beaten only by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Antarctica (1983).

In the United States, The Adventures of Milo and Otis grossed {{US$|13.3 million|long=no}},{{mojo title|adventuresofmiloandotis|The Adventures of Milo and Otis}} Retrieved 3 June 2013 adding up to a combined {{US$|{{#expr:90822000+13300000}}|long=no}} grossed in Japan and the United States.

Adjusted for inflation, the film grossed the equivalent of {{US$|226 million|long=no}} in Japan {{as of|2021|lc=y}} and {{US$|{{Inflation|US|13.3|1989}} million|long=no}} in the United States as of {{Inflation/year|US}}, for a combined inflation-adjusted {{US$|{{#expr:226+{{Inflation|US|13.3|1989}} round 0}} million|long=no}} in Japan and the United States.

In terms of box office admissions, the film sold {{nowrap|7.5 million}} tickets in Japan, {{nowrap|3.2 million}} tickets in the United States,{{cite web |title=«Приключения Майло и Отиса» (Koneko monogatari, 1986) |url=https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/33626/ |website=Kinopoisk |language=ja |access-date=12 April 2022}} and 1,318,750 tickets in Germany and France,{{cite web |title=Koneko Monogatari |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5744&view=4 |website=JP's Box-Office |language=fr |access-date=19 March 2022}} for a combined {{formatnum:{{#expr:7500000+3200000+1318750}}|}} tickets sold in Japan, North America and Mainland Europe.

In 2010, the film's DVD version sold 810,334 units and grossed $5,464,010 in the United States.{{cite web |title=The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1989) |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=14824&view=31 |website=JP's Box-Office |access-date=15 February 2019}} It was released on Blu-ray on January 24, 2012.{{Citation|title=The Adventures of Milo and Otis Blu-ray Release Date January 24, 2012|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Adventures-of-Milo-and-Otis-Blu-ray/27249/|access-date=2020-01-30}}

Reviews for the US version were positive, with an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 6.9/10.{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_adventures_of_milo_and_otis_1986/ |title=The Adventures of Milo and Otis |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes/Flixster |access-date=2013-09-01}} Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-adventures-of-milo-and-otis?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c | title=The Adventures of Milo and Otis | website=Metacritic }}

When the film was released, some animal welfare organizations alleged to have had a number of complaints from people who had seen the film and were concerned that it could not have been made without cruelty.{{cite news |first=P. |last=Gillespie |title=Cat Cruelty Claim Over Kids' Movie |work=The Sunday Mail |date=April 15, 1990}} The Tasmanian and Victorian branches of the RSPCA also alleged abuse.{{cite news |first=Brandt |last=Teale |title=RSPCA raises Milo and Otis fears |work=Hobart Mercury|date=September 18, 1990}}

The film was reported to have the approval of the American Humane Society. The American Humane Association attempted to investigate cruelty rumors through "contacts in Europe who normally have information on movies throughout the world." While noting that the contacts had also heard the allegations, they were unable to verify them. The organization also reported, "We have tried through humane people in Japan, and through another Japanese producer to determine if these rumors are true, but everything has led to a dead end." The same report noted that several Japanese Humane Societies allowed their names to be used in connection with the film and that the film "shows no animals being injured or harmed."[https://web.archive.org/web/20010531234131/http://www.ahafilm.org/oldmovies1/theadventures/ Milo and Otis], American Humane Association; archived version

• The Japanese Academy (1987)
• Won: Popularity Award - Most Popular Film
• Nominated: Award of the Japanese Academy - Best Music Score (Ryuichi Sakamoto)
• Young Artist Awards (1990)
• Nominated: Young Artist Award - Best Family Motion Picture – Adventure

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|0097050}}
• {{rottentomatoes|the_adventures_of_milo_and_otis_1986}}
• {{mojo title|adventuresofmiloandotis}}
• [http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1986/dj001750.htm The Adventures of Milo and Otis] at the Japanese Movie Database {{in lang|ja}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures Of Milo And Otis, The}}

Category:1986 films

Category:1980s adventure comedy-drama films

Category:1980s children's adventure films

Category:Animal adventure films

Category:Children's comedy-drama films

Category:Japanese adventure films

Category:1980s Japanese-language films

Category:Japanese comedy-drama films

Category:Japanese children's films

Category:Columbia Pictures films

Category:Films about cats

Category:Films about dogs

Category:Films about talking animals

Category:Films shot in Japan

Category:Films set in Japan

Category:Toho films

Category:Films about animals

Category:Film controversies

Category:Animal cruelty incidents in film

Category:Films scored by Ryuichi Sakamoto

Category:1986 children's films

Category:1986 comedy-drama films

Category:1980s Japanese films

Category:1986 in Japanese cinema

Category:1989 in American cinema

Category:Films about friendship