Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space (2002)

46% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(458 ratings)

The filmmaking collective Trees of Life (aka t.o.L.) created this stylish and offbeat anime adventure, which follows an interstellar, time-tripping kitty as she battles the forces of evil. In 2032, Tamala, a cute and cheerfully foul-mouthed cat, has been having terrible nightmares about a mechanical… More The filmmaking collective Trees of Life (aka t.o.L.) created this stylish and offbeat anime adventure, which follows an interstellar, time-tripping kitty as she battles the forces of evil. In 2032, Tamala, a cute and cheerfully foul-mouthed cat, has been having terrible nightmares about a mechanical avenger named Tatla, who appears to be somehow linked to Catty and Company, an all-powerful corporation which has an economic stranglehold on much of the universe. Determined to track down Tatla, Tamala decides to hop into her spacecraft and travel to Orion, the planet of her birth. However, the fates intercede and Tamala finds herself stuck on Planet Q, a world populated primarily by dogs. As one might expect, Tamala is hardly welcomed on Planet Q, though she does find herself drawn to Michelangelo, a fellow member of the planet's persecuted feline minority, and with her new boyfriend, Tamala struggles to get to the bottom of the corruption and violence that surround her. Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space was honored at the 2003 FanTasia Film Festival, where it was named Best Animated Film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Tol
Genres: Drama, Animation, Anime & Manga, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Sep 28, 2003 Wide

Critic Reviews

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Considered exclusively as storytelling, the movie barely exists.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is a dark allegory and a dazzling example of Japanese anime.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
The anime Tamala 2010 asks a lot of the viewer, but it gives something back, though I'm not sure exactly what.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Hello Kitty meets David Lynch in outer space.
Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly
The movie is rarely as clever or interesting as it sounds.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
The film makes no sense whatsoever.
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Tamala 2010 is easily the most original and best film of the year . . . for its first hour.
Jon Strickland, L.A. Weekly
Japanese art collective t.o.L. (Tree of Life) have taken the hipster kitsch of Hello Kitty to a delirious extreme.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Greater effort on the visuals and story coherence would have made the film more accessible.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Simply unlike any Japanese animé I've ever encountered before, Tamala is jarringly unique from start to finish.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
This anime may be just about the weirdest thing I've ever seen.
Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
What plot there is takes the viewer from scene to scene in a highly annoying arbitrary fashion.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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