tamala 2010: a punk cat in space
year released: 2002
genre: sci-fi/fantasy
Tamala 2010 is a very unique animated movie that I grew quite fascinated with upon watching it for the first time. The movie revolves around a young cat named Tamala who is on a mission to return to her original home in the constellation Orion. Due to a sabotaged escape attempt, she finds herself in a dystopian, crime-ridden city where she meets Michelangelo, another cat who helps her around the city. The two get rather close as the movie progresses, leading up to Michelangelo's (and the viewer's) discovery and understanding of Tamala's role in regards to an ancient cult-like religion that is upheld in their present day by a major corporation that has a monopoly over their universe.
Tamala 2010 is a very artistic, rather avant-garde movie that, admittedly, was somewhat confusing to me at first.. which kinda fueled my fascination with it. Everything's presented in a cutesy art style, all in contrast to its complex, somewhat dark storyline. Additionally, I feel like the movie did a nice job of adding a layer of mystery to Tamala's character. I wanted to learn so much more about Tamala once the movie ended. I really love the contrast between her cutesy appearance and her cheeky, brash demeanor. Tamala 2010 also has a really good soundtrack. The music has an atmospheric, edgy influence that really sets the tone of the movie.
Tamala 2010 was originally meant to be a trilogy, but subsequent movies were not released during its time. There are a number of separate animations that include Tamala which are more "slice-of-life" and don't really add to the original plot of Tamala 2010. These include Tamala on Parade and Wake Up!! TAMALA. Currently, a small group of the original creators of Tamala 2010 are in the middle of producing a sequel titled Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark. They frequently post production logs and updates on their twitter. I'm rather excited for it to be completed (and I hope it can be translated!!)
Tamala 2010 has a small, cult following. I get surprised when I see other netizens bring it up or make fan art of Tamala. She's such a cute character; I even have a plan to cosplay her one day!
