TV REVIEW : ‘Henry’s Cat’ Has Little Pounce

“Henry’s Cat,” a new children’s series from England that debuts at 5 p.m. today on Showtime, demonstrates just how limited limited animation can be. There are so many held images of static artwork that the program looks more like a slide show than a cartoon.

This minimal approach to animation can work if the artwork itself is exceptionally beautiful or complex, but the drawings in “Henry’s Cat” are little more than phone pad doodles, sloppily colored in magic marker.

Clever writing or entertaining voices might have overcome the crude visuals, but writer Stan Hayward and designer/director/narrator Bob Godfrey fail to establish the title character as a sympathetic figure--or even one with a recognizable personality. A nondescript feline who pursues adventure in his daydreams, Henry’s cat is such a cipher that it’s difficult to care about his formulaic fantasies.

The very simple storylines and squeaky-cute narration suggest that the show is intended for a very young audience, but American children will probably be confused by the references to dustbins, treacle tarts, cream teas and other British terms.

“Henry’s Cat” proves just how little programmers in America--and England--are prepared to offer children as entertainment.