The Adventures of Milo and Otis

On a cozy British farm, an adventurous orange kitten grows up alongside his best friend, a loyal pug puppy. One afternoon, their idyllic peace is **** as the former is swept away by a river and the latter gives chase through various scenic landscapes. Basically the motion picture equivalent of a beginning readers’ storybook, The Adventures of Milo and Otis offers little beyond the sunny clips of house pets interacting with unfamiliar animals or traipsing confusedly across the countryside. Dudley Moore provides constant narration, but I’m not sure he actually had a script. It seems mostly improvised to match whatever’s happening on the screen, with a number of miscues and awkward pauses left in the mix. Did he just pop in from the pub to knock this job out in a single night? Sure feels that way. I know Milo and Otis is aimed squarely at a very young audience, and I feel a little guilty about being so critical, but there’s no reason a cute film about adorable dogs and cats can’t appeal to all ages. That’s certainly not the case here. And I haven’t even mentioned the worrying reports of animal abuse that allegedly occurred on the set. OK, maybe I don’t feel so guilty after all.