"Cats, Witchcraft and the Black Plague" is not very well-known, nor is "The Great Cat Family," the episode it is part of. For those who do know about it, its spooky storytelling and distinctive animation style clearly suit the Halloween season. The segment blends historic folklore and superstition with Disney’s animation to tell its story.
“The Great Cat Family” Episode
The story comes from Disneyland’s “The Great Cat Family,” which was originally broadcast for the first time on September 19, 1956. The whole episode traces cats’ journey, a history of sorts, from their sacred status in ancient Egypt to the rise of superstition and myth in medieval Europe. Walt Disney serves as the host of the episodes, as he did with many Disney specials back then, introducing tales of both wild and domestic cats and their symbolic, cultural, lifestyle roles in human civilizations.
Cats, Witchcraft and the Black Plague
Though not an official Halloween special that ever aired on TV on its own, it has become a episode worth watching around Halloween alongside many other Halloween themed TV episodes, movies and Halloween specials.
The segment, as highlighted earlier, is set in medieval Europe and it shows how cats, which were essential for controlling rats and helping stave off outbreaks in those times, became wrapped up in fear and folklore during the rise of witchcraft hysteria. Disney animation from this era is the perfect style to portray how legends turned black cats into witchcraft symbols and the overreaction that was present in medieval Europe. But it wasn't unique to Europe. All societies around the world had fear of sorcery and witchcraft and also persecuted people over it.
All in all, the blending of real history, mixed in with a bit creative license, involving European myths and Disney animation's rich style is why the medieval segment and “The Great Cat Family” episode itself is a seasonal must watch in your Halloween season playlist.
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