In March 1920, the animator Pat Sullivan struck a deal with Paramount, catapulting both the studio and its character, Felix the Cat, into the spotlight. He would reign supreme over silent cinema for a decade. However, it would be incomplete to talk about Felix without mentioning Otto Messmer, a draftsman at the Sullivan studio, who quickly took on the responsibility for creating the filmography of this famous cat.

Around 1923-1924, Felix reaches its peak. He first made his debut in the American weekly newspaper "King Features Syndicate" in August 1923, then conquered Europe in November 1923 with a publication in the British newspaper "Pearson's Weekly". Felix even enjoys a range of merchandise such as toys and postcards, a rarity for the time.

"The Jazz Singer," released in 1927, is often considered the first sound film, although technically it is not the case, as others preceded it, such as "Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes" by the Fleischer brothers and Lee de Forest. Thus, for the film "Woos Whoopee" released in 1930, Otto Messmer worked to design it in a way that would allow for the addition of a sound track.

Unfortunately, Pat Sullivan was not in favor of this idea, believing that sound cinema was just a passing trend. Meanwhile, Walt Disney's first talking cartoon, "Steamboat Willie," makes its debut, unveiling Mickey Mouse, created by Ub Iwerks.

Pat Sullivan insisted on keeping Felix the Cat silent despite multiple requests from distributors such as Educational Pictures. Eventually, he gave in, and in 1929, the first talking film featuring Felix was released, but it was poorly received and resulted in a disaster. This decision proved fatal for the studio, leading to questioning Felix's status. He would later be replaced by a new star, none other than Mickey Mouse.

Despite this setback, Felix continued to be published in newspapers, but he did not regain the same popularity with the public. Mickey Mouse definitively took over, relegating Felix the Cat to the status of a silent cinema icon now overshadowed.

Woos Whoopee - 1930

We follow Felix's adventure as he is drinking and partying in a club while his wife waits for him at home, angry.

Félix the Cat in Hollywood - 1923

Felix the Cat raises money to help his owner, who is a struggling actor, go to Hollywood. In this episode, we will see Charlie Chaplin and Ben Turpin.