The Three Lives of Thomasina

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The Three Lives of Thomasina is a 1964 film by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the chidren's book by Paul Gallico. Patrick McGoohan and Karen Dotrice star as a father and daughter whose strained relationship is repaired by the magical reappearance of her dead cat, Thomasina. Susan Hampshire also stars as a turn of the century Scottish equivalent of an alternative medicine practitioner. Though marred by an incongruous opening title sequence featuring a saccharine song, the film deals simply and honestly with deeper themes than the average Disney film. Death, the grief process, and cruelty to animals are all represented in straightforward fashion. Performances are convincing and well-directed by Don Chaffey, a Disney regular who also worked with the adult leads in the television series Secret Agent aka Danger Man.