Cat's Eye
Three horror-thriller tales revolve around a mysterious stray cat which is attempting to find a little girl in trouble. In "Quitters, Inc.": the cat is picked up by a shady New York City "doctor" who uses experimental techniques to get people to quit smoking. His latest client is a man named Morrison, who learns he'll suffer some terrible consequences if he tries to cheat. In "The Ledge": the cat is picked up by Cressner, a shady Atlantic City millionaire who forces tennis pro Norris (his wife's lover), to walk a narrow ledge around his high-rise penthouse apartment. In "The General": the cat arrives in Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is found by Amanda, the young girl it has been sent to protect. What she needs protection from is a tiny, evil troll who lives behind the skirting board in her bedroom.
Working with a limited budget of $7.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $13.1M in global revenue (+87% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Cat's Eye (1985) reveals precise plot construction, characteristic of Lewis Teague's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 34 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
The Cat
Amanda
Dick Morrison
Dr. Vinnie Donatti
Johnny Norris
Cressner
Main Cast & Characters
The Cat
Played by Multiple Animal Performers
A stray cat on a cross-country journey to save a little girl from supernatural danger
Amanda
Played by Drew Barrymore
A young girl protected by the cat from a malevolent troll that steals children's breath
Dick Morrison
Played by James Woods
A desperate smoker who enters a sadistic program to quit his addiction in "Quitters, Inc."
Dr. Vinnie Donatti
Played by Alan King
The ruthless enforcer of Quitters, Inc. who uses extreme methods to ensure clients quit smoking
Johnny Norris
Played by Robert Hays
A professional tennis player coerced into walking a building ledge by a mobster in "The Ledge"
Cressner
Played by Kenneth McMillan
A wealthy crime boss who forces his wife's lover to walk around his penthouse ledge as a deadly bet
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes A stray tabby cat roams the streets, receiving a mysterious psychic vision of a young girl named Amanda calling for help, establishing the cat's supernatural mission and the anthology's connecting thread.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Donatti reveals Quitters, Inc.'s true method: they will torture Morrison's wife and daughter if he smokes again, demonstrating by electrocuting the cat in a glass room - the stakes become terrifyingly real.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Morrison gives in and smokes a cigarette, triggering the punishment - his wife is taken to the electric room while he watches helplessly. He fully crosses into the nightmare, understanding there is no escape from the consequences., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Norris completes the impossible circuit around the building ledge and returns to Cressner's penthouse alive - a false victory as Cressner reveals his wife is already dead and refuses to honor the bet, showing that even winning the game doesn't guarantee survival., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 69 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Amanda's mother, convinced the cat is dangerous by the troll's manipulations, takes General away to be euthanized at the pound - the cat who journeyed across America to save Amanda is about to be killed, and Amanda is left defenseless against the troll., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. General escapes from the pound cage through sheer determination, driven by the psychic connection to Amanda. The cat races back to save her, finally able to fulfill the mission that pulled him across the entire country., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Cat's Eye's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Cat's Eye against these established plot points, we can identify how Lewis Teague utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Cat's Eye within the comedy genre.
Lewis Teague's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Lewis Teague films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.7, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Cat's Eye represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Lewis Teague filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Lewis Teague analyses, see Navy Seals, The Jewel of the Nile.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
A stray tabby cat roams the streets, receiving a mysterious psychic vision of a young girl named Amanda calling for help, establishing the cat's supernatural mission and the anthology's connecting thread.
Theme
Dr. Vinnie Donatti of Quitters, Inc. tells Morrison that they have a 100% success rate because "we never forget" - establishing the theme that actions have inescapable consequences and that unseen forces are always watching.
Worldbuilding
The film establishes its anthology structure as the cat is captured and brought to Quitters, Inc. Morrison arrives seeking help to quit smoking, and we learn the sinister methods of the organization that monitors clients 24/7 and punishes failures by harming their loved ones.
Disruption
Donatti reveals Quitters, Inc.'s true method: they will torture Morrison's wife and daughter if he smokes again, demonstrating by electrocuting the cat in a glass room - the stakes become terrifyingly real.
Resistance
Morrison struggles with his addiction while being watched constantly by Quitters, Inc. agents. He resists temptation at parties and work, but the paranoia mounts. The cat escapes and continues its journey toward Amanda, transitioning us toward the next segment.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Morrison gives in and smokes a cigarette, triggering the punishment - his wife is taken to the electric room while he watches helplessly. He fully crosses into the nightmare, understanding there is no escape from the consequences.
Mirror World
The second segment "The Ledge" begins as Cressner forces tennis pro Johnny Norris onto the outside ledge of his high-rise penthouse - a bet for his life and freedom with Cressner's wife, mirroring the theme of being trapped by powerful forces with impossible choices.
Premise
The anthology delivers its horror premise across two segments: Morrison's failed resistance and punishment in Quitters, Inc., followed by Norris's harrowing journey around the building ledge while Cressner torments him with a fire hose, pigeons, and a horn that nearly knocks him off.
Midpoint
Norris completes the impossible circuit around the building ledge and returns to Cressner's penthouse alive - a false victory as Cressner reveals his wife is already dead and refuses to honor the bet, showing that even winning the game doesn't guarantee survival.
Opposition
Norris turns the tables on Cressner, forcing him onto the ledge. The cat continues its odyssey, captured and nearly killed before finally reaching Wilmington and the home of young Amanda. The troll emerges from the wall, and Amanda's parents dismiss her fears as nightmares.
Collapse
Amanda's mother, convinced the cat is dangerous by the troll's manipulations, takes General away to be euthanized at the pound - the cat who journeyed across America to save Amanda is about to be killed, and Amanda is left defenseless against the troll.
Crisis
General is caged at the pound awaiting death while the troll attacks Amanda in her bedroom, using its tiny dagger to steal her breath. Amanda weakens as her life force is drained, and no one believes the danger is real.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
General escapes from the pound cage through sheer determination, driven by the psychic connection to Amanda. The cat races back to save her, finally able to fulfill the mission that pulled him across the entire country.
Synthesis
General bursts into Amanda's room and battles the troll in a ferocious fight, knocking over a fan and furniture. The troll wounds General, but the cat ultimately kills the creature by impaling it on a spinning record. Amanda's parents finally see the dead troll and realize the truth.
Transformation
Amanda cuddles with General, now officially her cat and protector. The family is united with their feline hero, who completed his supernatural quest. The cat who was abused and nearly killed throughout the anthology has found his home and purpose - the guardian who was always meant to save her.