‘Pussycats’ ’ Power May Manifest at the Mall

The anti-consumerism message in the new movie “Josie and the Pussycats” may be hard to grasp, but it will be tough to miss the teen fashion message: Cat prints are cool.

The movie, which opens Wednesday, is a combination rock-and-fashion fantasy spun from the 1963 Archie comic book of the same name. The movie’s writer and director, Harry Elfont, attempts to satirize our nation’s brand name and shopping obsessions, but the feline fashions--complete with cat ears and tails--endorse the ongoing trend for leopard, tiger, cheetah and other animal prints. A teen-oriented marketing campaign full of Josie fashion products could make cat-eared headbands the most memorable part of the movie in months to come.

Costume designer Leesa Evans created the custom wardrobe for stars Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson from so many animal prints, it’s a wonder that the clothes are washed, not groomed and flea-dipped. The movie’s wardrobe is a mall-friendly collision of other teen trends for glitter makeup, hip-hugger pants and bare tops.

It may seem improbable that a nearly forgotten comic book has sprung to life as a movie 38 years after its inception. But this summer, another over-the-hill cartoon, Scooby-Doo, is headed for a cinematic comeback. The Scooby movie makers already are touting a fashion angle--the Roberto Coin jewelry that star Sarah Michelle Gellar wears. Hey, what good is a movie if it can’t sell something besides tickets?

Comic book characters may be fiction, but their sales muscle has long been real. A 1969 Archies album featured “Sugar, Sugar,” which spent four weeks in the No. 1 chart spot that year. Those kind of numbers still hold sway over movie makers today, even if the cinematic process is going to the dogs--and the cats.