You are here:

Peter-No-Tail

Name: Peter-No-Tail
Director: Stig Lasseby, Jan Gissberg
Released: 1981
Duration: 81 min

1981

Director

Stig Lasseby, Jan Gissberg

Runtime

81 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Peter-No-Tail is a cat who's born without a proper tail on a farm by the Swedish countryside. Due to economical difficulties, the farmer is forced to get rid of Peter. The farmer can't bring himself to drown the cat, so he sneaks Peter inside the car of a family who are renting a house close to the farm for their summer vacation. When the family finally reach their home in Uppsala, Sweden, they find Peter and decide to keep him. Without a tail, he becomes the talk of the town among the other cats and, especially Mike, who teases him cruelly. Mean Mike and his two companions, Bill and Bull, are notorious for the nasty tricks they like to play on other cats. Mike is currently trying to court Molly Silk-Nose, but his rough and silly approach does not impress her, since she becomes interested in the kind and gentle Peter. But Mike won't give up that easily and he has a plan for how he'll get his revenge.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

2.9/10

Limited

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film follows a conventional heteronormative romantic subplot. Mike's unsuccessful attempts to court Molly Silk-Nose drive the central conflict. No non-cisnormative identities are present.

Gender Representation

Fair

Molly Silk-Nose functions as a traditional romantic interest. While she expresses agency through her preference for kindness, the film adheres to established gender archetypes.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Minimal

The story focuses on a homogeneous community of cats in a rural Swedish setting. It lacks intentional racial or ethnic blending within its anthropomorphic cast.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Limited

The narrative reinforces a standard Western moral framework centered on community cohesion. It treats economic hardship as a situational struggle rather than a systemic critique.

Disability Representation

Fair

Peter’s lack of a tail drives the plot and explores themes of social exclusion. He navigates his environment through character rather than being a mere object of pity.

Strengths

Explores themes of social exclusion and bullying through the protagonist's physical difference.
Provides Peter with agency to navigate social challenges through his kind character.

Areas for Improvement

Lacks representation of non-cisnormative identities or diverse gender dynamics.
The homogeneous setting offers minimal racial or ethnic diversity within the community.
Relies on traditional Western storytelling structures without challenging social or economic hierarchies.

AI Analysis

Peter-No-Tail is a traditionalist fable that prioritizes established social hierarchies and conventional moral storytelling. It succeeds in using a physical difference to explore themes of bullying and social acceptance, providing a nuanced look at being an outsider. However, the film lacks the intentionality needed to disrupt traditional norms. The representation of gender, race, and culture remains firmly within the bounds of 1980s Western animation archetypes, offering little in the way of systemic or diverse perspectives.

How are these scores produced? →