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| Cats, including a snow leopard, play prominent roles in the film “The Golden Compass.” |
“The Golden Compass,” based on the book by Philip Pullman, tells the fantastic story of a world where people’s souls manifest themselves as talking animals. The adventure becomes an epic quest where polar bears fight wars and a 12-year-old girl strives to save her world. When the film, starring Nicole Kidman and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, opens this weekend, cat lovers will be delighted to see a snow leopard and a tabby in prominent roles.
Stelmaria (voiced by Kristin Scott Thomas) is the green-eyed snow leopard counterpart to Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig). Young Lyra Belacqua’s (Dakota Blue Richards) counterpart is Pantalaimon (voiced by Freddie Highmore). Pantalaimon can take many shapes, one of which is a tabby cat. Having a feline counterpart, according to the premise of the film, is said to represent human’s independent nature.
Other cats make appearances throughout the film, including several house cats and wild cats. The film, directed by Chris Weitz and distributed by New Line Cinema, also stars Sam Elliott, Eva Green and Ian McKellen. The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence.