The Reel 360 team suddenly feels old. Very old. In 2001, Universal Pictures released Josie & The Pussycats. The film, directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, was loosely based on the Archie Comics series and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name.
Filmed entirely in Vancouver, the musical comedy featured Rachael Leigh Cook (Nancy Drew, Batman Beyond), Tara Reid (American Pie movies), and Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Luke Cage, Ashoka) as the Pussycats, with Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo, and Missi Pyle in supporting roles.
The plot saw Josie (Cook), Melody (Reid) and Val (Dawson) as three small-town girl musicians who were determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound.
They got a record deal which brings fame and fortune but soon realized they were pawns of two people who want to control the youth of America. In true Pussycat fashion, they clear their names, even if it meant losing fame and fortune.
While the film tanked at the box office and stands at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has grown a cult following over the past 20 years. Jesus, 20?
It was significantly better than Jem and the Holograms.
To celebrate, Universal has gone and put the band back together. Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid reunited for the 20th anniversary of Josie & The Pussycats on YouTube. Watch below:
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Fan response has been pretty good on Instagram with 19,000 views currently. Universal is also offering a vinyl soundtrack to the film as a giveaway.
“Tell us you’re a #JosieandthePussycats fan without telling us you’re a #JosieandthePussycats fan and you could win the soundtrack on vinyl from @mondonews! ???????????? Tweet us to enter: www.twitter.com/UniversalPics”
Happy anniversary, Pussycats. Here’s to another 20. Wow 20 years.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
