Molly (Lorenzo)

Molly is the antagonist of the 2004 animated short Lorenzo, which was produced for the unfinished third Fantasia film.

Background
Molly is a magical black cat with a stubby tail and long pointed ears. When the vain blue cat Lorenzo mocks her for her short tail, she places a curse on Lorenzo's long fluffy one and brings it to life. When Lorenzo's attempts to kill his affectionate, ever-dancing tail keep failing, Molly reappears, extending her neck to offer him a knife to just cut it off. Lorenzo is hesitant to make that sacrifice before taking the knife and after a fight with his tail, finally cutting it off. She then reappears in the short's curtain call ending to make a bow.

Development
The black cat that curses Lorenzo had a much more conventional look in Joe Grant's original 1940s story sketches. Director Mike Gabriel wanted to push the concept further and devised the concept of the black cat missing a tail. He also gave Molly an unhealthy lean frame with a slight belly paunch, as if to suggest a "belly full of maggots", and a more intimidating hyena-like posture. Additionally with the character being a black cat on a black background, some of Molly's animation and supernatural abilities were inspired by the Pink Elephants.