
And the award for cutest co-star goes to...
With the Oscars soon to be upon us again, it's a great time to look back at one of the great cinematic moments of the last few years. In early 2022, it seemed that all anyone could talk about was which movies were getting snubbed for the Oscars. While that was happening, however, a true genius of filmmaking graced the Internet with a short that really should've been the talk of Tinsel Town.
In case you somehow missed it, let me reintroduce OwlKitty.
OwlKitty, a then 2-year-old cat, lives in Portland, Oregon and has undertaken some roles of a lifetime. In amazing shorts, Owlkitty replaces the starring roles in beloved movies and television shows, in exchange for lots of treats and cuddles, according to her bio. OwlKitty’s real name is Lizzy, but everybody knows that all the great actresses have stage personas.
OwlKitty’s purrodies include pop culture standouts like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Avengers: Endgame, and even a Billie Eilish music video. The editing on these things is so seamless, it’s nothing short of wizardry. Which makes sense, considering one of OwlKitty’s owners, Tibo Charroppin, is a professional filmmaker.
Of course, OwlKitty had to reboot Titanic. Only instead of Kate Winslet playing her iconic role of Rose, OwlKitty takes the lead—and shines like the furry star she is.
This faux trailer has all the quintessential Jack-and-Rose moments: the Irish spinny dancy thing, the “draw me like one of your French girls” scene, and yes…the door. OwlKitty clearly has no problem leaving Jack to freeze to death.
Kate Winslet actually does an appearance at the end, being utterly offended at Jack’s drawing of OwlKitty. Sorry, Rose. The heart wants what it wants.
OwlKitty might receive no nom this awards season, but when it comes to public consumption, her version of Titanic is sweeping all the viral categories. In only a few days, the video garnered 11 million views on Facebook alone.
Plus it received some truly lovely (and funny) comments from fans:
“I would gladly pay to see a 3 hours version of this.”
“I laughed out loud when they showed the cat’s face when they were dancing.”
“This is the first thing that's made me laugh in days. Thank you.”
“This was AMAZINGLY put together. Please never stop making these! They make my day!!!”
“Now, this is the kind of deepfake I’m here for.”
Forget the critics, people love OwlKitty! Plus, according to the video, OwlKitty is already an Academy Award Winner anyway.
If you’re like me, nothing quite brings joy to the heart like cats and creativity. So OwlKitty definitely delivers a winning combination. When it comes to making audiences smile, this cat deserves all the awards. Even better? OwlKitty sells merchandise.
Cats in film have always been a crowd-pleaser and remain popular in Hollywood. In August 2024, the cat talk(s) of the town were Schnitzel and Nico, the kitties who brought Frodo to life on A Quiet Place: Day One starring Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn. Even in a movie with such star power, it's no surprise the cat(s) stole the show.
Thankfully for us, OwlKitty is still doing her thing and there's a good chance we'll see her in more iconic roles. Her latest appearance was in her 2023 Barbie purrody and we're hoping for even more in 2025.
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- John Travolta adopts the Oscar dog - Upworthy ›
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.