Universe Throws Us All a Bone With Announcement of Lil Bub Documentary

This week has been truly awful, a horrible compendium of devastating and senseless events. I’m completely positive that I’m not the only person who has (at least momentarily) considered severing all connections to human society and disappearing into the woods to found a colony of feminist witches based on the aunts in Practical Magic. What we’re all in need of right now is a palate cleanser, and, fortunately, a perfect specimen of that has just waddled out of the ether with its tongue poking out.

Lil Bub has a documentary. It is called Lil Bub & Friendz, and it’s premiering at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Please spend the next few minutes thinking about Lil Bub with me and enjoying life again.

Explaining this very famous cat to blog readers feels a bit like explaining to another person what a tree is. Just in case, though: Lil Bub belongs to the highest echelon of Internet cat fame, surpassed by none (save for, maybe, Grumpy Cat). The reason that Lil Bub is famous is because she’s a very special cat with tiny short limbs, giant bulgy eyes, and a tongue that she is physically incapable of putting back into her mouth. In the words of Mike Bridavsky, her owner, “some think she crashed onto our planet from space, ’cause she’s so unique.”

In addition to being adorable, Bub comes with an inspirational and tender backstory. It is the story of two souls, human and cat, who saved each other. Bridavsky was deep in debt when he discovered Lil Bub, who was deep in the recesses of a tool shed in Indiana. She was feral and alone, with no fellow Bubs to keep her company. Bridavsky’s friend’s girlfriend’s mother (ugh, the web of fate is so complicated), owner of the shed of origin, found the kitten. His friend texted him a picture of Bub shortly thereafter, which immediately spiked Bridavsky’s interest — because how could that lil’ face not? Upon meeting the kitten, he said, “Hey, Bub!” and has been by her side ever since. In an even more heartwarming turn of events, Lil Bub’s internet fame — and subsequent line of merchandise — has allowed him to pay all of his bills. The majority of the profits, though, go to animal-rescue charities and pet adoption centers.

The Story Of Bub also contains the ultimate refrain of the American dream in the age of the Internet: “I never expected my cat to get famous.”

Lil Bub & Friendz, so far the most high-profile result of Bub’s cultural resonance, was directed by Vice’s Andy Capper and Juliet Eisner. Ostensibly an exploration of the mania surrounding this one cat, it also explores the Internet cat craze in general. Says Eisner, “I just want people to laugh and cry and come out of the movie feeling a little bit happier than they did before.”

So far, it seems to be working. If you, too, want to feel a little bit happier, head to the Daily Beast and watch their interview with Eisner and Bridavksy. Highlights include Lil Bub chilling in the cat equivalent of a Katy Perry video set and Bridavsky’s GIANT TATTOO OF LIL BUB AS GANDALF.

“Lil Bub, the World’s Cutest Cat, Stars in Documentary ‘Lil Bub & Friendz’ at Tribeca” [The Daily Beast]