'Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore' (PG) (out of four)

Talking animals? Been there. Sendups of spy movies? Done that. Yet, when both are done with a dash of creativity and a splash of good humor, putting the two together just might work.

And while "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" may not be perfect (or, in this case, purr-fect), the 3-D film does have moments that help it rise to the occasion. The mission is to parody spy films and police movies, while still keeping its intended audience in mind: kids.

Sit, beg, roll over, do a few tricks. The movie achieves it all just like an obedient K-9.

And while the film easily delivers on its given tasks, the plight of its main character is just the opposite. Diggs (voiced by James Marsden), a disobedient police dog has chased his last mailman. In this case, he's bitten the behind of a crazy used car salesman during a tense hostage situation, and made a mess of things. He's dishonorably discharged from the force. "I hear he's a loose cannon. A real dingo," says one of his dog colleagues. (Considering there's something about Diggs' personality that is no doubt supposed to be very close to Mel Gibson's "Lethal Weapon" character, Martin Riggs, the line is topically funny with Gibson's alleged rants unspooling daily.)

While locked up in a kennel, Diggs is visited by a group of special agent dogs who like his devil-may-care spirit. They need him to help them take down an evil, hairless cat that has plans to once and for all solve the age-old dilemma, "cats or dogs?"

When Kitty Galore is finished with her master plan, dogs will turn on their masters and be locked away, leaving the world at the mercy of felines. (Aren't cat owners already at the mercy of felines?) Yet, the evil Kitty's plan is so down right dirty, secret agent cats and dogs decide there's only one way to skin the hairless cat. They must work together.

Screenwriters Ron J. Friedman and Steve Bencich give Bette Midler a character she can sink her claws into. As the voice of Egyptian Sphinx Mesa (she became hairless when accidentally dropped in a vat of depilatory), she's a cross between Cruella de Ville and her own stage persona, Delores Delago.

The other feline femme fatale is a secret agent for MEOWS (Mousers Enforcing Our World Safety), a cat named Catherine (the voice of Christina Applegate) who, despite being of the same species, is also intent on putting an end to Mesa's madness. Applegate adds just the right touch of seriousness to counter Midler's insanity.

The movie starts with a riff on James Bond movie song openers with a catchy remix of Pink's "Get This Party Started," performed by prolific Bond singer Shirley Bassey ("Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever"). Even a Bond star shows up in the film in a cameo role as the voice of MEOWS Chief Tab Lazenby.

And the gags continue with a laugh out loud scene in the basement of Alcatraz where the agents visit maniacal Mr. Tinkles (Sean Hayes) in a parody of "Silence of the Lambs." He says to a chatty stool pigeon: "The last bird who stood this close to me, … well, I enjoyed his company with a plate of Fancy Feast and a nice saucer of milk." It's a hilarious take on Hannibal Lecter's famous Chianti and fava beans line from the 1991 film that will go over kids' heads, but this one's meant for the adults anyway.

Probably one of the only downsides of "Cats and Dogs" is that the filmmakers didn't go for broke on parodies. Instead they opted for a linear story that was more "Spy Kids" than "Naked Gun."

The mix of live action using real dogs and cats, blended with puppetry and computer animation works well here in 3-D. A short opening film that stars Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner is also gratifyingly engaging in 3-D after so many years of watching the Warner Bros. legends on the small screen.

It's just another pleasant surprise like most of "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" that will have human audiences begging for more.