A Cat in Paris (2012)

Simply A Masterpiece

Great Film overall

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Hard to review this film. If it's supposedly aimed at kids, the subject matter is fairly dark with a dead father, a single mother obsessed with work and finding her husband's killer, some betrayal, some really obnoxious bad guys and a charming lovable cat. The story is interesting and despite all the loose ends and unanswered questions it leaves, it held enough of my interest and entertained my eight year old.But the ugly drawings - ugh. Reminded me of Beavis and Butthead. On the one side, they work hard to have some decent looking backgrounds. But the characters look like Picasso rejects. Don't know why they went with that style. I found it distracting and annoying. My 8 year old's drawings have more art and substance in them.Being such a crudely drawn film I am perplexed as to how this film could have received an Oscar nomination for Animated Film. Was there nothing else that year? Nothing at all? 5/10

A charming, if somewhat trite, tale about the night life of a pet cat, Dino, who wanders off every evening, where he leads a second life as a partner in crime for an extremely elastic burglar. During the day he accompanies the mute Zoe, having lost her will to speak after the abrupt death of her father, murdered by villainous art thief Costa. Both her parents married into the police force, so now her mother, Jeanne, places great focus on pinpointing and capturing the elusive and ruthless crook.The odd, yet arresting, traditional animation are extremely stylish, visibly marking the specificity of French animation, seen also in similarly caricatured human drawings of Sylvain Chomein ("The Illusionist"). Drawings are kept simple, yet layered, with well animated figures, inspired by unique lack of symmetry oft found in children books, not by the strive for perfection of Walt Disney animation. Whereas the throwback-style of animation brings about a sense of unique charm, the story itself really doesn't venture into any unknown territory, instead delivering a well-mannered simple tale, which - unfortunately - does not always seem suitable for children given the simmering brutality (dogs being squashed by large bricks or a surprisingly direct level of aggression in the final act) and the drastically building tension levels in the second act. Nonetheless the entertainment value, significantly enhanced as an ode to the old-style heist genre, makes it an enjoyable affair, just as long as expectations keep the audience very close to the base ground level: just enjoy, don't analyse.Well-paced with a decent amount of action, after a more muted, restrained beginning, the voyages of a French cat thoroughly engage, leaving a level of satisfaction, not hampered by the overall triteness and familiarity of the whole affair. Naturally, French wouldn't be French without homaging and referencing other movies, hence the feel of old Closeau and Pink Panther movies is omnipresent.

Will it change my life? No. Did half the cinema laugh out loud on several occasions? Yes Did I look at my watch during the film? Not once Will I remember it? Definitely the visuals, maybe not the plot Will I recommend others to see it? I already have Did anything annoy me (even the way feet were drawn)? No Did I come out smiling? Definitely Were the characters well-drawn? Cat yes, little girl yes, gangstas rudimentary (but fun) mum, a bit of a cliché but who cares Plot? Serious novelists don't need to feel threatened but it hung together nicely within its own parameters. So... a rather sweet film, funny, uplifting, eye candy, feelgood. For serious film buffs? Depends how seriously they take themselves. I defy anybody not to enjoy this movie. Oh, and I hope someone repairs Notre Dame.

I found A Cat in Paris to be a very good film. Although it is rather short, perhaps too short, it is very well animated with ethereal colours, beautiful sceneries and a fantastic atmosphere that is both thrilling and nostalgic. I agree however that how tiny the feet were drawn was a form of annoyance. The music was both haunting and charming, almost like listening to a score by Bernard Hermann. The story is not the most original story in the world, but I didn't see it as a bad thing, seeing how slickly paced, vivid, affecting and humorous A Cat in Paris was. The characters also engage, with the best being the title character, a strutting observant sort of cat, and the little girl who is sweet and moving, and the voice acting is dynamic enough too. In conclusion, a very good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox