A Cat in Paris

A cat has two humans--which is pretty common if the cat gets the run of his neighborhood, as this one does. One human is the young daughter of the widowed chief of police and the other is a cat burglar. The cat and the cat burglar are very adept at negotiating the roofs and walls of Paris. The cat is, of course, the hero in this movie because he encourages the good guys to be better guys and stand up to the bad guys. And thankfully, the cat does this as a cat, not as a human in cat form. In fact, I enjoyed that the writers, directors, and animators actually appreciate the character of an "independent" cat. (OK, I like cats a lot, but a dog is the quintessential ...)The characters develop somewhat, but mostly they play their appropriate part. A theme I enjoy is a parent growing in appreciation of her child, and that is probably the most real part of this story. Another wonderful theme is that of redemption for several of the characters.The animation is quite artistic and amazingly involving as it sweeps across the roofs of the city. A strange part of this art is that the colors seem to pulsate, as each cell looks hand colored with an unusual method. In this day of ever-more-real-looking animation, I found myself enjoying this art, although I found it difficult to watch at first--so much so that I almost stopped watching the movie. I am glad I didn't. I not only got used to it quickly, but realized it is a fundamental part of the expression of the movie. It provides a very strong extra dimension to what would otherwise be much more two-dimensional.In retrospect, I found this movie is art that is truly enjoyable as a complete work, more even than other French animated movies I have enjoyed. And that really surprises me.

Clever and fun.

My eight-year-old daughter discovered this title at our public library and after watching it, we liked it so much we decided to get a copy for our home library. Dubbed in English, this 2010 French animated feature is pure delight from beginning till end. The story is a cops and robbers burglar story and the deft narrative devices and beautiful hand-drawn animation elevate it above a regular cartoon feature.Set in Paris, the story centers around a young girl named Zoé (English dub by Lauren Weintraub) who lives with her widowed police commissair mother Jeanne (English dub by Marcia Gay Harden). Zoé's cat likes shadowing a burglar named Nico (English dub by Steven Blum) and when the cat gives Zoé a 'present' in the form of a bracelet, Jeanne realizes that the bracelet might be tied in to the spate of burglaries in the area. Jeanne and her team are on the trail of a notorious criminal named Victor Costa (English dub by JD Blanc) who was also responsible for Jeanne's husband's death.The story moves on at a fast pace and kept our interest. The plot is engaging, peopled with interesting characters, both benign and sinister, and my daughter could not take her eyes off the screen. She loved Zoé's character as well as Nico, and though she was a little afraid during certain nail-biting parts, she enjoyed the movie immensely.The feature runs at 62 minutes, in full color, and there are several bonus features:"The Many Lives of a Cat" Video Flipbook"Extinction of the Saber-Toothed Housecat" Bonus Short FilmAlternate Original French Audio Track with English SubtitlesU.S. Trailer

While the art style is not necessarily the greatest it is certainly unique compared to many other cartoons I have seen over the years. It is flat in its design and reminds me of cut out figures I used to make and play with as a child. The story line was a bit more serious than I was expecting from the designs but still dynamic enough to enjoy for all ages with an open mind. Over all I enjoyed this movie as it had realistic interactions between characters (such as the child's shock from her fathers death and depression at her mother's inability to realize the neglect she has been in caring for her child despite the great love that is displayed). The focus on the cat was just an added benefit in watching this movie as far as I'm concerned since he acted much like my friends cat, all snobbish and aloof but lovable and caring of his can opener pets (i.e. his owners :3). Since I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone I'll leave my character analysis at that. I do believe I will be letting my nieces and nephews watch this movie later as I don't have to worry about the extreme violence usually found in cartoons now. While there is some violence and death, I do not believe it is any worse than the violence and death than what I grew up watching Disney movies. In the end I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who wishes for a happy ending for their movie night. If you want to understand my title I would recommend watching until the end, it's predictable but very sweet.

I think it came on time and plays good on my tv.

I bought this DVD to screen in French at the school I work at, to celebrate European day of Languages. Most of the children have only just started learning French. Sign up was a little slow - once the children heard it was in French they weren't so interested, unfortunately, but eventually I had a group of about 20 - more who wanted to be there on the day once they found out there was free popcorn and fizzy pop. We watched it in a classroom, selecting the French audio track and English subtitles. The children were aged 7-11. The children were engaged from the outset, even the younger ones who couldn't read the subtitles fast enough - there is enough expression of tone and the images show clearly what is happening to follow along. The first five minutes when they are getting used to having to watch and understand in this way were the trickiest - but they did persist and got into the swing of things well enough. The older ones were really in to it. I made sure I stopped the DVD at intervals to quickly summarise what had just happened to the children watching, in case they had missed a key point - this really helped the younger ones. It threw up some interesting discussions - some of the children struggled at first to get their heads around the *SPOILER* fact that the burglar had become the good guy - and felt he must surely have been in league with the gangsters - so we talked about whether some people could do bad things but also have a good side.There is a theme of loss, as the little girl's father has died, and some children got a bit scared, actually, at parts- but nothing too worrying - a simple, 'I know - this bit's a bit scary' was enough to put them right. A nice happy ending made it all better. There was the chance to point out the Eiffel tower on the DVD front, and the Notre Dame at the end where the story comes to a climax. Where the burglar says 'Je m'appelle Nico' they became excited as they had understood it in French! One girl was able to follow so much in the language as a beginner - I was really impressed. Some rude insults are on the subtitles for the 7 year olds - not too bad (damn pests, damn idiots - that kind of thing) which they mostly liked anyway.I know that they followed along well enough as they laughed out loud at the jokes - especially the barking dog one. All in all a good choice for a first film at a French language club for primary aged children - although parental consent will be needed as it is PG - I would recommend it.Note: I could not get the French language to work on Prime - that's why I bought the DVD.

This is a completely charming, in places very funny hour-long animation from France. Zoe's cat has a double life - house pet during the day, accomplice to a cat burglar by night. Zoe herself is troubled. Her father, a policeman, has been shot and killed by the notorious Costa, and her mother, also a police officer, is out to catch him, so she works long hours ; Zoe herself, traumatised, has lost the power of speech. The two strands - Costa-chasing and the cat's night existence - come together in a fast-paced and exciting plot, with many ingenious and unexpectedly comic moments (for example, in the several appearances of a little dog called Rufus). The animation itself is very characterful, with splendid shots of Parisian rooftops, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, where the final climax happens. The style is a little like the cartoonist Fougasse. It's colourful and always attractive. We took our 4-year-old grandson to see it and he was completely engrossed - and so were we. The only slight quibble I have - which would not trouble a child at all - is the unconvincing melange of accents they've used in the English dubbing on the DVD ; American, Irish, cod German and Docklands London. Why? But it really doesn't spoil the film - and you are offered the option of the original French with subtitles.

Zoë is silent, a little girl traumatised, made speechless by the death of her father, a policeman killed in the line of duty. Her mother is caring but preoccupied, a woman who also works for the police (as a detective).Zoë’s best friend is Dino, her black cat. He is clever, mischievous, loyal. He always brings Zoë small lizards he has killed. Zoë collects them in a tin box. Some people collect stamps. Others collect coins. Zoë collects dead lizards. This hobby appals her mother, but Zoë doesn’t care. Perhaps her death obsession is part of a therapeutic process, a way of coming to terms with the death of her father. Perhaps, but this wise and compassionate film does not say.Dino is nocturnal. He operates with a cat burglar, a jewel thief, by night. Together they amble over rooftops in Paris under the stars, their figures silhouetted in the moonlight. The thief is cat-like in his movements — nimble, sure-footed, flexible. He is acrobatic, which somehow seems quite French. He’s silent too, stealthy in his work, a Gallic mime artist, which perhaps fulfils another expectation of Frenchness.The animation is also French or Frenchified, the faces and noses of the people long and lean (or is this just something I am imagining?). The screen is bright, colourful, beautiful throughout, the animation a work of genuine art. The scenes are exquisite, making me grateful for the pause button on the remote. DVDs are a wonderful invention. They are like — or can be like — having an art gallery in your home. This film invites aesthetic breaks in the action.Like many cities, Paris looks beautiful by night, dreamy and romantic. The film is an offhand comment, it seems to me, on the rich artistic tradition of Paris. Like a cat, the film is curious and inventive. It’s clever and sneaky. It has a charming Gallic way of representing the world, as if to say Disney and Pixar do not have the final say on what’s what about life and art.The beauty of it all made me fall in love with this animated gem, a French-Belgian co-production. If colour is something you love, you might fall for it too. The film is also witty and funny in the jaded, deadpan French way. As for the storyline, never mind; it’s simple, childish. This one was made for the entire family. It was nominated for an Academy Award. Only nominated? It should have won. It gets six stars on a scale of one to five.In French with English subtitles, though an audio option of spoken English (without subtitles) is available in the bonus section of the menu. French title: “Une Vie de Chat”, Paris assumed, not stated, as if to suggest: What is life without art and Paris?

The film tells an absorbing story of a Parisian cat and how their presence in two families ultimately leads to them being tied up in and foiling a French criminal gang. The plot is sufficiently complicated as to be engaging without being so twisted that children will lose track of it and not so transparent that an adult will become bored.The art style would be acceptable in any art gallery and compliments the attention to detail in the animation of A Cat in Paris perfectly. This is a film that both parents and children will be able to watch together and neither feel that it's not for them. The villain of the piece is genuinely nasty and makes a refreshing change from the dumbed down and slightly comic criminals that we have come to expect from television and film made in English. He is, however, offset by his bumbling comic relief gang who knock the edges off the harshness of their boss, making it more acceptable for children who might otherwise be frightened off.The film is balanced perfectly and while the cat steals the show through being feline with just enough anthropomorphic/cartoonish elements to push forward the plot, you'll remember everyone in the film for the part they played.Being able to watch it in French with English subtitles completes the whole effect and I just don't think that it works quite as well in English, and it always gives you that extra sense of satisfaction when you can follow the dialogue ... and the subtitles are there for those of us who last used French a couple of decades ago and can't.

A most excellent animation enjoyed by all ages! Viva La France! The visual animation, Serge Bisset's soundtrack, action sequences and storyline is so engaging. The children have now watched it in double figures within 2 weeks of its purchase! This is a quality childrens film which makes up for the weekly limited TV allocation for the young ones. The French version is even better than the English version, which I felt had a gamut of unrealistic "english" accents (this is not a criticism but an observation). Highly recommended and beats the "Hollywood Superfluities" hands-down.