p-stepien 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.

ryansassy1 The curse of our modern times is that everything seems to reference something else...very few films are truly original any more. That being said, A Cat In Paris is nicely done and a pleasant way to pass about one hour with your kids (realistically engaging for ages 6 to 10). Certainly, it will do you all some good to see old-fashioned animation once in a while in our computer-generated world.Plot: Girl gets kidnapped by crime boss who wants to use her to steal something valuable. Some animal friends set out to rescue her, leading to some spectacular chase scenes and heartwarming moments. Along the way, a few more animal friends help them..will they manage to save the girl? Will the criminals be brought to justice? Grownup's view: Once I realized where I'd seen this story before, everything fell into place; change the two mice to one cat and his cat burglar friend, and A Cat In Paris is basically The Rescuers with a few minor differences in plot elements and a major location change. But what a change! I'll take a wild chase or two among the midnight rooftops of Paris over the Bayou any day. Those "Hunchback of Notre Dame" moments were definitely the best sequences of this film.Visual: The really original thing about A Cat In Paris was the animation style, which is...well okay, it's somewhat a homage to the art of Pablo Picasso. It's a bold choice, and since I can't recall the last animated film that paid tribute to Picasso, I'm calling this "original". The movements of the characters do seem uniquely sinuous here and there, and it is an especially fitting way to animate cats and cat burglars.Cynic's angle: Honestly though, the critical acclaim and the awards for ACIP baffle me. Are we so starved for something different from the last decade of wisecracking, slickly-dressed "kids" films, that we pounce on anything that doesn't smack of Disney and proclaim it great? (only to find that indeed, it was much like Disney's old formula anyway..)Yeah, I feel that way myself all too often.Conclusion: A the end of the movie, we had all enjoyed it, but not enough to watch it again. If I'd bought this at current retail I'd have been a little annoyed because it was so short..recommended for an on-demand viewing.

Armand touching, nice, interesting. not very moral, in fact, but this is not great problem. its virtue - the colors and game with Paris symbols, Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame de Paris as perfect actors. in same measure, a pleasant music. and adorable moments. a policier ad usym delphini. but really good for science of measure, for the art to create a puzzle with ordinary pieces but not boring. a cat as axis of events. a mother, her daughter. and the group of evil gangster. a poor dog, roofs, trip in zoo, crumbs from Persepolis animation. revenge, love story, wise thief with brave heart and slices of seduction. nothing new. nothing complicated. but beautiful. and this is the point !

Red-Barracuda French animation has a certain stylish aesthetic. From the Gallic influenced 'Pink Panther' and 'Inspector Clouseau' cartoons to the films of Sylvain Chomet such as Belleville Rendezvous and The Illusionist, French animation has a definite look and feel. A Cat in Paris very much fits into this category. Its appeal lies almost exclusively in its French aesthetic.Its story has three plot strands: a single mum and her daughter, their cat and a burglar and a gang of crooks. All the stories ultimately converge. In all honesty the story and characters aren't especially interesting. This is the weakness of the film. However, its strength lies in its animation and look. It's an old-style cartoon done in the traditional way. It isn't CGI and this is to its benefit. It has lots more heart and soul than the slick computer generated stuff we mainly see nowadays. The characters are simply drawn, resembling some forms of primitive art. The Paris they inhabit is beautifully presented. This city is such a knockout that it always looks terrific when animated, it really seems ideal for the treatment. Here is no exception, with the buildings lovingly depicted and the night-time rooftops romantically illustrated. The atmosphere created by the animation is very appealing.This is a good feature. It's not up to the standard of Sylvain Chomet's work but it is certainly operating from a similar place. If you appreciate traditional animation or more specifically French animation, then this is a feature well worth catching.