Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

MartinHafer I'll cut to the chase. "A Cat of Paris" was Oscar-nominated in one of the worst years in recent memories for the category of Best Animated Feature. Considering that the mediocre (at best) film "Rango" won and films like "Puss 'n Boots" and "Kung Fu Panda 2" were also nominated, I think I can rest my case. "A Cat of Paris" is really no better and is a film I could have skipped.The movie is told using a very simple looking animation style and looks a bit like another nominee that year, "Chico and Rita". The drawings appear a bit crude and the film has a very non-Hollywood look. Some might like it--I just thought it looked less than Oscar- worthy. Now it it NOT because I expect all animated films to look like Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks films--but I would have expected for with an Oscar nominee.The story is about a cat who spends its days living with a mute little girl. However, at night when she sleeps, it slips out and hangs with a thief with a heart of gold (a bad cliché, I admit). Later, when the child is caught up with a vicious group of gangsters, the thief and cat come to her rescue.I found myself only moderately interested in the film. It's not bad but it wasn't particularly inspired. I think had it NOT been nominated, I actually would have enjoyed it more, as my expectations were awfully high but the film couldn't match them. Additionally, I was a bit surprised how nasty and scary the gangsters were, as it seems a bit too much for younger viewers--which is unusual for a cartoon.

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.

Kong Ho Meng Alongside Chico and Rita, this is another worthy contender for the Oscar best animation category. Unlike most other animation, this is uniquely European in terms of art and of both the physicality and the expressions exhibited from movements to geometrics and color contrasts.I believe that, concurrently with choosing such an art style, the intention is to make the whole movie slightly more one-dimensional and maximizes the potential in that regard. The plot is meant to be simple and the characters being as predictable as it should be (villains are bad & stupid, etc.). Despite being too crude or lacking advanced perceptions which would obviously boost up the script's potential for a far richer content, there is still enough entertainment value, material and the pace of the plot is quick enough to keep demanding viewers like me hooked. In fact it is superior to Chico & Rita in terms of that. Some of the scenes are very creative too. I do hope either this or Chico will win the Oscars 2012!!

mschafer For an Oscar nominee (!), this is pretty weak stuff. Yes, the hand-drawn animation is nicely done but -- at least in the English-language version -- the writing is just awful; over-explanatory and on-the-nose. I was constantly annoyed by it. In addition, the characters all have either American accents or *SPOILERS* British accents if they're bad guys. And the voice work is nothing special. I *would* be interested in seeing a French-with-subtitles version if one exists. Also, there's almost nothing particularly "Parisian" about the film, despite the title, except for the climax which takes place atop Notre Dame. And it's barely over an hour long! Glad I caught it via On-Demand rather than paying 12 bucks in a theater.