Here’s a charming and well-done animated film from France. Its story contains many classic elements, or possibly “modern classic” depending on how you look at it, but it executes these ideas with skill and heart that endears the audience to the story and keeps their interest. Not to mention the unique drawing style, which lends a quirky sensibility to the presentation while remaining appealing to the eye, as well as staying true to French (or just European in general) art traditions. It’s a lovely little film for any film/animation fan, or just audiences in general, really, if they’re open to foreign films and their differences from American productions. But enough introductions, let’s get into the plot.
The titular cat is a little black cat that, by day, is the pet of a young girl named Zoe, but by night, he is the companion of a jewel thief. Zoe hasn’t spoken since her father died, him having been killed by Victor Acosta, a rather sadistic criminal. Her mother, Jeanne, works for the police and has something of a traumatic vendetta against Acosta, often envisioning him as a red, grasping octopus-like creature. Due to these factors, Jeanne is often at work, leaving Zoe alone at home most of the time, with the exceptions of the cat and their housekeeper Claudine. The thief (who is named Nico), on the other hand, seems to be rather successful in his heists, but much like Zoe also lives alone without much companionship sans the cat. One night, after a heist, Nico gives the cat a sardine-shaped bracelet, which the cat then gives to Zoe. Jeanne recognizes the bracelet and takes it to the station, giving them their first bit of evidence on Nico. At the same time, the police are also being primed to protect a large statue called the Colossus of Nairobi, the same statue that Acosta tried to steal before, an incident which cost the life of Jeanne’s husband/Zoe’s father. One night, Zoe sneaks out of the house and follows the cat, most likely to see where he goes every night. On the way, however, she stumbles upon Acosta and his crew, and learns of their current plans. Not only is Acosta planning another attempt at the statue, but Claudine is actually his accomplice, having been acting as a spy on Jeanne. Now Zoe is caught in a series of twists, turns, and warring sides, as the characters all converge and fight each other in a classic crime film story. I know this is a briefer summary than you’re used to from me, but I honestly feel that this sort of film is best viewed without knowing what most of the plot is. It makes the viewing experience much more exciting, at least for the first viewing. So, instead, let’s shift gears towards the evaluation.
One thing that I appreciated about this film, and part of why I think it works, is that while it isn’t afraid to use the outlandishness of animation at times, it rarely feels overplayed. It retains a certain grounded sensibility to its proceedings that allow you to experience the charm and creativity of the execution without going so overboard that it becomes too ridiculous. Moments such as Acosta appearing as an octopus-creature to Jeanne are kept to personal visions of the character that’s seeing them, and the use of animation allows these visions to form on-screen without feeling too weirdly out-there (a half-human/half-octopus thing probably wouldn’t seem right in a normal live-action crime film). In addition, the animation is able to create interesting ways of conveying a scene, such as during a blackout in the gangster’s hideout in which all the characters are drawn with white outlines against a black background, not unlike a chalkboard or blueprint. It’s always wonderful to see a dynamic use of this medium, as it truly is a very freeing artform and can allow for an infinite number of creations and visions. The art style that it goes for deserves mention as well, as it is distinctly European, somewhat cubist-inspired but not entirely of that artform. The buildings and objects in the background are drawn at odd and wonky angles that really make you feel as if you’re trying to navigate a large, twisting underworld at night, while the characters are composed of organic shapes that allow for smooth and flowing movement. Even the coloring on the characters is given a certain earthy roughness and seems to move and shake as the characters move, making everything feel much more organic and livelier. All of this serves to increase the story’s appeal, as many of the plot elements aren’t exactly new but their execution, along with the style’s execution, are performed with enough heart to draw the viewer into the story. You do very much feel for Zoe and Jeanne and what they’ve been dealing with. Zoe is already going through a trauma-induced muteness, so the lack of many friends or companions in her day-to-day life must be rather lonely. This might be part of why she relates so well to the cat, as they have a sort of unspoken bond (literally) and still very much care about each other, even with the cat being the pet of two homes. Jeanne clearly loves Zoe, but she is not only dealing with a distance between the two of them due to Zoe’s condition, but also her own grief and vengeful hatred towards Acosta, so you can clearly see where she’s coming from and want her to find peace. Nico is the classic thief with a heart of gold who, while obviously on the wrong side of the law, does still have enough morals to separate him from people like Acosta. He doesn’t take too kindly to how he and his crew treat Zoe and puts his own neck on the line to help her, even if he ends up on the bad side of a misunderstanding over the situation (Claudine convinces Jeanne that Nico was trying to kidnap Zoe, and, of course, with him being a thief, Jeanne doesn’t trust his word in the slightest). I will admit that Acosta as a character does veer a bit too over-the-top scummy in some instances, such as when he finds a piece of Zoe’s shirt that ripped off during the chase, he sniffs it and says that it “smells like fresh meat.” A Cat in Paris is considered more of a family film, so I suppose having a more blatantly bad villain is par for the course, and thankfully he still generally feels like a believably malicious gangster for the most part. In general, I think the film executes its story and presentation very well, and it goes to show that something doesn’t always have to be entirely original to still be good.
Overall, I quite enjoyed A Cat in Paris. I think it’s a worthwhile viewing experience for most anyone of any age. Granted, some parents might take issue with the crime and gangster angle, and other folks might not be able to relate to the French style or just foreign styles in general. I’m also not sure of the quality of the English language version, as I viewed it in its original French with subtitles (which is normally how I try to watch foreign films in general, if the option is there). I would still recommend that the folks uncertain about it to give it a try, as I think its charm and relatability will win you over. Take a night trip through Paris with a cat……..in Paris.