For those of you rare cinephiles out there who long for the good ol’ days when you didn’t need a pair of glasses to watch a movie in 3D, this one’s for you! Heck, even those of you who love watching movies in 3D but also happen to be in search of a good movie with great heart, this one’s also for you.
Nominated last year for Best Animated Feature, A Cat in Paris is finally hitting cinemas in the States. It’s a darkly comic story about a young girl named Zoe whose father is murdered by a nefarious gangster named Victor Costa who is on a mad tear in search of something called the Colossus of Nairobi. Zoe’s mother is a detective who has dedicated herself to putting Victor away, all the while unbeknownst to her that her daughter is cuddling up all day with a cat named Dino who, for all practical purposes, is leading a double life. When he isn’t playing cute kitty with Zoe, he’s actually helping a thief named Nico rob the citizens of Paris at night by traversing the many roofs of the City of Lights. It all comes together in the end in unexpected but magical ways.
The story is fairly traditional as animated films go, but it gets an innovative spin with its retro style that harkens back to the 1960s and the traditional hand-drawn animation that is completely unenehanced by computer or specialty graphics. It always amazes me when filmmakers try their hand (literally) at old styles that no longer translate to big bucks at the box office, but are long remembered after they’ve had their run at the marquee. Persepolis is a prime example of this return to artistry in animation. It may not have even a fraction of the commercial appeal or haul of a movie like Madagascar or Cars 2, but it remains in the memory long after the final credits have ended.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a city where A Cat in Paris is playing this weekend, be sure to catch it before it leaves the big screen. You will be enthralled.
