Blu-ray Review: ‘A Cat in Paris’ Has Fun Moments in Frustrating Movie

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CHICAGO – One of two surprising 2012 Oscar nominees for Best Animated Film (the other being “Chico & Rita”), “A Cat in Paris” was just released in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack Special Edition and viewers may be curious what enticed Academy members. The film has its diversions but it’s ultimately a film that only reminds one of better works and barely comes together. It would work as a TV special but its 62-minute length isn’t the only thing that keep it back from being a fully-realized feature.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

“A Cat in Paris” is about how a cat burglar, actual feline, and little girl have their lives intersect in the city of lights. It’s a film that’s clearly aiming for that whimsical Sylvain Chomet (“The Illusionist”) charm but misses the heart and creativity of Chomet’s work. It’s a movie that thinks crude, hand-drawn animation will do a lot of the work when it comes to atmosphere and personality and, after a fresh start, becomes surprisingly bogged down in a cop movie plot and slows down. The voice work feels stilted and often misguided (Anjelica Huston’s inconsistent accent choice is baffling) and the whole piece takes on the air of a film that may have started with good ideas but never developed them.

A Cat in Paris was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 9, 2012
A Cat in Paris was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 9, 2012
Photo credit: New Video

Synopsis:
The Academy Award-nominated A CAT IN PARIS is a beautiful hand-drawn caper set in the shadow-drenched alleyways in Paris. Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force. But at night Dino sneaks out the windowto work with Nico - a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades captors and slips and swishes from rooftop to rooftop across the Paris skyline. A CAT IN PARIS is a delightful animated adventure perfect for both adults and children - a witty and stylish “animated noir” with a jazzy soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday and a thrilling climax on top of Notre Dame cathedral.

Special Features:
o “The Many Lives of a Cat” Video Flipbook
o “Extinction of the Saber-Toothed Housecat” Bonus Short Film
o Alternate Original French Audio Track with English Subtitles
o U.S. Trailer

“A Cat in Paris” features voice work by Marcia Gay Harden, Anjelica Huston, and Matthew Modine. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 9, 2012.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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