A Cat in Paris (2010)
★★½ — A Cat in Paris (2010)
A Cat in Paris (Une vie de chat) is a co-production spread across four countries, pulling together French studio Folimage (long associated with handcrafted, auteur-leaning animation) alongside partners in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium. Directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol had worked together on short films before this, their debut feature, and the project sits comfortably within a tradition of European adult-oriented animation that resists the polish of major studio output. Running at a lean 70 minutes, it was released at a moment when hand-drawn animation was increasingly being squeezed out by CGI, making its commitment to a painterly, watercolour-influenced style something of a quiet statement. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2012, a notable achievement for a modestly scaled production with a North American theatrical gross under half a million dollars.
A Cat in Paris (2010) is a hand-drawn charmer with Parisian atmosphere to spare. A film that clearly values the tactile warmth of traditional animation in an increasingly digital age. The watercolour aesthetic, with its soft lines and moody nocturnal palette, gives the city a dreamlike quality, and there's genuine pleasure in watching the eponymous feline leap across rooftops and slink through alleyways. The score, all smoky jazz and accordion, completes the postcard-perfect ambiance. As a visual and sensory experience, it's pleasant enough. But beauty alone can't carry a film when the story beneath feels thin and familiar. The plot (a young girl, her cat, and a cat burglar entangled in a gangster's scheme) unfolds very predictably. The characters are sketched as broadly as the backgrounds; their motivations feel functional rather than felt. It's the cinematic equivalent of a nicely illustrated children's book, appealing in the moment, forgotten by bedtime. A modest, aesthetically pleasing trifle that earns respect for its craft without delivering much beyond surface charm. Hand-drawn animation deserves celebration, but not every film made in that style deserves remembrance. A Cat in Paris is pleasant, unchallenging, and ultimately just… ok. Ideal for a quiet afternoon with young children.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2010 | Watched: 2026-04-07
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Where to watch (UK)
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
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More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
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More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
