A Cat in Paris does offer a nice alternative to the Disney aesthetic, but does not quite reach the heights of The Triplets of Belleville, The Secret of Kells, or any given Hayao Miyazaki film. It seems to subscribe to the idea that In order to appeal to a child, the animation should appear to have been done by a child. Clearly, this was not done by a child, but with the blank faces and the fluid ways the bodies move, the idea seems to old true. It just never takes full hold of its fantasy.
Audio/Video. The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It is a fine looking transfer with rich colors and deep blacks. It is really a solid representation of the animated source; it has that animated shimmer from the source and it just looks right.
Audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It is crisp and clear, although there is not a lot of use of the surrounds. It still sounds really good and the jazz-inflected score fills the sound field.
Extras.
- The Extinction of the Saber-toothed Housecat. This is a short film that combines traditional hand-drawn animation, computer animation, and real world backgrounds into a funny little piece.
- "The Many Lives of a Cat" Video Flip-book. This takes a look at the development of the tale through a couple script revisions, as well as with storyboards.
- Trailer. The original U.S. trailer.
Bottomline. While presented in rather fantastical fashion, the tale never seems to fully take off. We are left with an overly simplified conflict that ultimately leaves everyone just a little bit bored. Just because it is different than what we are used to does not make it better. The funny thing is, I think it is worth a watch; there is still some charm to be found here and there throughout its runtime.
Mildly Recommended.
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