Movies: A Cat In Paris

These days the world of cinema seems to be ruled by spectacular digital effects. But good old fashioned hand drawn movies, in German called "Zeichentrickfilme", still have their place. This is  evident in "A Cat In Paris" (imdb.com). This is an animated French movie whose English language version is running now in U.S. cinemas.

"The cat.." is beautifully drawn. The artful style reminds me a bit of Art Deco paintings and the faces could be painted by Armedo Modigliani or by Marc Chagall. The movie makers didn`t try to replicate reality, instead they showed the world in a highly stylized version. It´s a lot of fun to watch what kind of symbols they invented in their drawn world.

The plot isn´t very important. The movie tells a very simple adventure story which is a bit funny, a bit silly and suitable for small children. But even adults can enjoy the film because of its optical charm and the frequent references to a lot of  famous movies like Vertigo or Tarantino`s Reservoir Dogs. The short flick  (just 70 minutes) could be a nice hors d'oeuvres for a pleasant evening.