A Cat in Paris

Story

A Cat in Paris (the English version) tells the story of a tom cat living a double life in Paris. By day he is Dino, the loyal pet of a little girl called Zoe (Lauren Weintraub) but by night he is Mr. Cat, slinking off to join local cat burglar and art thief, the suave and acrobatic Nico (Steve Blum).

Zoe lives with her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), a busy police officer, and their nanny Claudine (Anjelica Huston). Zoe is having a hard time dealing with the loss of her father, also a police officer, who was tragically murdered by notorious gangster Victor Costa (JB Blanc). Zoe hasn’t spoken a word since her father died. Her mother wants to connect with Zoe but is also caught up in her own grief and has become obsessed with tracking down her husband’s killer and putting Costa behind bars.

One day Zoe decides to find out exactly where Dino goes every night and follows him across the rooftops. The evening takes a dangerous turn when she accidently comes across Victor Costa and his gang. They recognise her and capture her, thinking she’ll make a good hostage. Thankfully, cat burglar Nico and Dino come to Zoe’s rescue, helping her outrun the gangsters. But things become even more dangerous when Nico is arrested for theft and Zoe falls once again into the clutches of the villains. Nico and Dino must do their best to save Zoe and bring Victor Costa to justice.

Themes

Death of a parent; organised crime; grief; kidnapping; art; animation; Paris; pets

Violence

A Cat in Paris has some violence. For example:

Dino kills little lizards and brings them to Zoe as a treat. Zoe collects the dead lizards in a tin.
Police practice their shooting at a gun range.
The housekeeper calls Dino a rotten mangy cat and sucks at him with the vacuum cleaner.
Victor Costa hits one of his apprentices in the face with a quiche.
Someone throws a slipper at a barking dog, shouting at it to shut up. A brick falls on top of the dog, squashing it.
Victor Costa slaps a man hard in the face.
Zoe kicks a woman so hard in the leg that the woman’s leg is bleeding.
Victor Costa fires his gun multiple times into the water to frighten his accomplice.
A policeman uses a gun to arrest Nico.
Nico pulls out a gun in the back of the police car and holds it to the head of the policeman.
Victor Costa gets mad and has a tantrum. He takes out his gun and starts firing at a chair and then at a rat.
A woman forcibly restrains Zoe against her will.
There are several scenes of fist fighting with punching, kicking and slapping.

Sexual references

A Cat in Paris has some sexual references. For example:

There’s some flirtation between Claudine and Victor Costa, who are having a relationship.
There’s some mild romantic tension between Nico and Zoe’s mother.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

A Cat in Paris has some substance use – for example, adults drink wine and champagne and smoke cigarettes.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in A Cat in Paris.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in A Cat in Paris.

Coarse language

A Cat in Paris has some insults and coarse language. For example, ‘idiot’, ‘Shut it!’ and ‘You sneaky son of a…”.

Ideas to discuss with your children

A Cat in Paris is a movie from French animation studio, Folimage. It’s a Hitchcock-esque crime caper that gives us a stylised and atmospheric slice of Paris thanks to a jazzy music score and some beautiful hand drawn animation. The movie has dark undertones and some dangerous moments and is therefore not suitable for children under 9. Older children would benefit from parental guidance. This is a great movie for children with an interest in animation, art or design.

The main messages from A Cat in Paris are that people are not always who they seem, and that grief can be overcome.

Values in A Cat in Paris that you could reinforce with your children are bravery, athletic skills, and overcoming communication breakdowns.

A Cat in Paris could give you the chance to talk with your children about how and why people’s true nature is sometimes at odds with their behaviour. You could also discuss the different ways that people cope with trauma and loss.