A Cat in Paris has a delightfully idiosyncratic animated aesthetic – it’s like an intermingling of Art Deco and Cubism – but the story is all odd angles. One half of the narrative involves a little girl named Zoe, mute since her father’s death and at odds with her workaholic mother. The other half concerns a stealthy burglar who leaps among the rooftops of Paris, stealing artwork and jewelry. The connection? Zoe’s cat, which sneaks out of her window at night to join the burglar on his excursions. More crime elements come into play, mostly involving a mob boss of some sort and his bungling henchmen, all of which makes A Cat in Paris an awkward combination of Coraline and Le Samourai. That’s a lot for any 64-minute movie to juggle, no matter how arresting the images.
