France Animation News: 'Une Vie de Chat' in Theaters

Released to theaters in France this week is the latest feature animation from the talented artists at Folimage, a production studio whose fluid and feathery style does well to ground, or lend a sense of reality to, the more whimsical tales its directors are prone to revealing. The film is Une Vie de Chat (trans. "Life of a Cat"), international title A Cat in Paris, and places viewers in the middle of the humorous and exciting nighttime exploits of a sly, tiger-striped cat. The cat slinks away each night to assist an equally clever and warmhearted burglar, but what happens when this cat's twin lives collide? Noted animation producer Jacques-Remy Girerd has the answers.

In Une Vie de Chat, Dino is the cat who leads a double life. Comforting when called upon, Dino is the close friend and consort to a lonely seven-year-old girl, Zoe.

Dino is also the silent and skilled partner-in-crime for Nico, a flexible burglar responsible for a recent rash of Paris-based jewelry crimes. Zoe in particular, is a rather quiet girl. Her father was murdered recently, and it's become rather difficult for her to stay occupied without sinking deeper into lonesomeness. Zoe's mother is the town's police commissioner, and though compassionate to her needs when possible, the mother's work obligations weigh heavy on their shoulders.

Going back to Dino, it appears that during the day the cat is on one side of the law, while at night on the other. As the story of Une Vie de Chat unfolds, Nico and Dino become increasingly adept at their work. But when Dino brings home to Zoe a marvelous bracelet one night, a few suspicions arise. While visiting Zoe and her mother, the police department's second-in-command notices the bracelet, and ponders how it came to rest in the girl's possession. Meanwhile, after a few wayward thoughts and curious glances, Zoe herself decides to follow her kitten one night. Where does Dino go? Perhaps it's time to find out. Une Vie de Chat thus kicks into another gear, as Zoe traces the second life of her beloved cat, meets the spry burglar Nico (who prefers finesse over violence), and even runs into a few bad guys heading up Paris' criminal underworld.

Folimage offers audiences an elegant 2D film with character. Zoe's curiosity, Nico's gaiety and intrigue, and Dino's spiritedness all benefit from of the studio's willowy character designs and supple background art. Daytime character dynamics blossom with emphasis between coordinated flushes of orange-brown and pink, while evening burglaries come alive amid the lithe nighttime cityscapes, speckled by streetlamps. Une Vie de Chat officially entered theaters on December 15, 2010.

The animated film is directed by Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, who when asked about the film's tenor from early production to completion, noted "We wanted to play with the codes for classic thriller that viewers are intrigued by [..] suspense and fun. Beyond the thriller, this film chronicles the redemption of two people. It is a world both real and imaginary. The strength of the cartoon is in this gap." It takes "one small step," he continued, "to give the film this strange feeling that accompanies us on long after a dream."

Une Vie de Chat was produced by Jacques-Remy Girerd, director of Folimage's second feature-length production, Mia et le Migou (2008), a voluptuously hand-drawn children's fantasy.

Girerd has also commented on the film's dreamlike qualities, emphasizing the script's use of subtlety and silence as increasingly effective variables in managing an emotional and gratifying social narrative.

In addition to Folimage, partners on Une Vie de Chat included production studios/groups Lunanime (Belgium), Digit Anima (Belgium), and Rhone-Alpes Cinema (France). The film is distributed locally by Gebeka Films, with worldwide sales handled by Films Distribution.

Recent France Animation News:
"New Sales for France Animation Street Football" at AnimationInsider.net (12/2010)
"Ankama Feature Animation News" at AnimationInsider.net (10/2010)
Feature: "MIPCOM / MIP Jr. 2010 Animation Spotlight" at AnimationInsider.net (10/2010)