'A Cat in Paris': more beautiful than poignant animation

Cat burglars are only human -- unless they're actual cats. Dino, the titular "Cat in Paris," has only two rather than nine lives, but that's plenty: By day he is a little girl's cuddly pet. By night he's a high-end thief's aide par excellence.

Co-directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol served up this charming entry, which was Oscar-nominated for best animated feature of 2012. It lost out to Gore Verbinski's "Rango" but, thanks to Pittsburgh Filmmakers, is now available for your inspection---French animation at its best.

Seems that little Zoe was traumatized into total silence following her father's murder by gangsters. Her mother is a high-powered police chief, so busy searching for the killers that she leaves Zoe home alone with a governess of dubious intentions. Zoe's only consolation is Dino, her equally silent kitty -- who sneaks out after dark, when Zoe's asleep, for his work with Nico, the burglar.

Nico's specialty is jewelry and art, and those heists -- with Dino's crucial assistance -- constitute the film's best visual moments. One night, Zoe decides to follow Dino and, in the process, discovers her nanny's involvement with the gangsters just as they kidnap and hold her for ransom.

Dino to the rescue.

The mildly interesting story and characters are not the film's strength, which lies, rather, in its uniquely French animation.
I'd say the great old "Pink Panther" cartoons were an inspiration, along with such lovely Sylvain Chomet creations as "The Illusionist." That French form, as manifested here, is wonderfully traditional -- hand-drawn, not computer-generated, and delightfully stylized.

The characters tend to resemble the masters whose art is being stolen (Picasso and Matisse), and the rendering of Paris -- its landmarks and rooftops and romantic atmosphere -- is never less than gorgeous.

Subtly humorous moments abound. Dino is allergic to the nanny's noxious perfume and sneezes whenever she passes by.
My favorite running gag is that of a yapping dog, who barks insanely when he sees Dino but, instead of being rewarded for his "alarm system," keeps getting clobbered by neighbors' shoes to shut him up.

The problem with "A Cat in Paris" is that the quality of its illustration is better than the narrative quality of what it's illustrating: The makers waver between drama and comedy. The result is ever so graceful and clever but not as cohesive, poignant (or, in the end, memorable) as it would like to be.

Nevertheless, "A Cat in Paris" is fine family fare -- a tale of one city, and tail of two kitties -- well worth the kiddies' and your own time.