# A Cat in Paris
**A Cat in Paris** (French: *Une vie de chat*) is a 2010 French animated feature film directed by Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, about a house cat named Dino who lives a double life: by day he is the pet of a lonely little girl, and by night he accompanies a cat burglar across the rooftops of Paris.[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) • [2](https://www.palacefilms.com.au/a-cat-in-paris) The film was produced by Jacques-Rémy Girerd at the Folimage studio in a coproduction with Belgium, released in French theaters on 15 December 2010, and nominated for the 2012 [Academy Award for Best Animated Feature](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-animated-feature).[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/29898/a-cat-in-paris) • [4](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | *Une vie de chat*, a play on the French expression for "a dog's life"[5](https://www.flandersimage.com/titles/a-cat-in-paris) • [6](https://frenchfilmfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/French-Film-Festival-2011.pdf) |
| Directors | Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, their first feature after roughly 14 short films made together over about ten years[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) • [7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) |
| Production | Folimage (France) with Lunanime, Digit Anima, and other partners; coproduction with Belgium; producer Jacques-Rémy Girerd[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) • [3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/29898/a-cat-in-paris) |
| Technique | Hand-drawn animation on paper, with hand-drawn lighting on the characters; music by Serge Besset[7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) • [1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) |
| Release | France 15 December 2010; United States limited release 1 June 2012 through distributor GKIDS[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/29898/a-cat-in-paris) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris) |
| Awards | Oscar nomination, Best Animated Feature 2012; César and European Film Award nominations 2011; Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival 2011[4](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1673702/awards/) |
| Reception | 83% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (64 reviews); Metascore 63 from 20 critic reviews[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-cat-in-paris/critic-reviews/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Dino is the loyal pet of Zoé, a mute little girl who stopped speaking after the trauma of her father's death and lives with her mother Jeanne, a police detective.[2](https://www.palacefilms.com.au/a-cat-in-paris) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris) After sundown, Dino slips out the window to accompany Nico, a cat burglar, on his nightly prowls over the Paris rooftops.[2](https://www.palacefilms.com.au/a-cat-in-paris) When Zoé follows Dino on one of his nocturnal outings, she is drawn into a criminal world involving jewels and the gangster Victor Costa, whose henchmen carry odd codenames, and the story builds to an acrobatic finale atop Notre Dame cathedral.[2](https://www.palacefilms.com.au/a-cat-in-paris) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-cat-in-paris/critic-reviews/) Jeanne, meanwhile, is investigating a series of night burglaries while pursuing Costa, the gangster responsible for her husband's death.[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) • [11](https://www.ac-versailles.fr/media/18236/download)
## Production
Gagnol and Felicioli had collaborated on animated shorts at Folimage since 1996, and *A Cat in Paris* was their first feature.[6](https://frenchfilmfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/French-Film-Festival-2011.pdf) • [7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) Gagnol, an author of crime novels, described the aim as making a film noir for children; the cat burglar character came first, with the cat as his criminal companion, and the idea grew from watching cats wander on the rooftops near his apartment at sunset.[7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris)
The animation is entirely hand-made on paper, with pencils and erasers, and even the lights on the characters are hand-drawn, a demanding choice the directors made deliberately for the sensitivity of hand work; computers were used for line tests, coloring, and editing.[7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) Felicioli, who studied painting and fine arts, drew the graphic design and sets, with influences the directors cite in painters such as Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and Bonnard rather than in animation.[6](https://frenchfilmfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/French-Film-Festival-2011.pdf) • [7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) The team included six animators at Folimage and six more in Belgium.[7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) The French voice cast included Dominique Blanc, Bernadette Lafont, Bruno Salomone, Jean Benguigui, and Oriane Zani; the English dub added [Marcia Gay Harden](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcia-gay-harden), Anjelica Huston, and [Matthew Modine](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-modine).[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris)
## Style and influences
The film is a caper in a noir-tinged, stylized Paris, with a retro jazz soundtrack by Serge Besset that features a vintage [Billie Holiday](https://www.edgepedia.org/billie-holiday) recording of "I Wished on the Moon".[12](https://gkids.com/films/a-cat-in-paris/) • [13](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2011/archive/a-cat-in-paris/) GKIDS describes it as rife with film references, from *Reservoir Dogs* to *Goodfellas* to *[The Night of the Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-night-of-the-hunter-film)*, and a love letter to classic noir and American gangster films; Gagnol names *The Night of the Hunter* and *White Heat* among his main influences.[12](https://gkids.com/films/a-cat-in-paris/) • [7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris) In the directors' stated method, the picture as a composition matters as much as the movement, and simple, precisely timed movement is preferred except in fast action scenes.[7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris)
## Reception
Critical response was generally favorable. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 83% from 64 reviews, with a critics consensus praising its stylish, imaginative world, wonderful soundtrack, and Hitchcockian overtones; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 72%.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris) On Metacritic it scored 63 from 20 reviews, with 12 positive, 6 mixed, and 2 negative.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-cat-in-paris/critic-reviews/) Reviewers singled out the hand-crafted animation: Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer called it "a thrilling example of traditional ink and paint cartooning," and Michael Phillips of the [Chicago Tribune](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-tribune) praised its striking silhouettes and bright storybook palette, while noting that some action borders on the jarring and that the finale atop Notre Dame favors bombast over wit.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-cat-in-paris/critic-reviews/) Dana Stevens of Slate found it sparer, less hectic, and less cute than the animated spectacles audiences were used to, a difference she called welcome and refreshing.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-cat-in-paris/critic-reviews/) Common Sense Media cautions parents that the story touches on grief, betrayal, and revenge, with gunfire and a man plunging to his death, making it darker than typical preschool cartoon fare.[14](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-cat-in-paris)
## Awards
At the 84th Academy Awards, honoring films of 2011, *A Cat in Paris* was nominated for Best Animated Feature alongside *Rango*, *Chico & Rita*, *Kung Fu Panda 2*, and *Puss in Boots*; the award went to *Rango*.[4](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012) The film was also nominated for the 2011 César for Best Animated Film, the 2011 European Film Award for European Animated Feature Film, the 2011 Cristal for Best Feature at the Annecy festival, and the 2012 Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, and it won the Audience Award for Children's Film at the Warsaw International Film Festival in 2011.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1673702/awards/) • [1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) Other honors include the "Best of Anilogue" prize at the Anilogue festival in Budapest and a first prize from the children's jury at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, both in 2011, and official selection at the Berlinale 2011.[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm)
## Versions and runtime
The film circulates in a French version, a French version with English subtitles, an English dub, and an international music-and-effects version.[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) Reported runtimes differ by source: Folimage lists 1 hour 5 minutes, Unifrance lists 1 hour 10 minutes, Palace Films lists 62 minutes, and Métropole Films lists 70 minutes.[1](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm) • [3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/29898/a-cat-in-paris) • [2](https://www.palacefilms.com.au/a-cat-in-paris) • [15](https://www.metropolefilms.com/index.php/filmlink?id=537db6f7-7343-4753-bc88-03230c22f6fc&lang=fr&type=cs)
## References
1. [A Cat in Paris, Folimage](https://www.folimage.fr/en/films/une-vie-de-chat-10.htm)
2. [A Cat in Paris, Official Site, Palace Films](https://www.palacefilms.com.au/a-cat-in-paris)
3. [A Cat in Paris, Unifrance](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/29898/a-cat-in-paris)
4. [The 84th Academy Awards, Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2012)
5. [A Cat in Paris, Flanders Image](https://www.flandersimage.com/titles/a-cat-in-paris)
6. [French Film Festival UK 2011 program notes](https://frenchfilmfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/French-Film-Festival-2011.pdf)
7. [Alain Gagnol Talks 'A Cat in Paris', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/alain-gagnol-talks-cat-paris)
8. [A Cat in Paris, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_cat_in_paris)
9. [A Cat in Paris, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1673702/awards/)
10. [A Cat in Paris critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-cat-in-paris/critic-reviews/)
11. [Ecole et cinéma 2013/2014, Académie de Versailles](https://www.ac-versailles.fr/media/18236/download)
12. [A Cat in Paris, GKIDS Films](https://gkids.com/films/a-cat-in-paris/)
13. [A Cat in Paris, New Zealand International Film Festival 2011](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2011/archive/a-cat-in-paris/)
14. [A Cat in Paris, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-cat-in-paris)
15. [Vie de chat, Une (A Cat in Paris), Métropole Films](https://www.metropolefilms.com/index.php/filmlink?id=537db6f7-7343-4753-bc88-03230c22f6fc&lang=fr&type=cs)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films with original stories and animal leads*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license