In the Paris flooded in 1910, a monster spreads panic. Hunted relentlessly by the formidable prefect Maynott, it is still not found… And if the best hiding place was under the spotlight of “The Rare Bird”, a cabaret where singer Lucille, the star of Montmartre, the well-tempered character ?
Author’s Note
[rating:7/10]
• Release Date : October 12, 2011
• Directed by Eric Bergeron
• Film French
• With the voice of Gad Elmaleh, Matthieu Chédid, Vanessa Paradis, François Cluzet, Bruno Salomone, Philippe Peythieu
• Duration : 1h22min
• Original title : A Monster in Paris
• Trailer :
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This film is a lullaby, either by poetic or by its chorus as an echo of the classic animated film such as were able to a long time, we offer the Disney Studios. It tightens with some talent the fundamentals of drawing-animated “musical”, combining a plot pretty epic (with a chase and gunfire, for example), a sense of humor some (gags, facial expressions or dialogues), and a romance sung, all packaged in a little marshmallow. It should, of course, to accept and appreciate this basic principle to be able to judge this film on its fair value.
This film is a comedy, led by replicas quite well chosen in particular in the mouth of the character played by Gad Elmaleh, who proves once again, after his performance in Me, Ugly and Nasty, be a backer knowing to forget about, while remaining reliable in its performance of actor (more so than one might have feared that he or she makes tons of them, as most of the stars becoming doublers). Similarly, the roles played by François Cluzet and Vanessa Paradis emerge as strong also.
This film is a ride, a journey in the Paris of before the war necessarily idealized and, of course, enriched it with elements uchroniques and very slightly steampunk. There are costumes, film, and images of yesteryear mixed with elements of funny as giant plants, a monkey scientist or even a cameo of a French actor of yesteryear with the turning of a scene. The imagery is very well chosen, and the time travel is so easy from the first minutes of the film.
This film is imperfect. It is an echo of the animations very musical from Disney and there is little original in its form. Similarly, if the humor is present, and if the gags are effective, they are more timid than in other animated films of recent, like Me, Ugly and Nasty, Dragons, Rapunzel or Toy Story 3. And necessarily this generates small lengths sometimes especially in the first quarter of the film. Another note, the scenario is obviously quite simple as the realization does not bother much of certain items and often leave the place in a flurry sometimes inconsistent. Quite annoying when you know that the director already has to its credit two movies from Dreamworks animation : the Gang of Sharks, and The Road to el Dorado.
This film is a forum for Matthieu Chédid and Vanessa Paradis, which give a very distinctive tone to this film. The main title “The river Seine” is catchy and well-calibrated. The visual accompaniment of its passage in the film is without doubt one of the best 2 successes graphics in the film (with the processing of the view of the parisian landscape faithful and magnified). The duo works generally very well, and the poetry of the relationship between the character of Lucille and this “Monster” is based mainly on this alchemy. Moreover, one can’t help but compare the sadness of this initial “Monster” misunderstood with that also interpreted by the same Matthieu Chédid in the musical comedy The Soldier Rose.
This film is to see overall : even though it lacks a little something for being a great animated film, it offers the viewer a journey charming, funny and poetic in a Paris postcard with the characters endearing and funny and a soundtrack finally quite fit. The inconsistencies that one might reproach him blend in quite well to the side of a crackpot and obsolete of the whole and adds to the charm of this film.
This film is charming in fact.