“A Monster in Paris” was one of the more surprising films that I’ve seen this summer. I’m not typically drawn toward computer animated family films outside of Disney and I honestly only put it on because it was expiring off of Netflix at the end of the month. What started as background noise quickly turned into a film that demanded every ounce of my attention. The key to this film is its turn-of-the-century Paris setting, which needs to be used in more films. It was absolutely magic! They had me with classic looks at the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur on Montmartre. This romanticized look at Paris makes it seem like anything is possible and most of the bizarre story elements fit right in. The setting is complimented by a fantastic musical score, particularly “Just a Little Kiss for You” and both versions of “La Seine and I.” The voices of Vanessa Paradis and Sean Lennon are perfectly suited for the style of the music. I was also surprised to see big names like Catherine O’Hara, Danny Huston, and Bob Balaban attached to the film. The quality of voice acting makes up for some moments where the character animation could have been more realistic; still, I loved the character design and artistry of the backgrounds. It is as if someone crossed Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride” with Disney’s “Frozen” and this was the final artistic result. The story has its flaws and it certainly can’t compete with Disney’s animated films, but I would recommend “A Monster in Paris” to anyone for its interesting visuals and amazing music.
[Pictured: There is so much classy imagery throughout this film]
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