ANI-MOVIES, *A Monster In Paris

 

In what could be seen as a dieslelpunk-themed story, A Monster In Paris is loosely inspired by Phantom Of The Opera, and an American/French production directed by former Shreck animator Bibo Burgeron, and produced by Leon: The Professional director Luc Besson. The CGI film was birthed by former company Europacorp which also handled the Arthur animated movie trilogy.

Taking place during the famous overflowing of the river Siene in Paris, cinema owner Emile joins his egotistical gadget-making friend Raoul on an errand in a remote-controlled jalopy of Raoul's own design. A stop at an out of town scientist's greenhouse, currently in the care of the scientist's monkey, Charles. Due to some "monkeying" around by Raoul and Emile, a certain mixture of chemicals is spilled on a flea, mutating the insect into an 8-foot singing monster that unintentionally begins to frighten the Parisians. The smug chief of police Maynott plans to use this monster's precense as a distraction to the flooding river, as he tries to run for mayor. Raoul's old schoolfriend, Lucille, has become a successful cabaret singer, and befriends the flea, whom she calls Francoeur. Lucille dresses him up in fancy suit with a mask, and uses Francoeur's natural talent for singing and playing the guitar as a cover while Raoul and Emile have been deputized into finding the monster that they created.

This period piece had a limited release in its initial American run, but did better on home video and cable, making it a sleeper hit, mostly amoung animation fans. A Monster In Paris is not specifically focused as a childrens picture, but more of a family-themed comic sci-fi fantasy. There's many nods to old cinema tropes, especially the musical numbers done under dreamy energetic imagery. Sean Lennon's singing voice as Francoeur is particularly memorable. The third act does drag on somewhat as a long chase scene, but as a whole it is a whimsical animated experience worth looking into.