A Monster in Paris

Bibo Bergeron's animated French film—dubbed into English for stateside audiences—is moderately pleasing family fare that serves up an homage to old-fashioned horror movies and musicals, mixing references to The Hunchback of Notre Dame with bits of cabaret singing that recall Edith Piaf. Raoul (voiced by Adam Goldberg), a deliveryman in turn-of-the-century Paris, is responsible for accidentally creating the titular monster—a human-sized flea—in a greenhouse. While the wicked mayor (Danny Huston) tries to capitalize on the public's fear for political purposes, Raoul and his friend Emile—a milquetoast movie projectionist—attempt to track down the decidedly peaceful creature, which has been taken in by Lucille (Vanessa Paradis), a chanteuse who also happens to be the apple of Raoul's romantic eye. She names the big tick Francoeur (Sean Lennon) and after discovering its remarkable talent on the guitar, enlists him as her accompanist (their songs together are some of the movie's best moments). But the mayor's efforts to find and destroy the “monster” naturally spell trouble, and soon Raoul, Emile, and Lucille (along with a comic-sidekick monkey) are desperately trying to save Francoeur—an effort that leads to chases across the City of Lights. A Monster in Paris is technically accomplished, and its more intimate scenes carry genuine charm, but the action sequences are frankly more frantic than funny, and the film runs out of gas before the close. Optional. (F. Swietek)