A Cat in Paris [DVD] [2010]

French animators Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol directed this comedy-drama in which a family discovers their house pet is living a surprising double life. Zoe (voice of Oriane Zani) is a seven-year-old girl traumatized by the death of her father, a police detective who was on the trail of Victor Costa (voice of Jean Benguigui), a powerful underworld boss. Ever since the passing of her father, Zoe has been mute, and her mother Jeanne (voice of Dominique Blanc), also a detective, has been working hard to track down Costa and the killers and bring them to justice. However, it turns out a criminal is hiding right under their noses -- while Zoe sleeps, her beloved pet cat Dino slips out of the house at night and serves as a companion and assistant to Nico (voice of Bruno Salomone), a suave burglar who has robbed some of the wealthiest and most elegant homes in Paris. One night, Zoe follows Dino as he spends the night on the town, and as she crosses paths with Nico, she finds herself in the clutches of a handful of ruthless gangsters. Une Vie De Chat (aka A Cat in Paris) received an Academy Award nomination in 2012 as Best Animated Feature.~Mark Deming