Croquette le chat merveilleux

Went to the movies with my 4 year old and we were the only ones in the cinema. Don't expect a blockbuster animation however it ticks all the boxes for my child. She gets scared at some movies but it wasn't the case with 10 lives, it's a fun easy going movie that is entertaining enough for a child. I read somewhere that it was independently financed which I respect and believe it's a worthwhile cause to spend my money on. The animation is a pass, there is much better out there but my 4 year old doesn't care about that, she loved the storyline and was entertained from start to finish. It's a safe option for younger kids.

This movie is about as generic as a CGI animated film can be (the poster is highly misleading by the way, since it's in 2D). The main character self-narrates, sometimes as a voice and sometimes as the character himself in the story, which is a choice I guess. Overall, Beckett is fairly unlikeable, being that kind of protagonist that has to go through a lesson.

On the plus side, it truly shows the wonders in cat ownership, and the bee preservation plot is fairly original and commendable since this is a serious issue. On the other hand, it leads to a rather predictable plot twist villain.

Overall, decent.

Beckett is a cat who gets a second chance with 9 more lives and will try to get back to the woman who rescued him, his beloved Rose. The concept of coming back to life resembles A Dog's Purpose (2017), only this time Beckett comes back as a different animal each time. It's an interesting idea that can ignite ruminations about the meaning of life and death, like in Soul (2020) and, more recently, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). However, 10 Lives is more about reuniting with your loved one than an existential exploration.

The character development is good because, like Bailey in W. Bruce Cameron's bestseller, the different-colored-eyes cat will learn different things in each life. The animation is good, but the humor could've been better. There were wasted opportunities considering the transformations Becket went through; just think about how funny it was when Donkey and Puss switched bodies in Shrek the Third (2007). The villain is definitely not good, and the movie could've been better without this unnecessary character and focusing solely on Beckett and Rose. The same can be said about Rose's boyfriend, Larry, whose purpose as a comic relief is completely ineffective and doesn't add anything to the story.

The movie's greatest asset is when it gets emotive, since the bond between Beckett and Rose is beautiful to see, and the movie succeeds in evoking those emotions. It would have been nice to have more of that. 10 Lives is not a bad movie, It has good and beautiful moments, but the same ideas were better executed before.

Bee scientist Rose adopts kitten Beckett after almost hitting him with her car. He grows up to be a fat pampered cat. Rose and fellow scientist Larry come up with an idea to save the bees. Their benefactor Professor Craven seems excited, but he secretly holds a grudge against bees and intends to replace them with robot bees. Beckett accidentally kills himself and it's the last of his nine lives. In cat heaven, DMV agent Grace generously gives Beckett nine more lives but in other animal forms.

This is fine and sweet and cute. The animation is second tier level. It's not the best but it looks generally cute. I like most of the animation designs. Who doesn't love heaven-glasses? The characters look good. The general story concept is good. There is a villain and he's plenty evil. I would make Grace's motivation to send Beckett back clearer and more connected to the need to defeat Professor Craven. The movie should make Beckett an instrument of God in his grand plan. Generally, this is a perfectly cute cartoon.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Clearly, this movie isn't for me and really for children. I do enjoy some children's animation as I love to support animators and animation movie creating some interesting stories. But this animated movie felt dry and lacking to what could have been an pretty entertaining story.

Throughout, the animation models, colors, and designs were solid as there are some good structures but some structures look poor like some kind of bad social media animated app. The voice performances were solid but some of the performances, especially the main lead, was pretty annoying. The narrative is an interesting concept about nine lives and cats but because of the bland direction, the writing doesn't feel as creative nor engaging to connect with.

The characters weren't really interesting and I found myself pretty bored. Animated movies usually shouldn't bore me even if they are not my demographic but this one really seems to hit the note.

Overall, not a very good movie. If you want a fun cat animated movie, I recommend The Amazing Maurice as that movie has some creative ideas and fun characters.