With impressively broad shoulders, an oversized Panama hat, with shades of Orson Welles, and a neat line in jingly-jangly guitar riffs, you’d never guess that the eponymous monster in this Parisian tale is actually a giant, singing flea.
The result of delivery man Raoul and his sidekick Emile’s meddling experiment that goes wrong, the explosion that caused a teensy insect to grow to gargantuan proportions has also bestowed upon the creature a soulful singing voice and some nifty dance routines. Cue a chance meeting with sultry chanteuse, Lucille (voiced very charmingly by Vanessa Paradis), who befriends the beast and hips up her stage performance into the bargain.
Meanwhile, Paris is on red alert because of the monster scare, and the vainglorious would-be mayor, Commissioner Maynott, is out to become a hero, at all costs. A charming adventure, with a thumping soundtrack, two tangled love stories, and a conclusion that exults the gentle underdog, all set to the glorious backdrop of the world’s most romantic city.
A Monster In Paris (Cert U) is released on DVD on June 4 www.amonsterinparis.co.uk
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