10 Lives

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.

10 Lives is a whimsical film that offers moments of charm and amusement, but ultimately falls short of its potential.

One of the film's strengths is its visual appeal, with vibrant animation bringing the cat's world to life in vivid detail. The character design is particularly impressive, capturing the essence of each feline personality with delightful expressiveness.

However, where "10 lives" falters is in its narrative structure. The episodic nature of Whiskers' adventures feels disjointed, and the plot lacks a cohesive arc to tie everything together. As a result, the film struggles to maintain momentum and engagement throughout its runtime.

Additionally, while the humor in "10 lives" is occasionally amusing, it often relies on tired clichés and slapstick gags that may elicit only mild chuckles from viewers. The dialogue is also somewhat lacking in wit and originality, failing to fully capitalize on the potential for clever cat-centric humor.

Anyway I support it, go and watch the film.

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.

It's a cat-tastic, barkingfun family easy film, nothing fishy about it at all. No need to have your tail between your legs.

Great cast good one liner's, even with all the horsing around. Definitely want a Pint with the Pets.

Lovely and Grace-ful movie, heavenly warming.

Pizza might not look the same in the future though.

All round good family fun, yes bit predictable at times, but so are all films A lovely simple idea and good bad life lessons. No need to badger anyone over it.

But it's nice and easy fun movie to watch. Nice a beesy a good buzz to it, nothing

Can you guess all the lives?

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.