Revisiting A Monster in Paris (Bibo Bergeron, 2011)
Fig. 1 - Lucille and Francoeur in A Monster in Paris (Bibo Bergeron, 2011).
A Monster in Paris, a French CG animated feature film directed by Bibo Bergeron in 2011, pays tribute to both the popular tale of “Beauty and the Beast” and the musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” but perhaps not in the way that you would expect. One night, cabaret singer Lucille finds herself face-to-face with the "Monster of Paris," a giant singing flea brought into creation through the mishap of the movie's comedic relief, Raoul, who creates the enlarged insect by accident thanks to mixing magical potions at the Botanical Gardens (Fig. 1). Lucille takes the monstrous creature into her care after finding herself no longer frightened but touched, having overheard a song he sings about his heartache in this strange world. She names him Francoeur - honest heart. After also learning that the giant singing flea is harmless, Raoul partners with Lucille to protect him from the public.
Love is a strong theme throughout the film, as we see depictions of its different manifestations: superficial love, brotherly/sisterly love, and romantic love (see Chang 2011). In this blog post, I will investigate that despite their undeniable romantic chemistry together, Francoeur and Lucille do not fall in love with one another and that this somewhat unconventional element to the narrative of this French animated film shows a crucial break from certain storytelling tropes, particularly visible through A Monster in Paris’ musicality and its depiction of romantic love so often depicted through the ‘happy ending’ archetype.
Fig. 2 - The film’s colourful musical numbers.
Fig. 3 - Lucille and Francoeur perform.
The songs that structure Bergeron’s film (and which also define the monster’s own narrative as a singer) are integral to the story and are a space of colourful, artistic flourishes translated into CG animation. Paris itself is portrayed throughout as somewhat bland, and grey. Yet the city comes to life at night with the musical numbers which are supported by the use of a more vibrant colour palette (Figs. 2 and 3). In an interview for “Animated Views,” the director stated that “I wanted a 3D effect that never tries to be spectacular, but adds layers of depth to the atmosphere I always wanted to create. I wanted to avoid the showy or flashy aspects of 3D, so that it wouldn’t distract the audience from what is essential to the movie—characters, story and dialogue” (qtd. in Armstrong 2013). Emphasis is here placed on “3D that is theatrical.” Yet the closing credits also feature in-depth character concept drawings, and beautifully painted illustrations; and storyboard artwork created as part of the film’s production . With the abundance of the content displayed, one cannot help but wonder how the film could have looked if produced in traditional 2D animation.
An interesting use of camera techniques and mise-en-scène can be observed throughout the whole movie, marking a departure in its identity as a computer-animated film. During the film’s opening sequence, we witness an homage to early cinema as the animated theatergoers watch projected black and white footage of real-life people (Fig. 4). The short news programme ends, and a title card appears on screen, transitioning to black and white CG animation. The illusion of watching “a movie within a movie” continues as a shift into colour occurs when we see a character lower a handheld Lumière camera a distance from the viewer’s perspective. This simple action (later explained by Raoul’s job as a movie projectionist) gives the audience the sense that they were the subject being recorded by the character, but also the sense that they were the ones recording the subject prior. This moment provides an example of how form and style can be combined to present a metalanguage of cinema through the portrayal of time lapses, the effective use of shadows and lighting, and the merging of varying visual styles, which collectively impact how viewers perceive the action.
Fig. 4 - The black and white opening to A Monster in Paris.
Surprisingly, this is not the only instance that the use of camera point of view (POV) is utilized in the film, as the audience is allowed a look at how Francoeur sees the world once he’s turned into a giant flea. In a flashback of how he came to be during the song “Un Monstre à Paris,” animated scenes are viewed through a foggy blue filter, hinting that “The Monster of Paris” only sees things in shades of blue and yellow colors. The terrorized reactions of screaming people he encounters and the aerodynamic views, resulting from the height of his leaps, provide breathtaking views of Paris, above and below, from Francoeur’s perspective. Additionally, in the songs “La Seine” and “Just A Little Kiss,” the audience is treated as actual spectators when the camera places the viewer’s POV in the theatre seats; these instances take place when Lucille sings on stage and when she and Francoeur perform together.
On the subject of style, as Lucille is a singer, her performances are advertised via the creative use of "Art Nouveau" posters. This same advertising can be seen in the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and other merchandise featuring Vanessa Paradis and Matthieu Chedid, who goes by the stage name: “-M-.” The singers/voice actors’ personal looks are also cleverly incorporated into the film. Lucille has the same gap between her two front teeth as her real-life voice actress Paradis, and although -M- only offers his voice in the French version of the film, his likeness is alluded to throughout the film too. For example, in one scene where Lucille is looking for a disguise for Francoeur, she places several wigs on his head, one of which is symbolic of -M-’s eccentric hairstyle.
Fig. 5 - Spectators are positioned firmly as the theatre crowd.
In contrast to the romantic rivalries seen in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Kirk Wise & Gary Trousdale, 1991) where the Prince turned Beast and chauvinistic huntsman Gaston fight one another for Belle’s love, or even “The Phantom of the Opera” with the suitor Vicomte Raoul de Chagny fighting the Phantom for Christine’s love, Raoul in A Monster in Paris never feels the need to fight out of fear of losing Lucille to Francoeur. No sense of jealousy or competitive nature puts the two at odds. Although Raoul does end up playing the role of “childhood sweetheart” like his namesake in “The Phantom of the Opera,” it’s not immediately obvious to viewers that he is a love interest. Humorously, Lucille bullied him when they were young, and as adults, the two can often be seen bickering with one another. Lucille’s stage costume and signature look is that of an angel in white, feathered wings included. While the singer portrays a physical interpretation of an “Angel of Music,” ironically, she’s introduced with the line: “speak of the devil”. Lucille has an aunt by the name of Carlotta, and while they do not share the same disdain for one another as the characters in “The Phantom of the Opera,” Carlotta tries multiple times to talk Lucille into marrying the pompous, prideful, self-proclaimed hero of Paris, Commissioner Maynott - a character with a startling likeness to Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast.”
Near the film’s climax, and after Lucille finds herself unable to sing on stage - mourning a Francoeur she believes to be dead - Raoul shows his unconditional support. In a soft-spoken voice, he states: "If you don't do it for them, or me. Do it for him, suggesting that if Lucille cannot bring herself to sing for her adoring fans or her lover, she should sing in Francoeur’s memory. He was not oblivious to the bond Lucille and Francoeur shared, as upon learning that the city officials were looking to destroy the creature, Raoul did what he could to help hide and protect Francoeur. Although a child at heart and sometimes obnoxious, it’s nearly impossible not to laugh at Raoul’s antics and sympathize. He is a likable character with many redeeming qualities.
A few key takeaways observed: A “Beauty” can befriend a “Beast” and love them but not be in love with them. As Bergeron noted, “In real life, Matthieu and Vanessa have the same kind of brother-sister relationship as Francoeur and Lucille, based on their love of music” (qtd. n Armstrong 2013). As the name implies, A Monster in Paris is indeed a movie about a “Monster” in Paris. However, the monster is not the mutated flea, Francoeur, but instead, the twisted Commissioner Maynott. With this s unique and unpredictable treatment of villainy and the shift in romantic expectations, Bergeron’s film stands as a curious narrative change from the kinds of computer-animated films produced by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks.
**Article published: October 20, 2023**
References
Armstrong, Josh. 2013. “Director Bergeron, Actress Paradis Talk A Monster in Paris.” AV - Animated Views (April 17, 2013). Available at: https://animatedviews.com/2013/director-bergeron-actress-paradis-talk-a-monster-in-paris/.
Chang, Justin. 2011. “A Monster in Paris (Un monstre a Paris).” Daily Variety 313, no. 8 (October 12, 2011): 12.
Biography
Andrea Rossi is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas with a concentration in Animation. As an artist, her interests include the creation and development of characters and environments via digital programs and 3D computer graphics applications. Earlier versions of this text were developed with the help of Dr. Christine Veras and peers from the Animation Studies course.