Overview
A rabbi's life takes a whimsical turn when his cat starts talking, leading to an unexpected adventure.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- colorful
- family movie night
- cultural cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's colorful, personal animation and enjoyable engagement with Judaism and early twentieth-century North African society, while finding its episodic structure somewhat rambling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film is noted for its variation, colorfulness, and freewheeling animated imagery depicting Algiers, the casbah, and an imagined African journey.
The plot and critical reception foreground French colonial society, racism, Jewish culture, and a divided North African community.
The talking cat, the rabbi's Jewish faith, Talmudic discussion, and the characters' differing beliefs drive the film's humor and debates.
The rabbi, his cat, an Arab sheikh, a Russian millionaire, and a painter travel together in pursuit of a mythical African city.
Films like The Rabbi's Cat, and why
Persepolis
shared hand-drawn animation, multicultural religious themes, historical North African setting, and playful philosophical tone
Kirikou and the Sorceress
shared colorful animation, family adventure, eccentric companions, and tension between tradition and modernity
The Prince of Egypt
shared Jewish cultural focus, animated storytelling, historical displacement, and bittersweet humor
The Triplets of Belleville
shared literary animation, whimsical adventure, colonial-era setting, and richly stylized visual world
Movie Details
- Directors
- Antoine Delesvaux, Joann Sfar
- Release Date
- 2011-05-31
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (193)
Cast
- François Morel
- Hafsia Herzi
- Maurice Bénichou
- Jean-Pierre Kalfon
- Daniel Cohen
- François Damiens
- Mohamed Fellag
- Mathieu Amalric
- Éric Elmosnino
- Marguerite Abouet
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- OVID
- Rent
- Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Rabbi's Cat about?
- A rebellious talking cat joins his rabbi, the rabbi’s daughter, and an unlikely band of travelers on a colorful, irreverent search for a mythical African city.
- What is The Rabbi's Cat like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Rabbi's Cat as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Rabbi's Cat violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Rabbi's Cat as mild.
- What did critics think of The Rabbi's Cat?
- Critics broadly praised the film's colorful, personal animation and enjoyable engagement with Judaism and early twentieth-century North African society, while finding its episodic structure somewhat rambling.
- Which films are like The Rabbi's Cat?
- Films with a similar feel include Persepolis, Kirikou and the Sorceress, The Prince of Egypt, and The Triplets of Belleville.
- How long is The Rabbi's Cat?
- The Rabbi's Cat runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Rabbi's Cat?
- In United States, The Rabbi's Cat streams on OVID.
