European animation is not high on the list of world renown studio and film labels. We know of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks and all of the Hollywood animated studio off shoots that dominate. Now find a film that is trying to take on these players directly. SPY CAT has stepped in to challenge that notion. A product of a German team that won an academy award for their short film BALANCE, Christoph Lauenstein and Wolfgang Lauenstein. They have changed from that surrealist fable and moved to a cat as spy, animated high jinx film.

Four animals from very different backgrounds (A cat, a chicken, a zebra and a dog) are on the run from a spy network. Marnie, a house cat is not allowed to leave her house. She knows life through television and movies. However now she has to take her friends and lead them on an adventure that will test all of them. It might even bring them to new adventures, new friends and new stories to tell.

The Lauenstein might not have made a masterpiece but they have shown a quality product can surface in a crowded market. They were known for their MTV work now as much as they were for BALANCE. This has benefited their work and in particular, this film. Thanks to this work, they have made a film that is more than just another animated film. It is a well executed vehicle, one that makes the most of the simple story. Even if it might suffer in its scripting because it plays it safer than need be. For the product has enough weight and width in everything else to still be watchable. It makes the teams future ventures, more interesting. Its a comedy that   ends up taking the family with it. We get a perfectly told, funny and family friendly film. All with little touches for adults, children and inbetween. It might be just sometimes a very silly film but it is a film that still holds the momentum to its end.