Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie

Oggy is a blue cat and all he wants is to live in peace. The three cockroaches living in his house will not allow it. The film takes that fight back to the beginning of history: across chapters running from prehistory to ancient Egypt, Rome and the future, the same four characters face off again and again. Olivier Jean-Marie's film is the feature adaptation of the French television series Oggy et les Cafards. There is almost no dialogue; the narrative rests entirely on visual comedy, sound effects and physical gags. That structure is what made the series translatable into so many languages, and it is preserved intact here. The chapters are short and independent, and the feature is in effect a set of scenes joined end to end. Who it's for: Small children, and anyone who likes wordless animated comedy and cartoon-violence slapstick. Who it's not for: For an adult viewer the repetition is strong and there is no narrative whole. The sound design is also relentlessly loud.