Raining Cats and Frogs 2003

This popular French animated feature comes across like a much-loved children’s book sprung to life. The titular frogs predict a massive deluge and manage to warn farm kid Tom and his friend Lili. As the rains start, adopted Tom’s father, an old captain with an African wife, rescues animals from the nearby zoo and the farm, Noah’s Ark style, in a floating barn. Adrift in a massive ocean with only several tonnes of potatoes to eat, it isn’t long before the carnivores begin eyeing up tasty pigs and chickens. In this cartoon universe the animals soon find their voices and begin to express their displeasure. Despite all the menace, the only casualties are a couple of chickens. Tom’s interracial multi-generation family is presented with PC matter-of-factness. The primary audience is children 8-12, though events in the animal kingdom are densely plotted and the film has more than enough wit and exuberance to entertain adults. — Michael McDonnell

“The songs are catchy, the animals are droll, and the story ends in a family celebration both magical and enlightening.” — Terri Sutton, City Pages