- A 3D-animated movie set in Paris in the year 1910 and centered on a monster who lives in a garden and his love for a beautiful, young singer.
- Paris, 1910. Emile, a shy movie projectionist, and Raoul, a colorful inventor, find themselves embarked on the hunt for a monster terrorizing citizens. They join forces with Lucille, the big-hearted star of the Rare Bird cabaret, an eccentric scientist and his irascible monkey to save the monster, who turns out to be an over-sized but harmless flea, from the city's ruthlessly ambitious police chief.—The Film Catalogue
- Parijs, 1910. Shy movie theater operator Emile accompanies his boisterous friend, would be-inventor Raoul, who delivers goods by sunflower oil-powered truck, with a shipment to an absent botany professor's lab where the devoted monkey assistant Charles fails to prevent flippant Raoul experimenting against clear written warnings with seeds and super-fertilizer to accidentally create a giant plant and a monstrously magnified flee that breaks trough the hot greenhouse roof. The roofs-leaping monster causes panic throughout the inundation-plagued city, so police prefect Maynott considers it the ideal diversion from regular police problems and an opportunity to enter the mayoral election race as the hero who caught it. Raoul has a furiously denied mutual crush -like Maynott- on nightclub singer Lucille, who meets the monster, finds it cute and gets the gang to try hiding it, and help it escape when Maynott finds its trail and won't be stopped, not even by grave danger for people.—KGF Vissers
- In picturesque and bustling 1910s Paris right after the Great Flood, two friends--the timid projectionist, Emile, and the delivery-man by day and inventor by night, Raoul--are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, when a delivery to the Botanical Gardens ends up in total catastrophe. Now, a mysterious and fearsome creature with glowing red eyes roams the dark alleys of the metropolis, and only the Rare Bird's lithe cabaret singer, Lucille, seems to have the power to scratch beneath the surface and tame it. As the news of the terrible Parisian beast spread like wildfire, the hulking guitarist with the lovely singing voice, Francoeur, lands a job as a musician in Lucille's show--while at the same time--the mayor and every gendarme in town struggle to solve this intricate puzzle. Is there, indeed, a hideous monster in Paris?—Nick Riganas
- The story begins by documenting the Seine flood of 1910.
Set in Paris. Emile, a shy projectionist, has a passion for film and romantic interests for his collaborator of the cinema, Maud, but has trouble admitting his true feelings. His friend, an exuberant inventor and delivery driver, Raoul, is picking him up from work to transport him in his crafted vehicle, named Catherine, to assist in retrieving a new belt for his projector, due to a mishap with him daydreaming. In the process of purchasing a new belt, he also gets himself a new camera. The story also introduces Lucille (Vanessa Paradis), a childhood friend of Raoul, and cabaret singer at the club L'Oiseau Rare (The Rare Bird). As Paris is diverse in the category of the rich and the poor, though she is a successful singer, her Aunt does everything to push her into the arms of the Chief of Police, Maynott, a man devoured by pride and ambition.
On a particular evening, Raoul, accompanied by Emile, is making a delivery to the Botanical Gardens. In the absence of the Professor who works there, the place is guarded by his assistant, a proboscis monkey named Charles. Appreciating the opportunity to browse through the laboratory, Raoul accidentally triggers a mixture which gives Charles a voice of opera singer and a unstable fertilizer which grows a sunflower in the blink of an eye. Due to the enormity of the plant in a small amount of water, it starts to topple towards Raoul and Emile. In the ensuing chaos, an explosion occurs due to the mixing of the chemicals. Everyone comes out unscathed, but Emile is convinced he has glimpsed a monstrous creature which is recorded on camera. A few days later, the creature is featured in the newspapers.
An investigation is made into the whereabouts of the creature by Maynott's second in command, Paté, but is fronted by Maynott, who uses it as a scheme to maintain fear in Paris and popularise his status as providential candidate for the upcoming elections. At the same time, he tries unsuccessfully to seduce Lucille. Meanwhile, Lucille is trying to find a new musician for her show, and refuses the candidacy of the clubs waiter, Albert. Whilst trying to vacate the club, Albert stumbles across the creature and tries to get back into the tavern with no success and flees terrified. Lucille opens the door and accidentally pushes the creature aside into the alleyway after it became mesmerized playing with the doorbell. Upon seeing the creature, she flees in a initial state of panic, but later hears the creature sing and discovers it is not dangerous but has a lovely singing voice. She welcomes it in her dressing room, and gives it the name, Francoeur (meaning "honest heart"), the name of the street where she had found it. The creature is nothing but a flea that the fertilizer, amidst all the other chemicals in laboratory explosion, caused to grow to human scale.
During the ongoing investigation, Emile and Raoul's secret of the laboratory incident is blown and they are arrested. Brought before Maynott, Emile and Raoul think they are going to prison, but due to Maynott's interests in the creature, they are commended as heroes and are given the Legion of Honor. On a challenge he had been set earlier by Lucille during an altercation, Raoul uses the badge as an advantage to get the best seats at Lucille's show at the Rare Bird club, which she had promised him. After the show, Emile and Raoul come to congratulate Lucille on her show, but upon been greeted by the musician, Lucille reveals the identity of Francoeur. In the ensuing surprise, Albert overhears the situation and reports it to the police in an act of jealousy. The police arrive at the tavern searching for the creature, but Emile, Raoul and Francoeur narrowly escape and Albert is framed for lying to the police.
The following day, Maynott opens the Montmartre Funicular, which serves Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The trio, along with Francoeur and Charles the monkey, decide to use this opportunity as a way of staging the death of the creature. Things do not go according to plan as Maynott discovers the creature hiding under the trap door of the stage. Trying to escape, the creature and friends are chased through the streets of Paris involving the use an airship and "Catherine". The chase concludes at the tip of the Eiffel tower. Meanwhile, Maud, who Emile had the courage to make a date for, also travels there. After a battle to protect Francoeur from Maynott, the concoction begins to wear off, but a gunshot and Francoeur's disappearance makes everyone believe he is dead. The megalomaniacal villain is arrested by Paté on the concern that Francoeur is innocent and Emile and Maud also fall into the arms of one another.
Later that evening Lucille is distraught after the "death" of Francoeur. Hesitant to sing her number onstage, Raoul convinces her anyway. Whilst struggling to begin singing, she hears a humming in her ear, which appears to be Francoeur still singing in her hair. Some time later, the Professor who was absent from earlier, returns from his trip and when the three friends explain the situation, he remakes the mixture (which could be a permanent solution to help Francoeur stay human sized). Francoeur continues to sing with Lucille. After an introduction to a childhood memory of Raoul, he and Lucille confess their true feelings to one another.
In a post-credits scene,Raoul,Lucille,Francoeur, Maud, Emile and Lucille's aunt with Paté riding the airship, scattering super fertilized sunflower seeds to help drain the flooded Seine River. In a second scene, Maynott is shown in the same cell as Albert and a thief, and forced to endure their appalling singing.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content