SUNDANCE 2024: ’10 Lives’ Captures The Way Our Pets Love Us

One of the few animated films at Sundance 2024, 10 Lives follows Beckett (Mo Gilligan), a spoiled cat who takes for granted how good his life is after being rescued and loved by Rose (Simone Ashley), a kind-hearted and passionate student. But when Beckett loses his ninth life, a kind angel gives him another chance. Only it’s not what he thinks.

Animated by GFM Animation and directed and written by Christopher Jenkins, 10 Lives stars Mo Gilligan, Ashley Simone, Zayn Malik, and Bill Nighy. With a star-studded cast, this heartfelt exploration of how we love our pets and how they love us is a great family watch.

Beckett’s signature are his heterochromous eyes, each one a different color. His eyes are jealous, loving, and protective as he tries his hardest to repay Rose for her love. The film’s animation captures every emotion in his unique eyes as they show who Beckett is inside at every step of his growth. For her part, Rose is a loving owner, but her work begins to take up more and more time, especially when her lab partner Larry shows up. When Beckett feels alone, he attempts to get rid of Larry, leaving him out of lives. But that’s not the end for the adorable chunky cat; he is just beginning to learn how to live for someone but himself. A moral that hammers home the importance of living a life you won’t regret.

10 Lives isn’t anything extraordinary. From animation to story structure, the film is similar to many of the existing pet stories from Illumination. Despite its paint-by-numbers approach to storytelling, Jenkins crafts a story that tugs at pet owners’ hearts or anyone who has formed a bond with an animal. At the Q&A following the film, Jenkins explained that the film’s idea came from asking, “What if we knew what our pets feel and say?”

While the concept is well-trodden, this unique approach captures how pets may only be part of our lives for a short period of time. But for them, we’re all they have. It’s sure to pull tears from anyone in the audience who understands the selflessness of their pets. Additionally, the film shows the audience that loving and being loved is a two-way street. It’s something we have to welcome and something we have to give in return.

From a voice acting perspective, it’s genuinely hard to believe that this is Mo Gilligan’s first acting performance. A comedian, Gilligan’s line delivery is hysterical. Beckett is bratty, brash, and entirely endearing. Gilligan’s performance handles his transformation from a spoiled cat to one filled with emotion and care.

This also marks Simone Ashley’s first role as a voice-over actor after a stunner performance in Bridgerton Season 2. As Rose, Simone also brings range to the performance. However, her shining moment comes in one of the film’s original songs, which she sings with Zayn Malik. In fact, the film’s original songs always capture the right emotion and work to further the story in a fantastic way that adds in the right amount of levity for a family animated film.

Additionally, Sophie Okonedo‘s performance as Grace is loving in every way. Down to scolding the one you care for to help them change and praising them with warmth when they succeed, she nails it. It’s a dynamic performance for a small but pivotal role in 10 Lives.

The film’s only stumble is in spreading the narrative too thin across multiple storylines. Each one comes together in the film’s finale: science innovation, pet love, and an evil plan. Yes. There is an evil plan that Beckett must find and stop. With a lot of threads to hold together, the film sometimes loses itself in small moments. However, the beautiful animation and adaptation of Beckett’s personality at different times of his reincarnation ultimately help keep 10 Lives tied together, reigning everything back in.

10 Lives is cute and heartfelt and will ultimately make every pet owner in the audience cry in its final act. With a cast filled with charisma and voice performances that really stick the landing, 10 Lives is a wonderful tale for families.

10 Lives screened as a part of Sundance 2024’s Family Matinee screenings.