EriqX / Media / Movies

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE

Posted [13-JUN-2004] [IMDb] [Amazon] [Trailer]

This movie is by far the most original animation I have seen in years. Possibly the most unique animated film since Fantastic Planet outside of Japanese Anime.

The story begins early in a young boy's life. The boy's grandmother, Madame Souza looks after him. Souza discovers after some trial and error that her grandson's road to true happiness is on a bicycle.

The film takes alot of time early on establishing this, and it couldn't be better. So few movies - especially animated - take time to introduce and grow character history before jumping into the plot. Belleville lets us get to know our backstory first.

The adventure kicks off years later when the boy, who has long since been training rigorously under his grandmother, is kidnapped during the Tour de France. Hot on his trail, Madame Souza and her dog Bruno track him across the ocean to New York, where they meet up with the once-famous Triplets of Belleville, a singing trio from the 1930's. Together Madame Souza, Bruno, and the Triplets take on the kidnappers, the French Mafia.

This film relies heavily on its bizarre and beautiful artwork, as it contains little to no dialogue at all. This helps give Belleville its extremely unique anti-Disney feel, along with its unconventional plot and lack of distracting song interjections. The constant homage to the look and feel of the Bosco and Mr. Magoo cartoons of yesteryear is a welcome style as well.

The humor is witty as well. The film feels like a short cartoon, stretched out to full length. There are plenty of subtle distractions and clever detours along the way, sometimes keeping the focus off of the task at hand. When the story first comes from France to America Souza looks and feels very out of place, and it's easy to see why. Every American in the film is enormous, a hilarious stab at American excess.

Overall the film should appeal to audiences of every age. The visuals are intensely original and beautiful. There is barely more than a sentence of dialogue, so don't avoid the film if you don't speak french. It relies on its visual style and succeeds.