The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Let me say, right off the bat, that as a general rule I greatly dislike animated films, especially those of the Disney variety. That being said, however, every once and a while an animated film comes along and just knocks my socks off. Sylvain Chomet's The Triplets of Belleville is just such a film. It is so unlike anything that has been produced in this country for that last 30 or 40 years, and it puts the saccharin-soaked Disney stuff to shame. The film is not only entertaining, not only funny, it's also a visual feast. Every scene is packed so full of detail that it's tempting to stop the DVD so that you can take it all in. But don't do that. Let it run, and enjoy the ride. And I know that some people will be put off by the fact that this is another of those foreign films that you have to read. Not so. There is virtually no dialogue in the film. In fact, The Triplets of Belleville is just about the closest thing to a silent movie that has come out since Mel Brooks' Silent Movie. There's no language barrier to cross watching this movie; although, there are some cultural barriers. A lot of the characters that show up in the film are actually caricatures of real French people. But whether you know who they are or not, the movie is still great fun to watch.

The Triplets of Belleville tells the story of Madame Souza, who finds herself taking care of her grandson Champion. We're never told why or how she ended up with custody of Champion. She just has him. They live in a tall house far out in the French country side. Champion is a sad little boy. Madame Souza tries various ways of cheering him up. She even buys him a puppy, but soon the novelty wears off. Then Madame Souza discovers that Champion longs to race a bike in the Tour de France. She runs out and buys her little ward a tricycle, and he's in heaven. Fast forward many years. The city has encroached on the tiny house nearly knocking it over. The puppy - Bruno - has grown big and fat and lazy. And Champion is now a young man who spends all of his time training for the Tour de France, and Madame Souza is his coach and number one fan. As he peddles up and down the streets of their home town, she peddles along behind him on the old tricycle, panting out a beat through a whistle. After the ride, she massages his muscles, tunes his bike, and feeds him nutritious - albeit unappetizing - meals.

Finally, the day of the big race arrives. Champion pants his way through the Tour de France with all of the other athletes as crowds of fans line the raceway, cheering on the riders. Madame Souza and Bruno follow along behind Champion in their van ready to offer assistance when necessary. Suddenly, The Square Shoulder Men show up and disable the support van. While Madame Souza and her driver try to get the van back in the race, The Square Shoulder Men kidnap Champion and two other riders. They drive their hostages to Marseille, where they embark on a ship. Madame Souza and Bruno, arrive just as the chip is disappearing. The ever-resourceful old lady rents one of those little peddle-powered paddle boats and she and Bruno set out after the ship. Sometime later they arrive in the city of Belleville, looking an awful lot like New York City, complete with a bloated statue of liberty. Madame Souza and Bruno are befriended and taken in by three old ladies, The Triplets of Belleville, who used to have a jazz act that they performed many years ago. Their glory days gone, they live now in a run-down flat, surviving on frogs that they catch from a local swamp, and performing in a local restaurant. Madame Souza joins them in their act and bides her time. Meanwhile, The Square Shoulder Men have pressed Champion and his fellow cyclists into slavery, forcing them to peddle stationary bikes that control the movements of toy bikes on a miniature track. Mafia men from all over Belleville come to place bets on whose toy bicycle will reach the finish line first. But Madame Souza soon finds Champion, storms the Mafia hideout, and escapes with her grandson. All ends happily.

Okay, I know that doesn't sound very interesting when you write it out that way. But this film has got to be seen, has got to be experienced, in order to fully appreciate its charm and beauty. Note how everything in the background is tall and thin - buildings, bridges, boats. Note the cheering fans along the raceway - how well even these periphery characters are drawn. Note the fawning French waiters who look like they have no spines. Note how droll almost all of the characters are. Note the incredible detail that went into drawing every single scene. And this isn't a computer animation. This is animation done the old-fashioned way, by hand, with pen and ink and wash. And it shows in every frame. I love this movie. It is the antithesis of every thing that is cranked out by Disney and Pixar et al. The Triplets of Belleville is an animated film that doesn't insult your intelligence, that doesn't send you into a diabetic coma, that's truly enjoyable to watch.

The Triplets of Belleville is rated PG-13 (lots of shooting and killing during the final chase seen) and has a runtime of about 78 minutes.