Admit One

Synopsis: When a cyclist running the Tour de France is kidnapped, his grandmother and his dog come to the rescue, helped by the Belleville sisters, an aged singing and dancing trio.

Technical Details

Title The Triplets Of Belleville Country France, Belgium, Canada, United Kingdom Genre Animation, Drama Language French Director Sylvain Chomet Cast Béatrice Bonifassi Year 2003     My Rating More Info IMDB Buy Amazon

Review

The Triplets of Belleville is a strange and unique animated movie for adults. It tells the story of a cyclist who, while running the Tour de France, is kidnapped by a criminal organization. His grandmother, Madame Souza, along with their oversized dog Bruno will follow his lead. While on their way, they will meet the Belleville sisters, a trio of old women who in their youth had a famous singing and dancing act, but are now pretty much forgotten by the public.

The film has very little dialogue, the story is conveyed mostly by facial and body language. The characters are drawn in a very particular style that is as far as it can be from the cuteness typical of Disney characters. The world depicted in this movie is sad and depressing, something that may put off viewers who are unable to appreciate the extraordinary visual qualities this film has. The one exception is Bruno the dog, who is an extremely smart and funny canine who dreams black and white live action nightmares.

Technically this movie is impeccable. The animation is very detailed, the character design is outstanding (the boxy looking gangsters are a delight, and Bruno is simply fantastic). The film has also a good deal of music, which is well integrated into the plot. This is one of those movies that are either loved or hated, if you want to watch something original unlike anything you have seen before this film should fit the bill very nicely.

©2008 by Miguel Grinberg

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