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Product Description: An orphaned boy Champion is raised by his grandmother Madame Souza. Her gift of a tricycle starts a craze for cycle-racing that becomes the cornerstone of their life together. After years of relentless training Champion makes it to the Tour de France the toughest cycling event in the world. Alas Champion and a handful of other top competitors are mysteriously kidnapped by a pair of sinister crooks with hangdog expressions. Supported by her faithful sidekick her fat and flatulent dog Bruno Madame Souza sets off to rescue her beloved Champion. An epic adventure leads them across the Atlantic to a vast seaport metropolis named Belleville headquarters of the notorious French mafia. Lost and confused in the threatening darkness of the great city Madame Souza and Bruno encounter the Belleville Triplettes who in their youth were a glamorous close-harmony act. Now these three batty old women are now a bizarre jazz combo. Mme Souza joins the band. At their very first gig she discovers Champion is being held captive by the mafia Godfather himself! All hell breaks loose and the chase is on! Do Mme Souza her dim dog and the Triplettes have what it takes to outsmart the ruthless French mafia and release poor Champion from its clutches?System Requirements:Run Time: 81 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG - 13 UPC: 043396032316 Manufacturer No: 03231Amazon.com: Words cannot capture the delights of The Triplets of Belleville, an astonishing animated movie from the mind of French director Sylvain Chomet. In fact, there are only a few spoken sentences in the entire film; most of the soundtrack is a mix of squeaks, barks, and the jazzy music of Benoit Charest. A bicyclist is kidnapped from the Tour de France by mysterious gangsters; his grandmother travels to the city of Belleville (which has a sardonic version of the Statue of Liberty in its harbor), where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio gone to seed, the Belleville Triplets. This hand-drawn movie is unlike anything you'll see from Disney; every scene mixes the silent comedy of Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton--in which the world of objects subtly fights with living beings for mastery--and the bouncy hop of Betty Boop. Unique and mesmerizing. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
- The Triplets of Belleville: The most entertaining film I have ever seen, and it gets better each time you see it.
- Fine tribute to the 30's: Words cannot express how outrageous it is, but in some DVD extras, director Sylvain Chomet says that he's a fan of early animation as well as the current animé trend. Indeed, the Betty Boop type silliness of the opening (as a prototype of Josephine Baker) is delightful. I watched the American version, though it really doesn't matter, because there's virtually NO dialogue; yet there's no question about plot situations nor their resolutions. So much relies on the terrific music. I won't blab away the plot, but it's a terrific story about 30's intrigue, the French mafia and good vs evil. I haven't had so much fun in a long time; it helps if you're an old movie buff.
- Great relaxation for cycling team to enjoy: Heard about this movie from a friend. Thought it would be a nice relaxing break for my son who is a competitive cyclist. We watched it together one night with a teammate and it was a great home evening. Light hearted and cute... with just a little tie to his cycling passion.
- Vivid, Jazzy, Beautiful: I approached this film with an open mind. Well, all right, with near-total ignorance, which is not always the same thing. What I knew was this:
* It was a quirky cartoon.
* Several friends had mentioned in passing that I would enjoy it.
* One song had been nominated for an Oscar.
And that song -- as restaged in live action for the Oscar show -- was enough to make me want to see it. Great song, obviously an offbeat movie, definitely worth renting.
So last night, when friends came over for dinner and a movie, I suggested The Triplets of Belleville. Nobody had seen it. Everybody was up for it, or possibly too polite to demur.
It was delightful. Funny, strange, haunting, sad, and deeply emotional. The story could have been intolerably saccharine: indomitable little grandmother doing her best to raise an orphaned little boy, brave doggie, great ambitions. It's saved from sentiment by its highly individual vision and by the very great skill of its construction.
The stunning, varied visual style is a hand-drawn riposte to the glossy ripeness of Pixar and Disney. Each character is delineated by a unique look; they could all be in different cartoons. The settings are likewise richly visualized. I won't forget Grandmama's sad, wise eyes magnified by her glasses; the grossly fat Statue of Liberty clutching a hamburger; the haunting beauty of Belleville's skyline and the wretchedness of its back alleys. I'm sure it would repay watching again and again; we did notice the mathematical formula inscribed under the stage at the beginning, but I bet there are hundreds of similar hidden jokes.
The soundtrack is likewise memorable -- jazzy and vivid. It carries a fair bit of the film's storyline, as it has to -- with no dialogue and surreal visuals that sometimes melt from dream to reality.
The Triplets of Belleville was not predictable, either in details or in overall structure. Yet the shape of the film as a whole was deeply satisfying. The story is flawlessly told (and all with virtually no dialogue), every joke and plot point is expertly constructed, and there are enough jarring images to maintain the suspense. I never doubted the Nemo would be found, for all that I enjoyed the movie. I did worry about Grandmamma, Champion, and the dog. Not to mention the singing triplets and their amazing frogsicles.
Rent this. Buy it. Watch it. A lovely, moving, affectionate film. - Boring, boring, boring!: So boring I couldn't finish it! How could a cartoon be so slow...?! One good point - the cartoon has some nice moments like seeing the dog bark in slow motion at the train & passengers going by. But really, I rented it and couldn't bring myself to watch the rest of it. I finally returned it.
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