I
had heard many good things about The Triplets of Belleville for months, and upon
seeing scenes and the trailer, I became very curious about this French import.
This
eccentric, surreal animated feature tells the story of sweet grandmother Souza
who, along with large pooch Bruno, embark on a lengthy journey to rescue her grandson
Champion, who's been kidnapped and put to work by the French Mafia during the
famed Tour De France cycling race. Along their trek they are aided by the triplets
of Belleville, a high spirited group of elderly sisters who make a living doing
song and dance numbers.
This sporadically magical adventure is bigger
in scope than most animated features. But what I liked most about it was it's
ability to tell a story through striking visuals. There is very little dialogue
in The Triplets of Belleville, but it's always easy to tell what's going on, because
of it's breathtaking visual sense.
Many will, no doubt, be put off by
the excessive offbeat nature of the proceedings, but one thing is certain - The
Triplets of Belleville is an incredibly unique animated experience. There are
things going on in this movie that are quite difficult to explain even though
I fully understood it while I was watching them.
Triplets of Belleville
also benefits from being a little darker and edgier than typical animated fare.
The sequence in which the triplets, grandma, and Bruno dine on a meal comprised
of frog parts was a hoot, and I won,t soon forget it.
The animation here
is stellar and extremely observant. These characters' features and movements are
something to behold. In particular, I really liked the moments with Bruno. His
actions and demeanor are incredibly real, and I loved how much detail went into
the explanation for his disdain for trains. I also loved the landscapes on display
in The Triplets of Belleville. From grandma's home, to the stunning images of
the big city, to the vast master shots of Souza and Bruno at sea, much care went
into the construction of this wildly surreal universe.
Was this a perfect
film? No. I must admit, as wonderfully odd and engrossing most of The Triplets
of Belleville was, I did find myself losing interest in the final act. In terms
of storytelling, I wasn't as blown away by this as I was by Hayao Miyazaki's Spirtied
Away or Pixar's Finding Nemo.
Still, The Triplets of Belleville has much
to offer and I can honestly say, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like
it. I'm also really happy that despite a limited release, this film was recognized
by the Academy. Maybe now, it will see a larger release. And on a final note,
The Triplets of Belleville makes much better use of frogs then P.T. Anderson's
Magnolia. Take that Boneman!
