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This year at the acadamy awards there are three nominees for Best Animated Feature Film. Brother Bear doesn't stand a chance. Finding Nemo will walk away with the trophy. But The Triplets of Belleville is the one that deserves the accolades. Oh, sure, Nemo was a great movie, another jewel in Pixar's dynasty, but it doesn't even hold a candle to the pure brilliance of Triplets.
This is a French film, produced by Canal + as a joint venture between Canada, France, and Brussels. Apparently it has been in production for ten years, lovingly crafted by a single storyteller, and it shows. There is virtually no dialogue in the film, to the point that there are only two scenes where english has been dubbed for the U.S. release. Even so, the characterizations are so vivid that there is absolutely no confusion about what is going on.
So what is going on? It is difficult to describe. It is about the Tour de France. It is about a dog's obsession with barking at trains. It is about a grandmother's undying love and commitment to her grandson. It is about making music from found objects. It is about fishing for frogs with non-standard bait. It features one of the greatest car chases ever committed to film. Mostly it is just a hell of a lot of fun to watch, all the more wonderful for it's bizarre, non-sensical characterizations and surrealistic plot. Make no mistake, though, this is no high-brow art film. It is storytelling done for the pure joy of it, using the magic of animation to convey character and nuance that would be impossible to capture with live action.
I don't know how long this one will stay in the theaters. Probably not long. So do yourself a favor, and catch this movie while you can.
This is a French film, produced by Canal + as a joint venture between Canada, France, and Brussels. Apparently it has been in production for ten years, lovingly crafted by a single storyteller, and it shows. There is virtually no dialogue in the film, to the point that there are only two scenes where english has been dubbed for the U.S. release. Even so, the characterizations are so vivid that there is absolutely no confusion about what is going on.
So what is going on? It is difficult to describe. It is about the Tour de France. It is about a dog's obsession with barking at trains. It is about a grandmother's undying love and commitment to her grandson. It is about making music from found objects. It is about fishing for frogs with non-standard bait. It features one of the greatest car chases ever committed to film. Mostly it is just a hell of a lot of fun to watch, all the more wonderful for it's bizarre, non-sensical characterizations and surrealistic plot. Make no mistake, though, this is no high-brow art film. It is storytelling done for the pure joy of it, using the magic of animation to convey character and nuance that would be impossible to capture with live action.
I don't know how long this one will stay in the theaters. Probably not long. So do yourself a favor, and catch this movie while you can.
