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THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE ****
Thank you Sylvain Chomet! You just gave me one of the most enjoyable movie theater experiences ever!
The Triplets of Belleville tells the story of a grandmother’s desperate rescue of her grandson, who is kidnapped to help a mafia boss make a killing in the betting industry. On her journey she meets the triplets, a musical troupe that was all the rage from what appears to be the twenties and thirties. It’s hard to tell when and where everything, and everybody, actually belongs, because it all is so unique and completely original. It’s as if I was watching a story set in a parallel universe that merely resembles our own. If there is any other animated film style that resembles the style used here, I would have say that Ralph Bakshi’s brand of animation would be the closest. Some have compared it to early Disney and Looney Tunes, but I only saw that in the opening sequence, which is a black and white showing of the triplets in their heyday. After that, it loses any similarities all together.
To call the film a comedy is a vast understatement because it is so much more. Some of it is sick, some of it is twisted, then all of a sudden you find it endearingly cute. It tends to not settle for any particular trend and just runs the gambit of all genres. I was literally stunned by the vast array of styles used in interpreting the story to the screen. It is luscious and barren at times, and completely defies any stereotype that could possibly be attributed to it. One moment I was so charmed by Bruno the lovable dog that I was feeling all warm and fuzzy, then the next scene comes on where the triplets are licking frozen frogs on a stick making me feel kind of creeped out. I liked the way they made a number of the characters animal like, and then made others completely inhuman.
One of the strengths of the film is that there is so little dialogue. Never in the history of Disney movies has that ever been attempted. There is perhaps only 30 words spoken in the entire movie, Chomet completely respects the audience by doing it this way. Another major strength is the music. It’s absolutely enchanting. I’ve never really heard music quite like this before. It’s melodious, lovely, and at the same time, eerie. All I can say is that all the people who worked on this project really knew what the hell they were doing and made a masterpiece that is in a class of its own. In the history of animated film, there is nothing out there quite like this.
I wholeheartedly recommend this film to everybody. You will never see a film like this again, unless Chomet decides to get the same group together again to work some more cinema magic.
Thank you Sylvain Chomet! You just gave me one of the most enjoyable movie theater experiences ever!
The Triplets of Belleville tells the story of a grandmother’s desperate rescue of her grandson, who is kidnapped to help a mafia boss make a killing in the betting industry. On her journey she meets the triplets, a musical troupe that was all the rage from what appears to be the twenties and thirties. It’s hard to tell when and where everything, and everybody, actually belongs, because it all is so unique and completely original. It’s as if I was watching a story set in a parallel universe that merely resembles our own. If there is any other animated film style that resembles the style used here, I would have say that Ralph Bakshi’s brand of animation would be the closest. Some have compared it to early Disney and Looney Tunes, but I only saw that in the opening sequence, which is a black and white showing of the triplets in their heyday. After that, it loses any similarities all together.
To call the film a comedy is a vast understatement because it is so much more. Some of it is sick, some of it is twisted, then all of a sudden you find it endearingly cute. It tends to not settle for any particular trend and just runs the gambit of all genres. I was literally stunned by the vast array of styles used in interpreting the story to the screen. It is luscious and barren at times, and completely defies any stereotype that could possibly be attributed to it. One moment I was so charmed by Bruno the lovable dog that I was feeling all warm and fuzzy, then the next scene comes on where the triplets are licking frozen frogs on a stick making me feel kind of creeped out. I liked the way they made a number of the characters animal like, and then made others completely inhuman.
One of the strengths of the film is that there is so little dialogue. Never in the history of Disney movies has that ever been attempted. There is perhaps only 30 words spoken in the entire movie, Chomet completely respects the audience by doing it this way. Another major strength is the music. It’s absolutely enchanting. I’ve never really heard music quite like this before. It’s melodious, lovely, and at the same time, eerie. All I can say is that all the people who worked on this project really knew what the hell they were doing and made a masterpiece that is in a class of its own. In the history of animated film, there is nothing out there quite like this.
I wholeheartedly recommend this film to everybody. You will never see a film like this again, unless Chomet decides to get the same group together again to work some more cinema magic.